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

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