A Statue Carved by Phidias - Essay Example

A Statue Carved by Phidias I was quite fascinated by the idea of being immortalized into a stone statue. Inspired by the aesthetic qualities of sculptures of the Gods constructed by Phidias, I instantly decided to bring the able Greek sculptor from the past. Ancient human figurines discovered at archaeological sites had always intrigued me and the sight of the elaborate statues conjured up images of ancient Greek city states. Such was the feeling as I viewed the beautiful sculptures from the past while being in the present; I was taken back in time and in an ancient Greek environment. Greek art constructed by and credited to Phidias demonstrates naturalistic human bodies skillfully crafted into stones that depict a certain form of human features. A more visible attribute of the sculptures by Phidias show intricate decorations and dresses as compared to human details. My particular interest was to preferably have a marble sculpture made than choosing a metal statue. For this purpose, I outlined each and every detail to the ancient Greek sculpture so the work yields a statue that will be memorable forever. Being a tall, blue eyed girl, I could imagine that my statue carved in chryselephantine by Phidias would look no less than the similar cult statues of the time. Several embellishments coated with gold would look just as fabulous as God like statues although more details as to other bodily features including hair and eyes would add to the beauty of the statue. Like any sculpture produced during the Classical period of Greek art, I would prefer an expressionless face that spurs deep thoughts of interest and enchantment. I believe that an expressionless statue is even more interesting than a statue that displays obvious emotions. A state of no expressions builds interest within the onlooker and stimulates fascination as to what the real person embodied into a statue might be thinking at the time. In line with Classical sculptures, I would prefer my statue to present an expressionless face with eyes depicting an abstract yet retaining its deep sense of meaningful connection with the beholder. Considering the other elegant statues constructed by Phidias - among which one is among the seven wonders of the world - I noticed a lot of skilfull decorations in terms of thrones, drapery, and objects. The famous statue of the God, Zeus constructed by Zeus considered to be a masterpiece from ancient times. Having a size many times larger than a life sized man, the statue of Zeus is seated on a majestic throne, surrounded by richly decorated paintings and artifacts. Even the statue of Zeus held a Nike in his right hand and a sceptre on his left indicating a sense of Godly figure. The throne back rose above his head demonstrating a massive king like throne suited for a God like Zeus. Picturing the elaborate statue, I think about the possibility of myself being postured in a divine manner depicting a God like lady. The statue provides a quite insightful spectacle of something colossal and divine. Unlike normal life size statues, I intend my statue to be colossal and several times larger than average human sized sculptures. This sculpture should be similar in aesthetical qualities to the statue of Zeus constructed during the High Classical period of Greek art. Although some details might not belong the same artistic era of Phidias, elaborate details would add more beauty to the enormous statue. The size would indeed have a deep impact on the way it is viewed by the people. When Phidias may take the statue back to ancient Greece, the statue must put the people in awe of the remarkable grand statue just as the amazing Cristo Redentor statue does in present day Brazil. With intricately decorated supporting artifacts, the gigantic sculpture would look even more impressive. Perhaps the statue could be surrounded by beautiful carved isocephaly with mythological beings on the walls to give a more artistic taste to the ambience. The Classical style sculpture constructed by Phidias and depicting a style of art popular during ancient times, would relevantly fit into the context. With a classical style of portraying slender nose, tall figures, and detailed artifacts, the large colossal statue would be admired by the common people of Athens in the same way all other works by Phidias were. It was quite popular to place statues in religious or other important buildings in ancient Greece. The statue could serve the purpose being fitted inside the city state’s prestigious building demonstrating a figure almost as God like as the image of the Greek Gods as immortalized by Phidias in his famous cult statues. In this case, it is not just the statue that will have the impact but the additional aesthetical qualities of the supporting artifacts including the carved isocephaly would have the real ‘impact’. The traditional Greek buildings were a superb form of art on their own, but the statue would reflect a coherent artistic work complementing the beauty of ancient Greek art. The building along with its pillar, peristyle, and general ambiance would provide a suitable location for the statue to be fixed. Since the statue is constructed by Phidias and represents an art style that was popular among ancient Greeks of the time, the statue would fit perfectly in the ancient Greek buildings. That is to say, the construction by Phidias himself fulfills the art requirements of the Classical age. Since the Athens has been the center of art, philosophy, and literature, the statue would provide a remarkable fit to the art loving people living in the city. In particular, the statue built along divine artistic lines would trigger a common majestic feeling that would interest the dwellers of the city and be known for a mysterious statue that arrived from the other worlds. This ‘other world’ implies a different world in terms of temporal existence. This is why I specifically chose to keep the statue expressionless to make the sculpture even more fascinating to the viewers. To be mysteriously engaging to the eyes is the real essence of the ‘immortal’ statue. And for this, ‘immortality’ implies the eternity of the impact which the immense statue has on the psychological state of the beholder’s mind. Though Phidias has been credited as the initiator of the Classical style of art, the human sculptures of this time do not necessarily replicate exact human details as they really are. More emphasis is laid on decoration and bodily shape and the naturalistic features of sculptures than smaller details like eyes, nose, and hair, to name a few. But this does not mean that these features lack a consistent pattern. Indeed, sculptures made during this time have consistent human attributes and make great use of strokes to create layers another clustering patterns in the drapery and hair. Therefore, my decision to choose Phidias to construct an immortalized form of art symbolizing me was rewarding. His construction of the various statures of the Gods are evident factors supporting his talent at constructing visual details and beautiful decorations that add to the aesthetics of ancient Greek imagery. Having european features and having been made a statue of myself posed into a seated woman, my statue would reflect great art and culture as it fits into the ancient Greek society. The stature would not only attract the city dwellers but would also subtly speak about the society of ancient Greece in some abstract sense. Read More