Contemporary, portrait, landscape, painting, best, top ten, paintings, oil, artist, artists, gallery, life, figure, graphite, sketch, Snowdonia, drawings, pencil, Art, geometry, composition, Master, Masterpiece, Welsh, Wales.
Contemporary, portrait, landscape, painting, best, top ten, paintings, oil, artist, artists, gallery, life, figure, graphite, sketch, Snowdonia, drawings, pencil, Art, geometry, composition, Master, Masterpiece, Welsh, Wales.
'The River God'
Parthenon Sculptures, The British Museum.
(N.b., these first three images have been 'screen grabbed' from AestheticusRex )
A stunningly simple, elegant, and powerful figure, the River God is a carving from the left corner (as we look at it) of the west pediment of the Parthenon building, which is situated on the Acropolis in Athens. The sculpture itself is now in the British Museum as part of the Elgin Marbles.
The Acropolis was originally where the kings of Athens had built their palaces, but over time the Parthenon became the focus of the worship of the city's patron goddess, Athena. The west pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the patronship of Athens. There are many brilliant carvings from the two pediments and from the frieze which decorate the building, but I've always particularly admired the River God.
'The River God' (back view)
Parthenon Sculptures, The British Museum.
It's worth remembering that The River God was made to be placed on the Parthenon pediment, way above the heads of any spectators. And yet the back of the sculpture is completed with great detail and attention to accuracy of form, even though, when in place, it would never be seen again! This reminds me of Egyptian sculptures which, though wonderfully carved, were intended to be buried in a grave, and also would never be seen again. It's obvious that the motivation in both cases was religious, rather than any of our more 'modern' motivations, such as self-expression or commerce.
The sculptor, Phidias, is one of the few Greek sculptors whose name has come down to us. And it's not surprising that his name should be remembered ever the years, as he stands in the very first rank of world sculptors, up there with Michelangelo.
'The River God' (detail)
A Reconstruction of the West Pediment.
This is the supposed workshop of Phidias at Olympia.
This picture shows the pediment (the triangular shape at the top of the building's end face).
Of course, I could have selected this figure, also by Phidias, from the east pediment of the Parthenon - there are so many that are brilliant.
'The River God'
Parthenon Sculptures, The British Museum.
(N.b., these first three images have been 'screen grabbed' from AestheticusRex )
A stunningly simple, elegant, and powerful figure, the River God is a carving from the left corner (as we look at it) of the west pediment of the Parthenon building, which is situated on the Acropolis in Athens. The sculpture itself is now in the British Museum as part of the Elgin Marbles.
The Acropolis was originally where the kings of Athens had built their palaces, but over time the Parthenon became the focus of the worship of the city's patron goddess, Athena. The west pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the patronship of Athens. There are many brilliant carvings from the two pediments and from the frieze which decorate the building, but I've always particularly admired the River God.
The Acropolis was originally where the kings of Athens had built their palaces, but over time the Parthenon became the focus of the worship of the city's patron goddess, Athena. The west pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the patronship of Athens. There are many brilliant carvings from the two pediments and from the frieze which decorate the building, but I've always particularly admired the River God.
'The River God' (back view)
Parthenon Sculptures, The British Museum.
The sculptor, Phidias, is one of the few Greek sculptors whose name has come down to us. And it's not surprising that his name should be remembered ever the years, as he stands in the very first rank of world sculptors, up there with Michelangelo.
'The River God' (detail)
This is the supposed workshop of Phidias at Olympia.
A Reconstruction of the West Pediment.
This picture shows the pediment (the triangular shape at the top of the building's end face).
Of course, I could have selected this figure, also by Phidias, from the east pediment of the Parthenon - there are so many that are brilliant.
quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz “details, details............” quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz
Whose hands are these, and who drew them?
(The answer will be in the next posting.)
And here's the answer from the last posting -
by John Everett Millais, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 1854-6.
quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz “details, details............” quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz
"Contrary to general belief, an artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs."
Edgard Varese
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. . . . and now, a Recommended Read . . .
INNUMERACY
Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences
John Allen Paulos
This is a short, readable book about the way we can make far-reaching miscalculations in our daily lives simply because our grasp of the fundamentals of maths is somewhat dicky. It's witty, entertaining, informative and enlightening.
But also serious. Because, at times, our innumeracy can leave us at the mercy of often blatant and misleading political propaganda. As, for example, the current and oft-quoted statistic that we, the Brits, would lose three million jobs the day we leave Europe, - a statistic which has been consistently disproved, (and, incidentally, disowned as inaccurate by the very person who originally wrote it!).
'Why do even well-educated people often understand so little about maths - or take a perverse pride in not being a 'numbers person'?
In his now-classic book Innumeracy, John Allen Paulos answers questions such as: Why is following the stock market exactly like flipping a coin? How big is a trillion? How fast does human hair grow in mph? Can you calculate the chances that a party includes two people who have the same birthday? Paulos shows us that by arming yourself with some simple maths, you don't have to let numbers get the better of you.' Amazon Review
Published on Penguin
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