Depiction of Human Form in Ancient Art

Art has developed through ages in the human society. By analyzing the artworks of
various ages, people can also understand how the human society has continued to evolve.
The development of art can be understood if we study the artworks belonging to
different ages. These artworks also help in understanding how human intelligence,
understanding and the social structure has evolved with time.
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The Paleolithic era is also known as old stone age. The art works of this age are of a

wide variety and consist of shell necklaces, human or animal forms in clay or paintings
on the walls of the caves. The depiction of human form in this age can be understood
through the stone sculptures belonging to this age. Of such sculptures the most well
known is that of Venus of Wineldorf. The Paleolithic era was the earliest stage of the
evolution of art and it can be inferred from the evidences available today that during it the
depiction of human forms remained exclusively confined to sculptures of women. Art
historians named these sculptures Venuses.
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The Venus of Wineldorf was found in Austria at a place called Wineldorf. It is a
limestone sculpture which is just a little taller than 4 inches. The sculptor shows a nude
woman and it is why generally scholars believe that in the art of this age the emphasis
remained on depicting female fertility.
Art has evolved though ages and so the depiction of human form also. The most
notable among the civilizations of the ancient near east were the Sumerians, the
Akkadians, the Hittites, Babylonians and the Persians. In the art of near east the human
beings were depicted doing real life things. Also, in the art of this age nudity was not
there like the venuses of Paleolithic age. The art sculptures of the age showed male forms
with bare chests and female forms with breasts covered. These sculptures also showed
clearly carved faces which was not there in the art of Paleolithic age and facial features

were not carved on sculptures. In this way we can see that art had evolved and there was
precision in depiction of human forms. In the Akkadian and the Assyrian art the king was
deified and the sculptures belonging to this age show his authority and superiority.
Good examples of human depiction in this age are the victory stele of Naram-Sin King,
and the male head from Niniveh.
The art of ancient Egypt is highly evolved and its depiction of human forms is
quite mesmerizing. The ancient Egyptians showed the finer details while carving human
figures. Their sculptors were carved proportionate to the status of human beings. For
example the pharaohs statue was carved larger than others to demonstrate his superiority
over others. Similarly, the statue of a lesser God was carved smaller than that of a greater
God.
The sculptors and the paintings of this age show the fine details of the human form
with carefully carved faces and physique. Paintings like that on the wall of Nefertaris
tomb portray fully covered beautiful women. The pharaoh was the most important person
in the Egyptian civilization and the paintings or sculptures generally show him with his
wife or those who worked for him. Some excellent examples of Egyptian art depicting
human forms are the bust of Nefertiti, wall paintings of nefertari and the golden death
mask of tutonkhamun.
In the Aegean culture sculptures were crafted mainly in marble since it was available
there in abundance and these sculptures were made by using plain geometrical shapes
like triangles or simple planes. Such two examples are a figurine of a nude woman from
Syros found inside a grave and that of a male iyre player from Keros, Cyclades. Both
these sculptures are kept in National Archaeological museum of Athens. Human forms
can also be seen in Aegean paintings depicting ceremonies like bull leaping where
women are painted as fair and men with dark skin. Another important sculpture of human
form is that of a snake goddess from the palace of Knossos, Greece. She has snakes in her
both hands and a cat on her head signifying her power over the animals. Scholars also
believe that it could be the sculptor of a priestess.

Greek art is also quite famous for its depiction of humans. The statues are carved very
finely beautifully outlining the human body. The statues consist of both nude and covered
human beings but most important is the fine detailing and carving of every body part.
The statues in marble of Olympian gods and goddesses have a sensuous appeal.
Two important examples are the statue of Aphrodyte of Knydos and that of Hermes and
Dionsyos. The another important one is that of Herakles. All these statues show very fine
physical details of the human body.
Thus on close analysis we can see that the depiction of human form in art has evolved
through ages and also there has been considerable innovation. This depiction of human
forms in art is quite effective in mirroring the social and cultural beliefs of the people of
the age. From the venuses of Paleolithic age to the Olympian gods and goddesses of the
Greek culture there has come remarkable development which reflects the course of
development of the society and art. In a way we can say that the depiction of humans in
art helps us understand the ancient societies and their culture to a good depth.

References:
https://sites.google.com/site/completearthistory/prehistoric
http://college.cengage.com/humanities/perry/humanities/1e/students/summaries/ch01.htm
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http://caseydusek.hubpages.com/hub/Ancient-Near-Eastern-Art
books.google.co.in/books?isbn=0495004790
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