Description
Fragment of Greek stele, 4th century BC. Hardened limestone. Measurements: 31 x 34 cm. Fragment of a Greek funerary stele, dated to the 4th century BC and carved in limestone, representing two seated figures, a man and a woman. It is probably a representation of the deceased couple, although we can notice the presence of a third figure, who rests his arm on the shoulders of the male character. Both figures are dressed in tunics, the woman with a veil over her head and the man with a cloak. They are represented in serene and balanced but naturalistic attitudes, showing the progress towards realism and expressiveness of Greek sculpture of the Hellenistic period. Hellenistic sculpture represents the final period of the evolution of Greek sculpture, and developed in the period between the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 B.C., and the conquest of Egypt by the Romans, between 30 and 31 B.C. It is an eclectic, secular and historicist language, which takes as its starting point the heritage of classical sculpture of the previous period, to which new oriental influences are added. It also meant the improvement of the representation of the anatomy and human emotional expressiveness, as well as a fundamental change in aesthetics, which leaves aside the ideal to represent the individual, moving from the generic to the specific. Thus, the previous ethical and pedagogical ideal is abandoned in favor of a new emphasis on everyday human aspects, in an art that will have the aesthetic as its main purpose, although occasionally it will also be propagandistic. This new interest in man and his inner life, his emotions, problems and longings, will result in a realistic style that has to emphasize the dramatic, the prosaic and movement. In addition, Hellenism brought the first individualized and plausible portraits of Western art. The subject matter will also be expanded to include depictions of old age and childhood, minor non-Olympian deities and secondary characters from mythology, as well as popular figures in their daily work.
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Fragment of Greek stele, 4th century BC. Hardened limestone. Measurements: 31 x 34 cm. Fragment of a Greek funerary stele, dated to the 4th century BC and carved in limestone, representing two seated figures, a man and a woman. It is probably a representation of the deceased couple, although we can notice the presence of a third figure, who rests his arm on the shoulders of the male character. Both figures are dressed in tunics, the woman with a veil over her head and the man with a cloak. They are represented in serene and balanced but naturalistic attitudes, showing the progress towards realism and expressiveness of Greek sculpture of the Hellenistic period. Hellenistic sculpture represents the final period of the evolution of Greek sculpture, and developed in the period between the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 B.C., and the conquest of Egypt by the Romans, between 30 and 31 B.C. It is an eclectic, secular and historicist language, which takes as its starting point the heritage of classical sculpture of the previous period, to which new oriental influences are added. It also meant the improvement of the representation of the anatomy and human emotional expressiveness, as well as a fundamental change in aesthetics, which leaves aside the ideal to represent the individual, moving from the generic to the specific. Thus, the previous ethical and pedagogical ideal is abandoned in favor of a new emphasis on everyday human aspects, in an art that will have the aesthetic as its main purpose, although occasionally it will also be propagandistic. This new interest in man and his inner life, his emotions, problems and longings, will result in a realistic style that has to emphasize the dramatic, the prosaic and movement. In addition, Hellenism brought the first individualized and plausible portraits of Western art. The subject matter will also be expanded to include depictions of old age and childhood, minor non-Olympian deities and secondary characters from mythology, as well as popular figures in their daily work.
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