Greek Sculpture

Greek sculpture was among the first art to communicate human emotions and to offer a more realistic portrait of the individual. By working in new materials and posing the body naturally, Greek sculptors established the foundation of a whole new art form. This book features more than 60 of these influential works that range in form, historical period, and subject.

The sculptural tradition developed by the ancient Greeks is justifiably considered one of the most remarkable achievements of Western art. This richly illustrated volume introduces eight centuries of Greek sculpture, from the early rectilinear designs of the Geometric period (ca. 900–700 B.C.) through the groundbreaking creativity of the Archaic and Classical periods to the dramatic monumental achievements of the Hellenistic Age (323–31 B.C.). A generous selection of objects and materials—ranging from the sacred to the everyday, from bronze and marble to gold, ivory, and terracotta—allows for an especially appealing picture not only of Greek art but also of life in ancient Greece. Sculptures of deities such as Zeus, Athena, and Eros and architectural elements from temples are included, as are depictions of athletes and animals (both domesticated and wild), statuettes of dancers and actors, funerary reliefs, perfume vases, and jewelry. The informative text provides a comprehensive introduction and insightful discussions of forty objects selected from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Full-page photographs of the featured works are supplemented by many illuminating details and comparative illustrations. The latest in The Met’s widely acclaimed How to Read series, this publication reveals how, more than two millennia ago, Greek artists brilliantly captured the fundamental aspects of the human condition.

Explains the social function and aesthetic achievement of Greek sculpture from c.750 BC to the end of antiquity.

The Handbook of Greek Sculpture aims to provide a detailed examination of current research and directions in the field. Bringing together an international cast of contributors from Greece, Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, the volume incorporates new areas of research, such as the sculptures of Messene and Macedonia, sculpture in Roman Greece, and the contribution of Greek sculptors in Rome, as well as important aspects of Greek sculpture like techniques and patronage. The written sources (literary and epigraphical) are explored in dedicated chapters, as are function and iconography and the reception of Greek sculpture in modern Europe. Inspired by recent exhibitions on Lysippos and Praxiteles,the book also revisits the style and the personal contributions of the great masters.

This book examines how interpretation and examination of Greek sculpture are intertwined.

Greek Sculpture presents a chronological overview of the plastic and glyptic art forms in the ancient Greek world from the emergence of life-sized marble statuary at the end of the seventh century BC to the appropriation of Greek sculptural traditions by Rome in the first two centuries AD. Compares the evolution of Greek sculpture over the centuries to works of contemporaneous Mediterranean civilizations Emphasizes looking closely at the stylistic features of Greek sculpture, illustrating these observations where possible with original works rather than copies Places the remarkable progress of stylistic changes that took place in Greek sculpture within a broader social and historical context Facilitates an understanding of why Greek monuments look the way they do and what ideas they were capable of expressing Focuses on the most recent interpretations of Greek sculptural works while considering the fragile and fragmentary evidence uncovered

In this wide-ranging study, Richard Neer offers a new way to understand the epoch-making sculpture of classical Greece. Working at the intersection of art history, archaeology, literature, and aesthetics, he reveals a people fascinated with the power of sculpture to provoke wonder in beholders. Wonder, not accuracy, realism, naturalism or truth, was the supreme objective of Greek sculptors. Neer traces this way of thinking about art from the poems of Homer to the philosophy of Plato. Then, through meticulous accounts of major sculpture from around the Greek world, he shows how the demand for wonder-inducing statues gave rise to some of the greatest masterpieces of Greek art. Rewriting the history of Greek sculpture in Greek terms and restoring wonder to a sometimes dusty subject, The Emergence of the Classical Style in Greek Sculpture is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in the art of sculpture or the history of the ancient world.

Greek Sculpture presents a chronological overview of the plastic and glyptic art forms in the ancient Greek world from the emergence of life-sized marble statuary at the end of the seventh century BC to the appropriation of Greek sculptural traditions by Rome in the first two centuries AD. Compares the evolution of Greek sculpture over the centuries to works of contemporaneous Mediterranean civilizations Emphasizes looking closely at the stylistic features of Greek sculpture, illustrating these observations where possible with original works rather than copies Places the remarkable progress of stylistic changes that took place in Greek sculpture within a broader social and historical context Facilitates an understanding of why Greek monuments look the way they do and what ideas they were capable of expressing Focuses on the most recent interpretations of Greek sculptural works while considering the fragile and fragmentary evidence uncovered