StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Greek mythology informed much of the artistic works that have survived to the present day, providing us with a sense of who these people were, what was important to them and puzzling forms of symbolism that continue to be worked out to the present day. In addition, renditions…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.1% of users find it useful
Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period"

Download file to see previous pages

In studying statues of Aphrodite, for example, it is helpful to know a little information regarding the myths and legends around this figure. “According to Hesiod, when Kronos (Cronos) had cut off his father’s members, he tossed them into the sea. The immortal flesh eventually spread into a circle of white foam. from this foam, Aphrodite was created. Her name literally means foam-born” (Stewart, 2005). Although she is somewhat the daughter of Kronos, as it was his phallus from which she grew, she has no associated mother and took several lovers, including Adonis (Cotterell, 1980).

As the goddess of love, Aphrodite presided over sexual love, affection between people and other social relationships. According to Guerber (1990), she was not only the goddess of lovers, but the goddess of gardens and gardeners. “The rose, lily, hyacinth, crocus and narcissus were sacred to her; so were the dove, the sparrow, the dolphin and the swan” (Guerber, 1990, p. 90). Aphrodite was as well known for her anger, jealousy and tendency to interfere without forethought as she was for her beauty and sensual connotations.

“In fact, she can tend to drift into situations with an aplomb only possible through reckless disregard for the future. Aphrodite can be the source of envy arising from a pulsating desire for life and love” (Miller, 2002). The combination of love and power within this individual deity brings into play the possibility of a “union of opposites wherein the lovers are annihilated” (Miller, 2002). All of these elements, both positive and negative, can be looked for within representations of Aphrodite such as the Aphrodite from Knidos, the Aphrodite from Delos and the Aphrodite from Melos.

The Aphrodite from Knidos, also known as the Cnidian Aphrodite, towered over her viewers at just over 9 feet tall. According to Andrew Stewart (1990), the original statue was probably made of Parian marble around 340 BC and was painted and

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1544705-three-aphrodites-visual-expectations-in-the-hellenistic-period
(Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period Essay)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1544705-three-aphrodites-visual-expectations-in-the-hellenistic-period.
“Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1544705-three-aphrodites-visual-expectations-in-the-hellenistic-period.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Three Aphrodites: Visual Expectations in the Hellenistic Period

How the Homeric Hymn on Aphrodite Defines the Power of the Goddess

Greek mythology and myths are primarily focused on explaining about the Greek history and the legends it encompasses.... It is the originator of famous Greek Gods and Greek heroes.... Popular to the world as Hellenismos, these beliefs form the Greek religion and also come under Greek literature.... … Aphrodite was a great Greek goddess of love and beauty....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Hellenic and Hellenistic

hellenistic period (300-50 BC) refers to the time after Alexander's conquests when the elements of the foreign civilizations were mixed with the classic Greek culture.... hellenistic period has attributed many elements of Hellenic culture, but several important changes characterize this time: polis was no longer the representation of political and economic independence as well as the culture was very different from classic Greece. Hellenic world had the following characteristics: small cities with self-government system, education gained with the help of private tutors, limited commercial activity, women's role limited to domestic affairs, widespread slavery usage, development of poetry and drama introduction, philosophical movements with emphasis on logic and ethic, introduction of experimental method into sciences, and belief into Olympian gods....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Studying the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses

Studying the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses can oftentimes become quite confusing as several of these deities tend to overlap in their associated domains and responsibilities.... This is because the Greeks had already established their pantheon of gods and goddesses prior to… The Romans had their own group of gods at this time, but they had not yet been organized into family structures and had not developed the depth of The conquering Romans liked the stories so much, they began adopting them as their own, changing the names of the deities to reflect a Roman heritage rather than Greek....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Greek art- archaic to Hellenistic period- art history

The "Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus" by Praxiteles is last on the Kouros line and is an example of the hellenistic style.... The Ancient Greek sculpture is divided into 3 major styles namely: the Archaic, Severe and hellenistic styles, thus, I chose one sculpture from each style for the two types of figure, the Kore (female) and the Korous (male)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Philip, Alexander and the Hellenistic period

Philip and his son Alexander the Great contributed immensely to the shaping of the hellenistic period's culture.... In addition, the generals who took over the empire did not have the necessary experience and power to sustain its Key words: hellenistic period, Alexander the Great, Greek civilization, Middle East, Euclid's geometry Philip, Alexander and the Hellenistic periodIntroduction hellenistic period refers to the three centuries that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

Images of Aphrodite and female nudity in Greek art

Athens is Greece's principal city, a part of Attica.... Early in the sixth century, the influential lawgiver Solon laid the foundation for development in Greece.... He laid reforms which canceled personal debts;… These changes stimulated the local economy, especially when Athens was opened for residence and business of local and foreign craftsmen....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Presentation and Context of the Pearls of Aphrodite

To understand more about the historical time period as well as the artist, “The Pearls of Aphrodite” by Herbert James Draper will be examined in terms of its presentation and context in order to determine what Draper might have been trying to communicate regarding his view of the world....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Classical Greek Period and the Medieval Culture

The paper "Classical Greek period and the Medieval Culture" discusses that the development of sacred types of music marked the medieval period.... The rise of drama and the Liturgical period marked the medieval culture.... Thomas Aquinas formed one of the common philosophies of the medieval period.... The paintings in this period created a novel dimension of human beauty.... The drama in the Greek period focused on tragedy and comedy....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us