Compare and Contrast - Research Paper Example

The Greek ideal was defined by the term “kalokagathia”. Since kalokagathia included the perfection of the body and physical constitution as well as moral and spiritual perfection, along with the beauty and power of the ideal, there was brought justice, purity, courage, and intelligence (Dombrowski 8). That is what made the sculptures of Greek gods carved by ancient sculptors of the unique beauty. Sculptures of all periods of Greek art were notable for its special beauty and the masterly performance.

Passing to the specific examples, the current paper will compare and contrast two Greek sculptures of different periods: Peplos Kore and Aphrodite from Melos. The Archaic period in the history of Ancient Greece lasted from 8th to 6th centuries BCE. During this period, there was a rapid development of the material culture, handicraft centers, agriculture, and trade. There also occurred an intensification of city growth. This was the right moment for further development of art that, afterwards, glorified Ancient Greece: vase painting; monumental architecture, lyric poetry, and marble sculpture.

The first sculptures in Greece began to emerge in the 7th century BCE. The island of Crete was a motherland for monumental sculpture. There were found stone sculptures of young male athletes and warriors that are dated back to the early 7th century BCE. Cretan school of sculpture created its important standards of simple and clear outline of the sculpture, generalized form, strict balance of all parts of sculpture, and frontal composition of the construction. Crete laid the basis for an ideal type of female and male statues, kore and kouros.

Peplos Kore (ca.530 BCE.) was a statue of a young woman (maiden) standing in the constrained position. The statue of a girl was made a life-size or slightly smaller. On the tranquil and serene face of the statue the sculptor portrayed the so-called “archaic smile” to show that the sculpture is alive. Kores were dressed in peplos, the draped tunic that hides the asymmetry of the figure (in the Attic school of sculpture most statues were dressed in peplos). Thus, the whole outfit gave the sense of girl purity and innocence.

It should be noted that kores, the statue of the maidens, were never sculpted naked, in contrast to the male sculptures of the same period. Kores were designed with two purposes. Firstly, kores were dedicated to Greek gods. In this case, the kore was holding an object that was associated with the “occupation” of the god she was devoted to. On the footing of the statue, there was cut the text of dedication, the name of the sculptor, and the name of the person that paid for the making of the statue (patron).

Secondly, kores were made to set at the cemetery on the graves of the distinguished citizens. In this case, the kore was made of resemblance with the deceased. Kores were the leading element in the Greek sculpture of the Archaic period (Stansbury-O’Donnell 138). The emotional clarity of this captivating image was once strengthened with bright coloring of the sculpture. In accordance with the Archaic standard, the eyebrows and eyelashes were blue, eyes and lips were brown, hair, flowing over the shoulders, was pinkish red, and the edge of the linen chiton and cape were painted green.

The initial colors that were used for sculpture were restored from the small pieces of paint that were preserved on the kores. All kores that reached our days were very much alike. It was