The art mirrors the community that creates it. There is nowhere in the universe where this principle has been applied than in the case of the ancient India and Greece. Through their pottery, temple and sculpture, the Indians and Greeks have integrated elemental principles of their respective cultures. According to both, art implies excellence and a medium of attaining a person's full potential. This paper explains how the sculptures of the ancient India and Greece were portrayed by comparing and contrasting them. In both Greek and India, the sculptures, mainly depicted the gods and goddesses, royalty, animals and events that occurred back then (History World, n.d.). The potteries that were made showed the stories, myths and everyday life of the people of Greek. It follows that some, because of the geographical differences, might think that Greece and India are relatively different, but in reality, they are almost similar through cultural values, beliefs and art.
Greeks and Indians alike named their sculptures according to their purpose. For instance, the Greek gods were given names such as the statue of the god Hermes, Zeus the ruler of gods, and Aphrodite, who was known as the goddess. Similarly, the Indians named their statues based on their cultural purpose (Pandey, 2002). For example, there were gods named as god Garuda and goddess Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. Just like the Indians, the ancient sculptures of Greece had religious meanings, and they were situated in places considered to be holy such as a temple. A good example is god Zeus from Greek and the god Indra from India, which was both considered to be the most powerful gods. Although both god Zeus and Indra were personified in that they resembled human beings, they were known to be immortal. The god sculptures were highly respected in both countries as they were believed to be the source of human life. People from both countries would bow down before the statues (gods and goddess) asking for forgiveness and help in different ways (Pandey, 2002).
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Although both countries have shown significant similarities, they have also exhibited considerable differences to match. Firstly, Greeks and Indians had different beliefs in their sculptures. The materials they used were also different because the Greek used the stones, mostly, but the Indians used various types of materials in these sculptures (Visual-arts-cork.com, n.d.a). When comparing their architecture, they tend to be a little bit different because the design utilized by the Greece in making the sculpture. They used the golden ratio, meaning they used the dividing lines made from numbers so that the long part would be equal to all regions and smaller parts too which was entirely different from the Indians. Finally, the last difference between the two cultures is that they were created in various years since for Greece the sculptures were made between the years 650-27 BC while the Indians sculptures have been set up between 3300BCS-1850 (Visual-arts-cork.com, n.d.b).
Although gods and myths were standard features on pottery and sculptures of both the ancient Greeks and Indians cultures, their styles were dissimilar. There was simplicity in Indians’ sculptures, which had gorgeous painted, unglazed appearance. Contrary to India, Greece utilized a stylish red-pottery, art with red figures and black background which could only be visible after lighting the kiln. Further, the Greek sculpture had more sports symbolisms than the Indians ones. Besides sculptures showing animals, goddesses and gods, and royalty, Greece sculptures depicted sports such as Olympic events (History World, n.d.).
Similarly, the ancient pottery in Greece exhibited daily Greeks’ lives, myths, and stories. On the other hand, the ancient Indians had sculptures symbolizing goddess, Buddha, gods, women, and men dancing. All these Indian sculptures were made of stone or bronze. The sculptors behind Indian sculptures carved scenes and characters based on the Indian stories of three interrelated religions- Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The sculpture presentation appeared to frontal as if posing for a camera (History World, n.d.b). Regarding themes, some Indian sculptures were made of splendid young women, unclothed, full breasted and often in some salient athletic posture. Such sculptures represented characters of female legends.
Most of these artworks reflected on cultural values and ideals to their societies. In Greek, most of these sculpture helped people in different ways in accomplishing their ways. For instance, some sculptures were placed strategically in a city where people would visit them for religious reasons and ceremonies. In Greek, the sculptures also showed how they appreciated humanity, especially by making them in the form of naked human (Visual-arts-cork.com, n.d.a). In the Indian culture, the sculptures were viewed as gods and goddesses with the power to guide people in the community. For example, the ancient Indians had a statue of a goddess, representing love, and therefore, people would consult it when faced with love and relationship issues.
In the modern world, the statues still exist, and many people are coming up with different sculpture for various reasons. Comparison with the ancient sculptures, modern sculptures are more designed and presentable. Also, some Christians have developed spiritual cultures that guide them throughout their daily lives. For example, catholics have a sculpture of Jesus and Mary, the mother of Jesus. They serve the same reasons like in the sculpture of the gods in both Greece and India. Some of the sculptures in the modern world represent various sports just like the ancient Greeks (History World, n.d.). These sculptures are mainly made to show the iconic symbol of a particular personality either in political or social spheres.
In conclusion, this paper demonstrated the similarities and differences between the ancient sculptures of Greece and India. It is also evident from the discussion that these sculptures both spiritually and culturally had a lot of significance and guided people in their everyday lives. These sculptures have been transferred from generations to generations. Currently, artists have only tried to modify these sculptures, and many aspects remain unchanged. The only difference is that some modern sculptures are made of steel.
References
History World. (n.d). History of Sculpture. Retrieved from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=dqe
Pandey, L. A. (2002). Zeus and Indra: A Comparison. Retrieved from http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/h_es/h_es_pande_zeus.htm
Visual-arts-cork.com. (n.d.a). Greek Sculpture Made Simple. Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/antiquity/greek-sculpture.htm#classicism
Visual-arts-cork.com. (n.d.b). Indian Sculpture Characteristics, History of Plastic Art in India. Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/east-asian-art/indian-sculpture.htm
