The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Massachusetts
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Massachusetts is home to many sculptures of the ancient times. Many of the sculptures were of the male body and included fine details in the muscular structure and the facial form. It was interesting to learn that the original sculptor did not put his name on the art work. It is assumed that the person credited did the work but we are not sure of that. The history states that the town’s people could distinguish the work of the artist so there was no need to but the name on the piece. Another interesting fact is that many of the statues, especially in Rome, were broken down for the raw materials. The lime and sand were used in the building of the roads. This appeared to me as the first attempt at recycling or up cycling of materials and was very impressed, although the process probably destroyed the future generations from enjoying the Greek and Roman sculptures.
Greek and Roman Sculptures
The Greek and Roman sculptures at the Art of the Ancient World wing of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston were undeniably beautiful. The human body is displaced in a beautiful art form that the ancients appreciated very much. The detail was unbelievable considering the age of the sculptures. There are some remarkable differences between the Greek and Roman pieces and this paper will examine the similarities and differences of the two styles.
There are many similarities in the Greek and Roman sculptures. Realism tends to be portrayed in both as the lines on the face and muscles are very well defined. The Roman sculpture of the period used the same technique as the bust in representing the stature of the official or governmental officer that they were portraying. In Claudius, although a human, he is portrayed as the god Jupiter. The individual is larger than life. In the Greek sculpture the god Zeus is a powerful and larger than life man. The stance of the men is similar in that the Greeks wanted to portray the strength of the god and had the breastplate and armor to show his strength in battle. Zeus threw fire on humans at one point in the mythology. The Romans also dressed the men. In the Claudius statue, he is dressed as he would have been at the time to show the realism.
The ancient Greek sculpture of Zeus or Poseidon was of particular interest. It is actually a statue that mirrors the representation believed to be the god Zeus. As with some of the other works there are earlier copies or prototypes to view. The history is a fascinating one in which the Hellenic culture was formed by that of Macedonia as Alexander the Great conquered other lands around 323-86 BC. Zeus was the leader of the gods of the Greek mythology and became angry with the humans. Against the warnings of many, including Prometheus, Zeus threw fire at the humans in an attempt to destroy them. Zeus or Poseidon looks to be moving and not standing still as in the works of the Romans. The force of the god is felt as he is about to throw the thunderbolt or since Zeus had many altercations, the image could be any other fight that he was involved in.
The Ancient Roman Sculptures are much earlier time period than the Greek and the Romans began with busts of famous people in their Empire. The bust depicted the men of great moral character even though history has proved otherwise. . The Romans thought that the head alone was enough to make up a beautiful remembrance. Roman portrait heads were sculpted and then placed on a body and they body may or may not belong to the bust. From the bust the sculptures moved to the whole body and they were also full view. Looking at the Roman sculpture you can see that the head is usually misshaped to the body. The sculpture of Claudius as Jupiter portrays him as the embodiment of Jupiter with the scepter, a sign of Jupiter's absolute rule. He also has the eagle by his side which also accompanied Jupiter, but instead of holding a lightning bolt he holds a libation dish offering a libation for his country.
Another similarity in the Greek and Roman sculptures, realism tends to be portrayed in both as the lines on the face and muscles are very well defined. The Roman sculpture of the period used the same technique as the bust in representing the stature of the official or governmental officer that they were portraying. In Claudius, although a human, he is portrayed as the god Jupiter. The individual is larger than life. In the Greek sculpture the god Zeus is a powerful and larger than life man. The stance of the men is similar in that the Greeks wanted to portray the strength of the god and had the breastplate and armor to show his strength in battle. Zeus threw fire on humans at one point in the mythology. The Romans also dressed the men. In the Claudius statue he is dressed as he would have been at the time to show the realism.
In contrast, the Greek sculpture was nude many times as the Greeks loved to carve the male nude figures. The Greek male is known as “heroic nudity” and is so prevalent in Greek sculpture that anyone wearing clothes is not Greek but some other nationality. Men were given a small penis as a large one was the joke or a fool. The Romans would put togas on their statues. They were the complete opposites of the Greeks as their statues are adorned with clothes especially in Claudius where he even wears a head adornment. Another change is in the material that is used. Bronze was chosen for this statue because of the high place that Zeus was in the order of the gods. . As with most sculpture of the period it was first cast in bronze through a method called lost wax casting. . The Zeus is a man who is muscular and powerful as Zeus was the leader of the gods. Greek sculpture was simple and expressive.
Art of a period is intertwined with the history of the people of the time. Roman sculptors are political in nature. The pieces are representative of men in powerful positions and all the symbols on the sculpture relate to their power. The dress is symbolic of a royal person. Claudius walked with a limp and that can be seen a bit in the sculpture. He was a Roman Empire even though he was not born in Rome, and he is credited with the capturing of the British Empire. His wife is believed to have caused his death by poising him with a mushroom.
On the other hand the Greek sculptures are mostly of the gods. The height of the statue indicates that the representation is that of a high good. Zeus would be holding a thunderbolt as he threw it on the humans. But some say that the statue is actually of Poseidon, hence the double recognition in the name. If the sculpture is Poseidon then he is holding a trident . One indication that it is Zeus is that vase that he is holding is also on another representation of the time. The expression on his face shows so much concentration. Considering that the god is about to deliver a blow to demolish the human race the determination is apparent. This statute shows a 'severe' pose which is representative of the Hellenistic culture of the time as believing in the giving and ending of life power of the gods.
The historical significance in the ancient works seems to be very important in understanding the symbols used in the sculptures. In the Greek sculpture knowing that the person was a god helped to explain why the statue is so large. The X shape is drawn out with the thunderbolt in position to go ahead at any moment. Knowing these historical, or in the case of the Greek Hellenic period, the mythology surrounding the sculpture helps to put an added framework of enjoyment into the piece. Knowing that Claudius was a Roman emperor helped to understand the clothing and symbols that he wears. Noticing his hair one can tell that this person is not an ordinary citizen, as goes along with the Roman tradition of sculpting famous people.
Conclusion
The Museum of Fine Arts (or MFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the finest museums in the world. The selections in the Greek and Roman architecture sections are not the originals but they are well done reproductions and we a very enjoyable experience. The sculptures were impressive as they were so large and the detailed. It is amazing that people so long ago could get the details as they had no photographs in which to help guide them. In current sculpting the artisan have many digital, photos, slides and other items to help them with the details.
It was especially interesting to see how much the lives of the people in the ancient times are brought forth in the sculptures. The Greek with the mythology and the Roman with the political inferences greatly affected the outcome of the work. Looking at the sculptor and knowing a little about the historical time frame in which they were made helps to see even more features than if you looked at them without knowing the symbolism. A person could wonder what was going through the mind of the sculpture.
References
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