Laocoon and His Sons- Amazing

This sculpture is one of my favorites. It is so complex, the twisting twinning motion of the entire piece is incredible. It depicts the struggle of the Priest Laocoon as he and his sons meet their death as punishment for Laocoon's deeds in the Trojan war. Laocoon choose to advise against welcoming the Trojan horse into the city, though he was overruled and the horse was brought in which led to the destruction of Troy and their loss of the Trojan war to the Greeks under Agamemnon and Menelaus. Laocoon's warnings to not bring the Trojan horse inside the city gates went unheeded, but nonetheless earned him and his sons a terrible death at the hands, or scales and fangs, of the seamonster. In the sculpture, they are terrified and giving their all to save one another and fight off the beast. Even though the piece is violent and fairly scary, the emotion that is so flawless entrancing draws you into the struggle from every angle.

Hellenistic Terracotta and Tanagras

Tanagras capture the imagination because they are seemingly equally about fashions as they are about their subjects. Tanagras are a type of terracotta figurine that showcases the culturally specific attire of women and girls at the time they were made. Pieces of clothing like himations (thin and gauzy Hellenistic cloaks) are painstakingly representedStatuette of a Standing Woman though the woman is clearly covered from head to foot in cloth, the detail in the skirt and the many delicate pleats and folds in the fabric clearly impart a sense of delicate gauzy drapery to her outfit. She seems as though she is wearing something that would billow in the breeze like a thin sheet of silk. The emphasis of the folds at the points where her body stretches the fabric, the elbow and hand at the opposing hip, further prod you into seeing beyond the heavy opaque quality of the terracotta the sculpture is crafted from and help you to envision her as she was, clothed in a wealth of delicate thin fabrics.

Here also with this Tanagras of this little girl, dressed similarly to the woman pictured above, the detail in her clothing lends it a lifelike flowiness. Best of all though, is perhaps the intricate attention paid to etching her hair into a style called a "melon coiffer fashionable for ladies in the late 4th century BC" (metmuseum.org) the hairstyle is achieved by a series of over-layed twisted strands all gathered to the back and is exquisitely rendered here.

Lastly here is my favorite of the terracotta figurines. This one is a sculpture of two girls playing. The game they are playing is called 'ephedrismos'. "As described by Pollus (IX, 119), the game involved throwing balls or pebbles at a stone in an attempt to overturn it. The player who fails to do so is blindfolded an must run to touch the stone while carrying the winner on her back." (metmuseum.org) The lightness and frivolity of the game is evident in the children's expressions. Especially the set of the girl's face as she climbs onto her compatriot's back for a slog towards the missed rock. The hair is also beautiful in this sculpture and truly made excellent use of the rich color of terracotta to great artistic effect. The curl of the hair and again the fineness of the fabric that clothes the girls is beautifully rendered, an impressive accomplishment in terracotta clay. 

Plato and Aristotle

Above is a bronze bust that is assumed to be Plato. The delicate etching of the beard and hair together with the resting pensive expression makes this piece incredible beautiful and quite a feat in bronze.

Sculpture of Plato in marble. (vanderbuilt.edu) 

And lastly Aristotle. 

Philosophers Immortalized

Greeks are well known for their philosophers and many of those most prominenent and highly regarded by the Greeks themselves were immortalized in stone sculpture. Above is a sculpture dated to 280-210 BC in marble of the philosopher Chrysippus. Chrysippus was a philosopher from Soloi who "was the principle systematizer of stoic philosophy" (Encyclopedia Britannica ). 

Socrates, called the Father of Western Philosophy, has been depicted many times. Here in this 27 inch sculpture carved between 200 BC and 100AD, Socrates is idealized to some extent, though to modern eyes this portrayal may still seem unflattering.

Socrates was described by Plato and Xenophon as "portly, pug-nosed, fleshy-lipped...a physical appearance like that of a satyr which belied the inner beauty of his spirit" (paraphrased from British Museum). Socrates was one of the most brilliant philosophical minds in humanity's history and his Socratic method of posing leading questions and encouraging open debate and exploration of a topic is still used today to great effect. Here is another Greek sculpture of Socrates: 

The Spartan Girl

The thought of Sparta inspires many with images of relentless warriors, fierce bravery and incredible physical prowess of Spartan warriors, and yet there was another gender in Spartan society that was equally worthy of depiction as strong and athletic. In Sparta both boys and girls would participate in athletic competitions. The girl in the sculpture above is running with all she has in her. She wears a short skirt, and a simple sash across her upper body, leaving her breasts and the lungs beneath them unencumbered by restrictive clothing. She turns her head back to look at the competition and seems to wear a small smile on her face, perhaps she is in the lead. This girl is likely a depiction of a racer competing in the games at Heraria, Similar to the Olympic games, but in honor of the goddess Hera, (British Museum) the girl is the embodiment of physical prowess and a demonstration of some of the egalitarian qualities of Spartan society.

Geometric Style: Angular Horses

The geometric style that came into commonality in 900-700 BC during the Greek revival is often quickly identifiable on vases and other painted piece due to their myriad of zig zags, crosshatches triangles and use of broad clearly defined bands. (Brief History of Ancient Greece, Pomeroy, Pg 47) The geometric style as represented in sculpture was equally distinguishable as unique, and yet not every use of geometric shapes and styling is immediately apparent. In the Statuette of a Horse, the angularity and reliance on planes to give form to the piece is highly visible, however there are other geometric details upon closer inspection. The base of the piece is made of a connected plane of bronze with many carefully placed triangle cut outs. This is more than mere decoration of the base but is in fact a geometric representation of the natural surroundings of the horse in the scene. The triangle pattern 'suggests a rocky terrain' (paraphrased from metmuseum.org) showing that the artist did not neglect any part of the scene they were depicting. Care was taken to select geometric forms that most closely felt representative of the anatomy of the horse's body and his environment. Small scale sculptures like this one (standing at just shy of 17 inches) of animals were common throughout Greece during the Revival and were "dedicated in Greek sanctuaries." (Metmuseum.org)
As the geometric period came to a close, other scenes were depicted as well. Here you can see this sculpture of a man and a centaur in combat. The subtle differences between the Statuette of a Horse and the less planular form of the centaur show the scope of the Geometric style as it evolved. Also notable on this second piece is the similarity of the base to the base of the first piece, both have triangular shapes carved out to suggest the terrain. Also, though not visible the underside of the base is carved as well. A careful attention to detail which would become "a fundamental tendency of the finest Greek art in the centuries to come" (paraphrased from Metmuseum.org)

Leaping Bull and an Acrobat

In the middle of the Bronze age the Minoans were settled in Crete. Primarily an agrarian society, they took pleasure in "dancing, bullfighting" (visual-arts-cork) and in the creation of decorative handicrafts. Among the topics they represented artistically, bullfighting was a popular one. This piece shows incredible craftsmanship and depicts a surprisingly spry and light-footed bull leaping as an acrobat flips overhead, an impressive an incredibly dangerous feat. Bull leaping was a daring practice and one that likely held religious significance for the Minoans as the bull was symbolic of "both strength and potency" (British Museum). This piece is full of the breath-catching drama of the moment. The acrobat is captured at the moment when his body and his life lies between the bull's horns. The arch of his back and the movement of his hair flying back as he moves through the air make this piece eye catching. It is a diminutive piece standing only 11 cm high and 15 cm long (British Museum) yet the bull seems emotionally sculpted and exudes a sense of exuberance at the freedom and adrenaline of leaping and tossing its body about. Crafted between 1700 and 1450 BC, this sculpture is a testament to the sport that was so favored by the Minoans of Crete.