The Sculpture Called Marble Statue - Essay Example

Art History Name Date Course Part 1: General information The sculpture represented is called Marble Statue of a youthful Hercules. The youthful Hercules is one of the Roman gods who commanded a lot of power and was considered important by the ancient Roman people. The artists who constructed the original sculpture are not known as it was constructed many centuries ago and the records were not kept. During the time, several groups of people were involved in the construction of sculptures used for the religious purposes. However, their records do not exist despite the high quality artistic work that they came up with in the construction of the marble of statue of youthful Hercules. The sculptor underwent some reconstruction for the purposes of replacing some of the parts which had been broken. This modification and restoration was carried out in the seventeenth century. It is estimated that the sculpture was original constructed between 68-98 AD. During the time, it Emperor Nero was in charge of the Roman Empire and could have participated indirectly to the construction of the sculpture. This was during the flavian period and sculpture was constructed in Rome. The sculpture was original and it was not a copy of any other sculpture. The sculpture had religious importance on the Roman people and hence their ability to preserve it over a long period of history. Although there exists other sculptures of Hercules, the marble statue was original and it was used alongside the other sculptures by the ancient Roman people. The sculpture is believed to have been excavated during the seventeenth century alongside another original sculpture (Turner, 5). The original sculpture was made in Rome during the era of the Roman Empire. At the time, the construction of sculptures was common for the purposes of religion. The ancient Roman people were polyethysts and hence the construction of different sculptures that represent the different gods that they worshipped. The sculpture is thus one of the many sculptures that were made in Rome during the Roman Empire era. The sculptures were thus common in Rome at the time. Currently, the sculpture is not in its original location. This is after it was it was dug from its site in Rome during the first and third part of the seventieth century. The collection work of the sculpture was conducted by Marchese Vicenzo. The sculpture is now located at the Metropolitan museum of art. At the museum, the sculpture is open for viewing and taking of photos by the members of the public. Currently, it is also considered as a property of the Metropolitan museum. The Museum is located at the fifth avenue in New York City, United States of America. At the museum, the viewers can see the sculpture as it was intended by the original artists. This is after the modification of some parts of the sculpture that had been broken. The sculpture is made of marble material and hence its ability to be durable over a long period of time. The sculpture is about two meters tall which is believed to be its original size. Part 2: Brief description The sculpture was supposed to represent Hercules who was one of the Roman gods who was highly regarded as he was the son of Zeus who was believed to be immortal. The sculpture thus takes the human figure of a youthful man. The name of the sculpture is also named as youthful due to its outlook. The figure of sculpture also presents a well built youthful person which is supported to show that the powers and strength of the human form of Hercules. The sculpture is not clothed and it takes the form of a naked youthful man. On the left hand of the sculpture, a sculpture of a bird is held on the palm of Hercules. A piece of cloth which also has an image of a luon is also held by the Hercules. The right hand of the sculpture is behind the back and it has held a baton. This is one of the items that were common during the ancient Roman Empire and it was always carried by the leaders. The sculpture does not portray the elements of a non objective art as it clearly represents a youthful human male figure. Part 3: Form The sculpture is three dimensional and it takes the shape of a youthful male. However, it is important to note that the movement of the object will not affect the shape. The shape of the sculpture also contributes to its mass which has enabled it to be supported for the purposes of maintaining balance. The value mainly deals with the amount of light that comes from the viewer of the three dimensional artwork. The sculpture does not have sharp edges which has some impacts on the contrast that is created by the sculpture. However, the sculpture has the ability to produce a shadow which is also an important aspect of value. The secondary contours on the sculpture play an important role in terms of enhancing the value of the sculpture. The space of the sculpture plays an important role in terms of enhancing its shape. The amount of space of the object is not high enough and it was mainly for the purposes of maintain the stability of the object. The release of the sculpture from its boundaries plays an important role in terms of creating space for the sculpture. The texture on the other hand is an important element of art that enriches the surface of the form. The texture of the sculpture has played an important role in terms of enriching its value. The proper use of texture in the sculpture makes it easy for the interpretation of the sculpture to take place (McTigue, 215). The sculpture is also smooth which has enriched the sculpture. The element of line has also been utilized in the sculpture and it also plays an important role. The elements of light can be seen on the joints of the sculpture as several joints are visible in the sculpture. Element of lines plays an important role in terms of creating a design of the sculpture during the construction process. The color is an important element of art that is used to increase the quality of the artistic work. The color also plays an important role in terms of defining the subject matter. The interpretation of the sculpture is also dependant on the colors that are used. The color of the sculpture creates a sense of reality in the sculpture. Since the sculpture has a human figure, the color is also related to humans. This is important in terms of enhancing the value of the sculpture. The color used in the sculpture is also bright and hence adding value to the sculpture. The bright color used in the sculpture is also attributed to the material that was used during the construction of the sculpture. The aspects of time and movement are also important in the sculpture. The sculpture can be seen from different positions. However, it is also important note that during the viewing it is difficult to move the sculpture around and hence the need for moving around the sculpture. This can be attributed to the mass of the sculpture. Balance is an important principle of design that has also been utilized in the sculpture. This is for the purposes of enabling the sculpture to stand straight and avoid tipping over. The symmetrical balance had been achieved in the sculpture which has enabled it to stand firmly without tipping over. The concepts of proportion have played an important role in the construction of the sculpture. This is also considering that the human body provides an important aspect of proportion. The different parts of the sculpture are relative to each other for the proportionality purposes. The elements of distortion of proportion has not been utilized in the sculpture and hence giving it an element of originality. The color of the sculpture has also played an important role in terms of creating the rhythm which is also an important principle of design. The uniform color of the sculpture impacts positively on its rhythm. Dominance is also an important principle of design that been utilized in the sculpture (Edlin, 110). This has been achieved through the use of color in the sculpture. The architecture of the sculpture is also excellent as it looks well designed which has contributed to its stability. On the other hand, it is also important to note that other principles such as mass and volume has also been utilized in the in the sculpture for the purposes of creating balance and enhancing the architecture. Part IV: Opinions and conclusion In conclusion, the sculpture is one of the most oldest and famous sculpture from the ancient Roman Empire. The elements of design that have been used in the design of the sculpture are also efficient and they have increased the quality of the sculpture. It is also evident that the sculpture has a religious meaning and hence its importance to the ancient Roman people. The elements of design have been used efficiently for the purposes of constructing the sculpture. The utilization of the elements of design has also ensured that the interpretation and viewing of the sculpture has been made easy. The principles of design have also been used in the sculpture. This is mainly on the part of proportionality and balance. The ability of the sculpture to be stable is due to the use of the principles of design. On the other hand, it is evident that the sculpture has been able to withstand different conditions due to its strength and the principles of design. The durability and attractiveness of a sculpture is also dependant on the principles and elements of design. References Turner, V. (2009). The Greek body. Los Angeles: Getty Publications. McTigue, E. (2010). Student-accessible science texts: Elements of design. Reading Psychology, 31(3), 213-227. Edlin, R. (2010). Principles of Design of Access with Evidence Development Approaches. Pharmacoeconomics, 28(2), 109-111. Read More