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ANCIENT GREEK SCULPTURES FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM

ANCIENT GREEK SCULPTURES FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM. Getting familiar with the BM. http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/animals/introduction.aspx. Go to the above mentioned page, choose a topic and pick up ten words you don’t know. Write them down together with their translation.

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ANCIENT GREEK SCULPTURES FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM

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  1. ANCIENT GREEK SCULPTURES FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM

  2. Getting familiar with the BM http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/animals/introduction.aspx Go to the above mentioned page, choose a topic and pick up ten words you don’t know. Write them down together with their translation

  3. THE PARTHENON SCULPTURES

  4. Use the correct tense: Periodically, the question of where the surviving sculptures from the Parthenon should now be displayed ……………………… (become) a subject of public discussion. The Parthenon in Athens …………………… (be) a building with a long and complex history. Built nearly 2,500 years ago as a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, it …………. (be) for a thousand years the church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque, and finally an archaeological ruin. When the city ………….. (be) under siege by the Venetians in 1687, the Parthenon itself ………….. (be) used as a gunpowder store. The building ……………………. (be) a ruin ever since. Between 1801 and 1805 Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire of which Athens ……………………. (be) a part for some 350 years, acting with the full knowledge and permission of the Ottoman authorities, ……………………… (remove) about half of the remaining sculptures from the fallen ruins and from the building itself. Lord Elgin ………………. (transport) the sculptures back to Britain. These sculptures ………………… (be) acquired from Lord Elgin by the British Museum in 1816. Since then the sculptures …………………….. (be) on display to the public in the British Museum, free of entry charge.

  5. THE CONTROVERSY • The context: sculptures surviving from the Parthenon are located in museums in six different countries. The majority of the sculptures are roughly equally divided between Athens and London. Recently the Greek authorities have continued the process of removing the sculptures from the Parthenon. They are displayed at the New Acropolis Museum. • What are the arguments for and against the return of the Parthenon sculptures? Why does the Greek government want the sculptures back? Why is the BM reluctant to give them back?

  6. The British Museum’s position The British Museum exists to tell the story of cultural  achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of  human history over two million years ago until the   present day. The Museum is a unique resource for  the world. Within the context of this unparalleled collection,  the Parthenon sculptures are an important  representation of ancient Athenian civilisation. The Trustees of the British Museum warmly welcome the opening of the New Acropolis Museum which will allow the Parthenon sculptures that are in Athens to be appreciated against the backdrop of ancient Greek and Athenian history. The new museum, however, does not alter the Trustees’ view that the sculptures are part of everyone’s shared heritage and transcend cultural boundaries. http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_debate/debate/parthenon_sculptures.aspx

  7. BASIC VOCABULARY

  8. The archaic period (600-480BC) AncientGreece Stylization of the figure A rigidlyposed figure Tense muscles Stiff, rigid pose A well-established formula A frontal pose Frozensmiles The left foot extendedforward Chisels and punches Rough surface quality Carvedmarble Paintedwithbrightcolours A youth (a kouros, male figure) A maiden (a kore, female figure) A votive statue Offerings Not true portraits but generic types A seated figure – a standing figure – a reclining figure Long hair

  9. Heracles and the Amazons, around 350BC Make full sentences using the following pieces of information: • Origin : the walls of Castle of St Peter, Bodrum, modern Turkey • Date: around 350 BC • Subject matter: Herakles and the Amazons, a Greek legend • Situation : sections of the Amazonomachy frieze • Composition: three slabs • Preservation: parts are missing, the marble has eroded in some parts • LEXICAL FIELD OF FIGHT AND BATTLE: grasp (saisir), strike (frapper), a shield (bouclier), to release oneself from the grasp of an opponent or assaulter, plunge a sword into, protect, lie on the ground, deal a blow at. • A twisting movement: un mouvement de torsion The gestures of the fightersadd to the liveliness of thisbattlescene. The stances of the protagonists are contorted and life-like. The limbs of the figures drawdiagonalsthatfollowmanydifferent directions.

  10. Etruscan death daemon (Vanth) Present simple / Present en ING Vanth IS the servant of the lord of the underworld. She IS often represented on cinerary urns. She IS usually winged. Most of the time she HOLDS a snake entwined around her arms. This Etruscan statue IS in the collections of the BM. In this work, Vanth IS WEARING a tunic and holding two snakes, one in each arm. Here we can see that she IS WALKING as her left foot is slightly in front of her right foot. She IS SHOWING one of the snakes to the deceased.

