2020 IB Extended Essays

6

Sculptures mainly illustrate the manifold myths of the Greeks, the picturesque stories of

their Gods and Goddesses and the valiant deeds of their. Art based of historical scenes

and battles were really represented in Greece; more commonly, the Greeks focused on

representing mystical contests– Gods and giants , Greeks , Goddesses , Amazons , Lapiths and

centaurs . The main materials used by the Greeks when

creating large sculptures are stone (limestone and marble),

along with bronze, occasional iron, and a combination of

gold and ivory. All stone sculptures were painted, wholly or

in part – even though the colour has worn off, there are traces

on sculptures that make general use certain. A general Greek

practice in adorning sculptures included adding accessories in

different materials (diadems, wreaths, earrings and

Figure 3: ‘Gaul killing himself and his Wife’ (240-200 BCE) Roman Copy by Francesco Piranesi after Epigonus.

necklaces), along with metal spears, shields and swords. Eyes

were also often inlaid with coloured glass, stone or ivory.

The Hellenistic Period had the most impact on the way Greek sculptures are made.

During this period, all developments were those in the direction of increased realism. It

is noticeable that sculptures during this time period had improved realism in movement,

modelling and in expression. The advances on realism during the Hellenistic period,

encouraged representation of the planes of a human body and how this is emphasised by

the movement and texture of drapery, along with human expression as depicted in the

scenario of the art piece. “Hellenistic sculptors aimed to incorporate the three

characteristics of; expressive movement, realistic anatomy and ornate details” (Kelly

Richmond-Abdou, 2019). These new aims of achieving realism in sculptures resulted in