Friday, November 19, 2010

Aphrodite, Hermes with Dionysus, Praxiteles

Praxiteles was an ancient Greek sculptor and a famous one at that. Sculpting during the 4th century, he was known to sculpt human subjects and gods that were not necessarily the "older" ones. He concentrated more on Venus, Apollo and the like rather than Zeus and Poseidon.  He also gained great fame for being the first to sculpt a lifesize female nude.


This is a replica of that very piece, the first female nude, entitled Aphrodite. It was praised for its life-like accuracy and for the cultural bounds that it broke. Many believe this form to be inspired by the artist's lover, Phyrne. 


Another one of Praxiteles most famous works is the above pictured Hermes and the Infant Dionysus. It was found at Olympia in 1877 and shows the god, Hermes, carrying the newborn deity, Dionysus to the nymphs that will raise him. It is hypothesized that in the arm of Hermes that no longer remains, he may have held a cluster of grapes, thus gaining baby Dionysus' full attention and making this infant baby more recognizable to his audience. 

1 comment:

  1. Praxiteles corrected seven times / Praxiteles corregido siete veces
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIG8D2_J_Qo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

    ReplyDelete