Strong: Classical Scuplture

Classical sculpture is my favorite. The classical type has its roots from ancient Greek and Roman art. This type of sculpture usually involves free standing statues. They emphasize the human form and elaborate decorative scenes. The subjects that are used are people, women, children, animals and domestic scenes. In ancient Greece and Rome, the sculpture is commissioned by patrician families for the adornment of their villas and gardens. For the Greeks, the statues of men are depicted standing with their hips slightly to the side to show more muscle definition and to show themselves as a next to the gods figure. The stance of the statue is called contraposto displaying the weight-shift of the statue's body.


As for the Romans who were attracted by Greek art and influenced by the culture of their native Etruscans, the Romans eventually adapted the Greek style but instead of using bronze as material the Romans used marble instead. The excellent result is that marble is one material that can survive the ages (better than bronze). Probably you will notice that if you visit a major museum that exhibits Roman art you will still be able to see ancient Roman sculpture made out of marble being exhibited. Though some Greek sculpture made of marble survived they are best known today from architectural context like the Parthenon.

Thanks to the age of Italian Renaissance, the appreciation for classical sculpture was revived and has its rebirth from the works of Donatello and Michelangelo. I genuinely like classical sculpture because it is realistic. I like the contours of the body and the bone structure of the faces and of course the muscle definition is detailed excellently. I would suggest that next time you go to Europe especially in Italy, France and Spain is to visit the museums, the cathedrals, the gardens and some town plazas and observe the classical sculpted statues that you will see in these places. As you observe them very well, you will see how these statues are beautifully done and composed.

Photo Credit: Bust of Herakles or Hercules
Photographer: JS
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25560381@N07/

Photo Credit: Emperor Augustus
Photographer: Nobor
Photo Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25456269@N08/