Classical Sculpture
The popularity of sculpture rose in Greece during the 4th and 5th century along with theater and the political push for democracy that was forming in Athens . Classical sculpture became popular between 500 BCE and 323 BCE. While many classical sculptures preferred bronze over metal because it was lighter and easier to mold, few original classical greek bronze sculptures still exist because bronze was so valuable and easy to melt. Because of this, most classical greek sculptures that still exist today are marble or Roman replicas.
Classical greek sculptures were seen a a huge advancement in sculpture because they embody an idealized human form using Plato’s ideal proportions and illustrate a lightness and feeling of motions that was not present in archaic sculpture. Because of this, people and gods from greek religion and myth were the main focus of classical sculpture. These techniques were then copied by the Romans and later the Italians during the high renaissance.
Because of the motion and storytelling embedded within greek sculpture, it is easy to use these statues as a source of inspiration for developing movement. While I was traveling in Europe this summer, I made sure to visit as many places with classical greek and greek inspired sculptures. The following galleries are pictures I took at the exhibits. If a particular image inspires you, please contact me and I can provide you with a fuller history of the piece.
