Free Custom «The Metropolitan Museum» Essay Paper

The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds sculptures of ancient Greek and Roman cultures that were representation of a human figure made from marble. Among the pieces of sculptures that fascinate are the statues of youth, namely, The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth) and The Roman Marble Statue of a Youth. The two statues are among the earliest marble statues of a human figure with rigid upright stance. Sculpture was a popular form of art that was considered to be beautiful long before other types of art were introduced. It is still popular today and is used in religious and social circles. The two sculptures are examples of three dimensional art forms. In the Museum, the Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth) was made in the arctic period in ca. 590–580 B.C. Its accession number is 32.11.1 and is currently on display in gallery 154. On the other hand, The Roman Marble Statue of a Youth was made in the imperial period, 1st century A.D. Its accession number is 26.60.2, and it is currently on display in gallery 162. The nude statues represent sculptures that have predominated over the years. They are images that have realistically portrayed the human body. However, the statues are greatly different in how they achieve their intended purpose. The Romans and the Greeks used the statues to display certain value they had in their communities. They were made in different periods and that is why the sculptures approached the sculpting process in their own way. The paper will compare and contrast the two sculptures through form, context, content, historical style, and merits of work.

 

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The way people perceive sculpture has continually changed over the centuries since sculpture as an art has grown and evolved over time. The subject matter under their formation has not necessarily remained the same, but artists have tried to vary the subject matter and themes across different cultures¹. Sculpture’s popularity and fascination are hard to explain, but it is obvious that the medium applied by artists is unique. The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth) and The Roman Marble Statue of a Youth as found out depict popular figures of fine arts considered beautiful long before art patrons saw beauty in other arts.

The forward step of the young men was a formula obtained from Egyptian art. Greeks as a result, have used the left leg forward in most of their sculptures for a long time. The figure represents and have distributed the weight of the figure to represent the pose of a man when walking. This was done by the artist to eliminate the rectangular effect obtained when figures stand still without movement. The sculpture might look stiff and un-naturalistic to the observer, but it represents Greek lifelike vitality and concern of the design².

Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth)

The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth) is among the earliest statues of human figure curved during the Attica period. The statue has a rigid stance with arms at the side and the left leg forward. The figure of the youth represents one of the earliest free standing marble statues from Attica. It is a representation of a male youth (kouros). It contains the characteristic nude figure of the period with the left leg striding forward. The kouroi sculptures made in this period were believed to serve as grave markers. On the other hand, some were dedications in the sanctuary of Greek gods. It was derived from Egyptian art.

Sculpturing methods developed by the Greeks were learned from the Egyptians who had been learning so hard on stones for centuries. The forward step of the kouros is also a formula obtained from Egyptian art. Greeks as a result, used the left leg forward in most of their sculptures for a long time. The figure represents and distributed the weight of the figure to represent the pose of a man when walking. This was done by the artist to eliminate the rectangular effect obtained when figures stand still without movement. The sculpture might look stiff and un-naturalistic to the observer, but it represents Greek lifelike vitality and concern of the design³.

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The figure represents use of geometric patterns that are almost abstract in form. The geometric features represent predominant, anatomical and complex details of the pelvic arch and chest muscles. The sculpture represents these features in beautiful analogous patterns. The formula used in curving out the wrists and the knees was borrowed from Egyptian art. Looking at the features of the head, we are able to note that the features are placed on the front plane leaving flat chicks with the ear curved far back close to the hair strands. The ear was curved out beautifully with a complex design. The long curly hair is beautifully represented by strings of curved beads.

The Roman Marble Statue of a Youth

The figure represents a youth who has a slightly stooping figure with no font limps. The boy’s mutilated body parts draw the viewer’s attention before the eyes wonder to the rest of the statue. The left foot cut at the knees rests on a raised bar that acts as the base. The other right leg has got no foot. The remaining part also rests on the bar that acts as a base. The sculpture creates a sense of immediacy. This is because we are able to feel the physical presence of the personalities presented to us by the artist. A sense of immediacy also arises from the point that observer is able to see the human figure as it really are in space. There is a great artistic skill used by the sculpture in polishing the marbles to develop real and surface textures.

Despite having no legs to feet to stand with, there is still a feeling of movement and forwardness in the sculpture. Through the choice of color and texture, the artist represents form of naturalness and not some form of a supernatural structure that is not ordinary to human. Extraordinary feature is only eminent from the fact that the statue represents a human being with most limps and private part cut out. The artist did not show emotion on the structure’s face and, as a result, we are unable to feel the pain displayed.

The Roman Marble Statue presents some feelings through the use of color. There is a form of commonality that the structure develops between the observer and the sculpture’s personhood. We see no distance between the observer and the statue. Parts of The Roman Marble Statue were curved but with the benefit of adhesive to make up for some missing parts. To make the structure stand on its own, the artist considered the weight of materials he used against the forces that combine to hold the structure upright.

