The Human Figure in Greece

Ancient Greek art plays a crucial role in the depiction of human beings. In as much as the Greek arts were used to glorify deities, the very deities were sculptured in the image of human beings. The arts recognized the significance and the achievements made by human beings. Ancient Greek art stands out from other ancient cultures for its advancement of real but stylized representations of the human torso, during which mostly naked human beings were often the centre of discovery. A relatable example is the Amphora vase which was anciently used for storage of oil and wine (Smith et al., 2018). The vase portrays the human body as made of a triangle, regarded as the human trunk and rectangular arms.

Additionally, the Terracotta Krater vase displays a scene that illustrates the rituals of mourning and funerals practised by the human figure. In the horizontal curving of the vase, a dead figure lies by its side covered with a piece of cloth which is supposedly the winding sheet used to bury the deceased (Art of Ancient Greece, n.d). Figures of human beings stand by the deceased's side with hands held high to express grief and mourning for the departed soul. Therefore, the depictions in the vases portray the practices of humans in art form.

There are ways in which ancient Greek arts have been compared and contrasted with Egyptian figural sculptures. Like ancient Greek art, the Egyptians also used sculptures in different ways, including making statues of their gods and ancient kings (Smith et al., 2018). On the contrary, Egyptian monuments adhered to extremely rigorous rules. The figurines were enormous, with big heads and round, expressionless features. The facial appearance lacked emotional signs. Egyptian sculptures gave more attention to symmetry. However, this differed from the Greek arts, which paid less attention to symmetry.

Moreover, the Greek arts portrayed elements of reality in them. In contrast to the Egyptian sculptures, they were rather organic. Greek sculptures examined the manly figure's numerous systems, facial emotions, and musculature (Art of Ancient Greece, n.d). With faces painted with moods and feelings. The contrast in the cultures is also witnessed in the use of nudity. Egyptian sculptures mainly employed nudity on children and, on most occasions, servants. However, in the Greek arts, the use of nudes was common among mature females and males in addition to showing elements of action or movement, unlike the Egyptian sculptures, which were generally fixed in one position, illustrating no action.

Societal contexts are the major reason for the gap in the different figural forms of ancient Greek art and Egyptian figural sculptures. The designing and making of Egyptian sculptures were more inclined toward their religion. They made monuments that resembled their gods, believed to be unseen; hence most of their art showed no signs of movement. On the other hand, ancient Greek art was inclined toward philosophy as they tended to examine the globe and the concepts relating to the livelihood of humankind. It is evident from the emotions and feelings portrayed in the statues crafted by the Greeks. For example, smiling statues show happiness, which is the basic emotion of a person fully satisfied with what life offers.

References

Smith, T. J., & Plantzos, D. (Eds.). (2018). A companion to Greek art. John Wiley & Sons. https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ARCH562/%CE%92%CE%99%CE%92%CE%9B%CE%99%CE%9F%CE%93%CE%A1%CE%91%CE%A6%CE%99%CE%91%3A%20%CE%93%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%91/Chapter%2030.pdf

The art of Ancient Greece, n.d