  11. Venus or her mother • This is the portrait of a deity found in a domestic shrine in a rich Roman house. This full-length portrait shows Venus, the goddess of love. This free-standing statue of Venus is 30 cm high. It is kept in the British Museum. The bronze statue was probably made or cast in the 2nd century. • DRAPERY • FOLDS • SINUOUS LOCKS OF HAIR • HEADRESS WITH A DOVE • THE HIPS • A HOLE • A FIGURE IN A CONTRAPOSTO: SHE HAS HER WEIGHT ON HER RIGHT LEG

  12. Aphrodite crouching at her bath THE HUMAN BODY The head and headress The nape (the neck) The shoulders The arms (forearms) The hand (thumb, forefinger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger) The wrist The breasts The back (the spine) - The buttocks The torso – the ribs (ribcage) The belly The loin The thighs The knee The calf – shin The feet and toes – the ankle A nude – a naked goddess – her nakedness To kneel near the water To crouch down

  13. ASKLEPIOS THE HEALING GOD The classical style: The Greeks were used to placing the sculptures of a God inside the temples. Sculptors used to portray deities. They would idealize mankind. The hair is carved in a naturalistic way. The locks of hair are supple and made up of many curvilinear lines. Volume is also well-rendered. The handling of the hair enables the sculptor to play with light and shadows. The beard is fluid and natural. Though endowed with calm, Asklepios has a solemn facial expression. No passion is stamped on the god’s face. The marble is very smooth and the features regular. The harmony of the face and the balance between the regular face and the hair and beard exemplify the classical style. Greek artists would illustrate values like harmony and the triumph of reason through their portraits of deities.

  14. Dionysos Roman, about AD 40-60, copy of a Greek original of about 325 BC; said to have been found at Posilipo, Campania, Italy Use the following adjectives and nouns to describe this sculpture. Nouns : drapery, ivy wreath (couronne de lierre), arm, beard, face, shoulder, tunic, gaze, nose, lips, folds, corner of the mouth (commissure) Adjectives : straight, missing, heavy, thin, supple, fine, broad, melancholy, curly, smooth, drooping

  15. MARBLE BUST OF HERCULES Roman, 2nd century ADSaid to have been found at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, Campania, Italy

  16. HOW TO DESCRIBE A SCULPTURE? The subject matter: is the piece of sculpture a portrait, a commemorative work, a narrative scene featuring historical or mythological figures, an ornamental item of decoration? The function: is the sculpture a decorative element embedded in the architecture of a building or the ornamentation of a park ? Is it a votive work associated with the cult of a god or magic beliefs? Is it an everyday artefact used in older times ? Is it an autonomous work created to be shown in a particular place ? The stylistic features: Does the work belong to one specific period ? Can you liken it to other works produced at the same period? Was the sculptor a member of an artistic group? Is he identified as a proponent of a specific trend? What is emphasized in the work ? (movement, expression, texture, colours, shapes, etc.) How is movement rendered? Is the sculpture life-like, stylized or abstract?

  17. The technique: Which technique was used? Is the piece carved in one single block or composed out of several elements that are assembled ? Are the elements free from the main block ? Is there a pedestal? How is it related to the work? Is the material used to enhance the stylistic features? Do you have an impression of heaftiness or weightlessness? Are there several viewpoints? How is light used? How do the volumes impact upon the reflection of light on the surface? Site-specificity: What is the relation between the piece and its surroundings? Does the sculpture change our perception of the place? Would the sculpture look different if it was placed in another setting? Is the work meant to be seen next to other works that may complement its perception?

  18. ADJECTIVES FOR THE APPRAISAL OF A SCULPTURE ROUND SUPPLE HEAVY EVEN / REGULAR / SMOOTH FINE / DELICATE / BEAUTIFUL / GRACEFUL BALANCED/ WELL-PROPORTIONED THIN LARGE EXPRESSIVE / MOVING HUMOROUS / JOYFUL LIFE-LIKE SHINY SYMMETRICAL STRAIGHT ANGULAR STIFF / RIGID / STATIC / HIERATIC LIGHT / WEIGHTLESS BUMPY / UNEVEN / ROUGH / COARSE UGLY / NONEDESCRIPT UNBALANCED / DISPROPORTIONATE BULKY / MASSIVE / HEFTY SMALL / TINY / CRAMPED STERN / AUSTERE STYLIZED / SIMPLIFIED DULL / MAT ASYMMETRICAL CURVED / CURVILINEAR / ROUND

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