Greek Sculpture Research Paper

It is thought that the first incarnation of Greek sculpture was in the form of wooden cult statues. None of the statues survived and descriptions of them are rare. Inspired by the large stone sculptures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The free standing figures both have the frontal stance and solidity traits of Eastern models, but their forms were much more dynamic than those of Egyptian sculpture. The Greeks found over many years that the most interesting and important subject for artistic endeavors was the human form. Mostly from seeing there gods as having human form. During the classical period, Greek sculpture had a revolution, along with this come changes in style and function. There were large increases in technical skill and artistic ability …show more content…
Since cast bronze was becoming the new medium for all different types of works. Smaller sculptures were made out of a lot of different materials. The reason the ancient Greeks used fine marble and some other materials were because there was an abundance of it in the surrounding territories. Even marbles such as, Parian and Pentelic marble which were some of the most highly prized marble in all the land. Not only was marble an abundant material but bronze was also a very common to obtain, which made it popular to sculpt things from. Marble and bronze are both very easy to mold and sculpt and was also very durable unlike some of the other materials. With pottery, the ancient Greeks would not create any sculpture just for artistic display. Large statues or sculptures were usually commissioned by the state or wealthy powerful aristocrats. Some were used for public memorials, as markings for graves, sanctuaries, and as offerings to temples. Not all statues were made to look like a certain individual. It could be any type of depiction that the artist wants to represent onto the sculpture such as, strength, power, beauty, or …show more content…
Most Greek sculptures were painted in deep, bright colors. The clothing and hair were painted, and the skin in the natural color of the stone. Some sculptures were entirely painted. Different materials were used to distinguish skin, clothing and other details, and the use of different metals for lips, and fingernails on sculptures. They were created by wealthy families for their homes. Sculptors no longer felt obligated to depict sculptures of realistic figures such as men, woman, and children of all sizes as representations of physical beauty and perfection. Sculptures began expressing more energy and power during this time. During this time sculptures had an increase in scale and size. The Greeks used many different types of materials in their sculptures including marble, stone, and limestone, most likely because these materials were very abundant in Greece. There were other materials that could be used to create sculptures with such as, clay but because of clay being very brittle few of them have survived. Greek sculptures tell us a story about Gods, Heroes, Events, Mythical Creatures and Greek culture in general and come in many different colors, shapes, sizes, and