Characteristics of Garden Sculpture in Archaic Greece
Characteristics of Garden Sculpture in Archaic Greece The initial freestanding statuary was designed by the Archaic Greeks, a distinguished accomplishment since until then the sole carvings in existence were reliefs cut into walls and pillars. For the most part the statues, or kouros figures, were of young and attractive male or female (kore) Greeks. The kouroi, viewed as by the Greeks to exemplify beauty, had one foot stretched out of a strict forward-facing pose and the male figurines were regularly nude, with a powerful, strong physique. In about 650 BC, the differences of the kouroi became life-sized. The Archaic period was an extraordinary point of change for the Greeks as they grew into new modes of government, formed fresh expressions of art, and gained information of the men and women and cultures outside of Greece. However, these battles did little to impede the development of the Greek civilization.Classic Greece: The Beginnings of Outdoor Statue Design
Classic Greece: The Beginnings of Outdoor Statue Design In the past, the vast majority of sculptors were compensated by the temples to embellish the elaborate columns and archways with renderings of the gods, but as the period came to a close it grew to be more common for sculptors to portray ordinary people as well because many Greeks had begun to think of their institution as superstitious rather than sacred. Wealthy individuals would often times commission a rendering of their ancestors for their large familial tombs; portraiture also became common and would be appropriated by the Romans upon their acquisition of Greek civilization.