Carved in the Hellenistic period, Draped Relief of Youth is a relief by an unknown artist from Europe. Today this sculpture is on display in the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University. Through the use of symmetric geometry, vertical directionality, and interplay between light and shadow, the artist of Draped Relief of Youth captures the essence of youth, namely ephemerality and unblemished form. A detailed description of the essence of youth, and physical characteristics of this image create a framework that can be used to understand how this artist creates a powerful effect.
To understand the effect created by the sculpture, one must first have a basic understanding of the aspects of youth, such as ephemerality …show more content…
Well-defined abdominal muscles, sinewy, strong latissimus dorsi muscles, and compact, but well-defined biceps make up a well-developed musculature. A thick drape with a multitude of folds encircles much of the lower torso and left arm, while the upper torso is completely exposed. The head and right arm of the statue are broken jaggedly, implying that the sculpture was created from one block of marble. The shoulders of are essentially parallel with the ground. The various physical components of this sculpture work in harmony to create an intense symbolic representation of youth.
Symmetric geometry creates one aspect of youth, unblemished form.
Despite the commonality of muscular imbalances, the pectorals muscles are nearly identical in both size and shape. Furthermore, the bellybutton is perfectly round, and from the placement of the shoulders and angle between the armpits and shoulders, both arms were most likely held straight down by the sculptures sides in a similar fashion. These symmetrical geometric aspects create a nearly unblemished form, which would have been in stark contrast to any adult with wear and tear or muscular imbalances. Other aspects of the statue also support the idea of unblemished form.
Vertical directionality aides in the creation of unblemished form as …show more content…
The torso also is completely straight. Making this sculpture with such vertical directionality indicates a lack of weariness. In a sense, this lack of weariness alludes to a lack of accumulated wear and tear, indicating that the image is relatively unblemished.
Interplay between light and shadow creates the second aspect of youth, ephemerality. The statue is made of marble, a highly reflective surface. Additionally, the folds of the drape create a variety of shadows across the sculpture’s lower body. Assuming that the original statue was illuminated using some sort of flame or simply the sun, the flickering light reflecting off of the highly reflective marble surface would be in a constant state of change. The ephemerality of the constantly changing surface represents the ephemerality of youth.
Overall, the use of symmetric, compact geometry, vertical directionality, and interplay between light and shadow employed by the artist serves to capture the essence of youth, but the question of how to interpret the reason behind embodying youth in this sculpture is unclear. Whatever his motives, youth is a concept ubiquitous to the human experience, giving this sculpture long lasting
To understand the effect created by the sculpture, one must first have a basic understanding of the aspects of youth, such as ephemerality …show more content…
Well-defined abdominal muscles, sinewy, strong latissimus dorsi muscles, and compact, but well-defined biceps make up a well-developed musculature. A thick drape with a multitude of folds encircles much of the lower torso and left arm, while the upper torso is completely exposed. The head and right arm of the statue are broken jaggedly, implying that the sculpture was created from one block of marble. The shoulders of are essentially parallel with the ground. The various physical components of this sculpture work in harmony to create an intense symbolic representation of youth.
Symmetric geometry creates one aspect of youth, unblemished form.
Despite the commonality of muscular imbalances, the pectorals muscles are nearly identical in both size and shape. Furthermore, the bellybutton is perfectly round, and from the placement of the shoulders and angle between the armpits and shoulders, both arms were most likely held straight down by the sculptures sides in a similar fashion. These symmetrical geometric aspects create a nearly unblemished form, which would have been in stark contrast to any adult with wear and tear or muscular imbalances. Other aspects of the statue also support the idea of unblemished form.
Vertical directionality aides in the creation of unblemished form as …show more content…
The torso also is completely straight. Making this sculpture with such vertical directionality indicates a lack of weariness. In a sense, this lack of weariness alludes to a lack of accumulated wear and tear, indicating that the image is relatively unblemished.
Interplay between light and shadow creates the second aspect of youth, ephemerality. The statue is made of marble, a highly reflective surface. Additionally, the folds of the drape create a variety of shadows across the sculpture’s lower body. Assuming that the original statue was illuminated using some sort of flame or simply the sun, the flickering light reflecting off of the highly reflective marble surface would be in a constant state of change. The ephemerality of the constantly changing surface represents the ephemerality of youth.
Overall, the use of symmetric, compact geometry, vertical directionality, and interplay between light and shadow employed by the artist serves to capture the essence of youth, but the question of how to interpret the reason behind embodying youth in this sculpture is unclear. Whatever his motives, youth is a concept ubiquitous to the human experience, giving this sculpture long lasting