The structure stands upright with the help of a metal rode that connects from the missing arms to the base. The statue was made from an engineering point of view since the artist was able to make an object without a flat base stand. The Roman statue synthesizes realism borrowing a lot from the Greek art⁴. This is eminent by the movement made by the youth in its floppy stance. It depicts a Roman youth with mutilated body parts. It was created with illusion of a man in his immediate environment. The pose of the structure is derived from the classical Greek bronze that was made to commemorate the victory of a young athlete.

Compare and Contrast

The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth) and The Roman Marble Statue of a Youth are all representation of a man. The two represent similar subjects but are greatly different in the way they accomplish their intended purposes. The details represented in the statues depict the values Greek and Roman communities have. Their representation of a human figure portrays an even geometric representation of a man. The human figures represent men who have taken a step forward. The two sculptures were sculptured with more rounded finish and they share many physical aspects. They share the same techniques used, for example, The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros represents the Greeks culture in the sixth century. Abstract forms of geometry dominate in the sculpturing technique. The features represent anatomic details in beautiful analogical patterns. This depicts simple formula used by the Greek sculpture in creating the human figure.

The two sculptures create a sense of immediacy. This is because we are able to feel the physical presence of the personalities presented to us by the artists. A sense of immediacy also arises from the point that observers are able to see the human figures as they really are in space. There is a great artistic skill used by the two sculptures in polishing the marbles to develop real and surface textures.

The figure represents use of geometric patterns that are almost abstract in form. The geometric features represent predominant, anatomical and complex details of the pelvic arch and chest muscles. The sculpture represents these features in beautiful analogous patterns. The formula used in curving out the wrists and the knees was borrowed from Egyptian art. Looking at the features of the head, we are able to note that the features are placed on the front plane leaving flat chicks with the ear curved far back close to the hair strands. The ear has been curved out beautifully with a complex design. The long curly hair is beautifully represented by strings of curved beads.

The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros reveals the strong and thoughtful image of the artist since he was able to portray the nakedness of a growing young man. The artist showed prowess by detailing masculinity through geometric forms. We are able to see a slim figure of musculature that surpasses gravity. The Greek Marble Statue represents an upward movement and stability since it is able to stand on its own. The sculpture produces an over-life size image with some visible weight. Geometry seems to be the dominant factor used by the artist.

There is a feeling of movement and forwardness in the two sculptures. Through the choice of color and texture, the sculpture represents some form of naturalness and not some form of a supernatural structure that is not ordinary to human. The Roman Marble Statue also presents the same feeling through the use of color. There is a form of commonality that the structure develops between the observer and the sculpture’s personhood. We see no distance between the observer and the statue.

Parts of The Roman Marble Statue were curved but with the benefit of adhesive to make up for some missing parts. To make the structure stand on its own, the artist considered the weight of materials he used against the forces that combine to hold the structure upright. The structure stands upright with the help of a metal rode that connects from the missing arms to the base. The statue was made from an engineering point of view since the artist was able to make an object without a flat base stand. The Roman statue synthesizes realism borrowing a lot from the Greek art. This is eminent by the movement made by the youth in its floppy stance. It depicts a Roman youth with mutilated body parts. It was created with illusion of a man in his immediate environment.

The Roman Marble Statue has a sinus grace that is appealing decorative work of the Romans. Despite having no legs to feet to stand with, there is still a feeling of movement and forwardness in the sculpture. Through the choice of color and texture, the artist represents form of naturalness and not some form of a supernatural structure that is not ordinary to human. Extraordinary feature is only eminent from the fact that the statue represents a human being with most limps and private part cut out. The artist did not show emotion on the structure’s face and, as a result, we are unable to feel the pain displayed.

The paper compared two sculptures made from marble. The two sculptures are compared in their figurative and biomorphic imagery through form, content and merits of work. The Greek Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth) and The Roman Marble Statue of a Youth as found out depicts a popular figures of fine arts considered beautiful long before art patrons saw beauty in other arts. They are among the best forms of human representation and are viewed as the ultimate artistic creation. The two sculptures are examples of sculptures in three dimensional forms. They portray the same subject that represents different themes through their posture and coloring.

The sculptures absorb attention since they contain a striking feature that something is right there standing before you. The effect is used in most carvings that have been developed by artist. Sculpture as a popular art is still used today in religious or social circles. Sculptures meaning and beauty have continually changed over the years and are still growing and evolving over time. The two sculptures present a feeling of movement and forwardness in the two sculptures. Through the choice of color and texture, the sculpture represents some form of naturalness and not some form of a supernatural structure that is not ordinary to human. The Roman Marble Statue also presents the same feeling through the use of color. There is a form of commonality that the structure develops between the observer and the sculpture’s personhood. We see no distance between the observer and the statue.