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approximately 600 AD. They contributed to many things today such as politics and
culture. But, the most important contribution was arguably the development of
western aesthetic. It is a fact that the Greek aesthetic became the western aesthetic
and it is evident in the aesthetics of the Parthenon, the evolution of Greek sculpture,
To begin with, the Parthenon is a Greek temple that was built from 447 BC
until 438 BC and is considered to be one of the most important buildings still around
from the period of classical Greece. It was originally dedicated to the goddess
Athena, but it has now become the image of Greek aesthetic. For example, the
Parthenon actually has only a few parallel lines in order to make it more
incredible form of engineering and especially for the time it was created. Harmony,
balance, and perfection were very important and can be seen in other aspects of the
Its columns exhibit a bit of a swelling, but it was built intentionally because it allows
the columns to be seen as straight from a distance, which is very advanced for the
sculptures from around 800 BC to 300 BC. A prime example of this is the Kouros
type of sculpture. This type of sculpture is from the Archaic period in Greece and is
other and with the hands to the sides. This is very similar
progressed from the idea of idealism to the concept of realism. Idealism was the idea
of making something more aesthetically pleasing rather than how it really is. It
focused on what they waned to see and because of that, it was rather more god-like.
The sculptures really defined the beauty and imperfection of the human body even if
it was not entirely true. Around 300 BC during the Hellenistic period, Greek
sculptors began to transition more towards realism. Realism art depicts the way it
actually is and is accurate to the actual human body. During this time period,
sculptors no longer felt required to convey the body with physical perfection rather
than how they actually are. This transition was welcomed as they did depict more
energy and feeling. An example of this is the sculpture “Loacoon and his Sons”. In
this sculpture, serpents attacked Loacoon and his sons, but only his two sons are
killed. The expression on the face of the father and two sons are mind blowing. It is
incredibly realistic and the expression of fear is striking. This conveys realism
because of its accurate depiction of the human body and facial expressions.
history when it comes to the development of western culture. The politics and
aesthetics are some of the most vital contributions to our culture than any other
society in history. The geometry and visual illusions of the Parthenon are just
unique as it perfectly blends math with harmony and balance. The transition from
the Egyptian influenced sculptures to those of the Greek standard was very
important in developing the Greek aesthetic that would later be the aesthetic of
western culture. Finally, the progression from idealism to realism was one of
art.
Bibliography
- Sakoulas, Thomas. "The Parthenon." Parthenon. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
- Meisner, Gary. "The Parthenon and Phi, the Golden Ratio." Goldennumber.net.