Upon seeing the piece of Art titled Venus de Milo from the Classical Period, I was amazed at the accuracy that was applied in its art form, especially with regards to just how well sculpted it looked to me. The sculpture, which represents the human form, gives an almost actual representation of the human anatomy that makes it appear real in its proportionality. The only thing missing, which sets it apart from an actual human form, is a pair of arms. It also contains a drapery covering the legs, to hide its nudity, just as in real life, whereby people tend to hide their bareness. However, the one aspect that mostly interests me about the sculpture is the material that was used to make it-an otherwise amazing piece of art that has been in existence for quite a long time-. The material made it easy for the artist to make accurate curves within the torso of the statue, by including the breasts and the region around the stomach as two different parts. The marble has also been in existence for a very long time, making this piece of art worthy of study.
Venus de Milo was created in 110 BCE, and is one of the many pieces of art that mark the evolvement of art in Greece during the Hellenistic period (Kousser, 2005). At this point of time, artists in ancient Greece had begun to practice classical art, which involved the sculpting of art of human and animal forms by ensuring that they clearly captured the anatomy of the form that they intended to create. This was preceded by the Persian war in 479 B.C. after which Athens took over Greece and made it citizens her subjects. Athens then helped to develop a democratic nation in Greece, and adult males participated in elections and in the overall ruling of the region. In 454 B.C., the national treasury was moved to the Athenian Acropolis, which was later made into a monument where artistic and architectural sculptures were placed. Most of these artwork were made of marble, which helped to form the foundation of the Classical era in Greece. Later on, other artists adopted different styles that would depict human forms in motion or at rest, naked or clothed, as a sign of the evolving art. The sculptures made during this period of time also represented the war. After the end of the Persian war, artists adopted antiquity in art and dropped the initial calligraphic style of the 5 th Century. They started to make statues that were upright and draped in clothing. It was during this period that Venus de Milo was sculpted. Another invention adopted into art was the inclusion of contrasting upper and lower body of a sculpture (Hemingway and Hemingway, 2008).
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Other historical activities that occurred during the classical period include the introduction of concerts for music, and evolvement of new ideas in the field of Science. History was included in music by composers and artists to reflect that the change that the Greek people had experienced. The sculpture was a representation of a period when different artistic forms were being used to come up with beautiful sculptures that were a representation of the current life of the people. Various trends were adopted during the classical period, such as the way that the marble used to create the statue was treated, with the inclusion of the modelled hair used, an adoption of the 4 th Century. The facial expression displayed on the statue also represents a period in Greek history, stretching as far back as the 5 th Century and the lower block which consists of a spiral to represent the drape that covers the statue was an artistic style that was widely practiced in 3 rd Century Greece. It is believed that the whole statue represents a recreation of classical tradition that was adopted during the Hellenistic period, with few changes being made, such as the inclusion of breasts, the formation of an elongated body structure and the three-dimensional placement of the figure within its space. This symbolized the constant innovation that was being applied to the works of art during that period of time. The use of contrast of color also showed the creativity that various artists came up with to show their interpretation of the classical period such as using shade and light on the two parts of the body, the upper and the lower. This showcases one of the masterpieces that was adapted in their artistic traditions.
Looking at the biography of the artist, all that is known of him is his name, Alexandros of Antioch, whose existence during the Hellenistic period cannot truly be confirmed except by the inscriptions made on the statue (Kousser, 2005). It is believed that he created the structure at the shores of the Milos, hence certain people labelled the sculpture “Aphrodite of Milos”. It is said that the artist was a wandering artist, and thus the excavation of the Venus from a shore can be attributed to his lack of a storage place. His wandering may also have enabled him to associate with other artists where he encountered the different styles that he incorporated into his piece of art. However, it is also possible that through wondering, he was unable to piece his sculpture together firmly, and thus the arms fell off, leaving behind an armless sculpture buried in the shores.
It is safe to state that the piece of art was a representation of the traditions of people in ancient Greece at the specified period of time. The people believe that Venus de Milo is a representation of Aphrodite, who is known to be the Greek goddess of love and beauty, hence the name ‘Venus. According to their beliefs, the goddess should be portrayed as being half-naked as a sign of sensuality in love. It is believed that initially, the Venus held out an apple with one arm, an action that is interpreted as showing victory in the judgment of Paris (Kousser, 2005). This is with reference to the political situation at the time, after the French intercepted the transportation of the sculpture to Morusi and Constantinople (Kousser, 2005). As a result, the sculpture can be used to tell tales of earlier Greece with regards to the Judgment. It also represented the dynamism that the Greek culture was embracing in the different forms of art, seeing as it has been well preserved to date. It is a representation of the first human forms created during the classical period through use of visual artistry of the different fragments that constitute the final form. It showcases how ready the people of Greece were to new ideas regarding art. The piece of art is also a combination of two blocks, a representation of the building blocks that were used traditionally in ancient Greece to construct. This also signifies the importance that was attached to traditional art in ancient Greece, since after its excavation, it was set to France where it was placed at Louvre. This way, the piece of art can easily be used to tell narratives, with focus on its discovery and excavation and reconstruction since it was found to be missing the fragments that formed both arms. It also represents an important aspect of their art tradition since it inspired the creation of a separate art piece, Venus of Arles, whose resemblance is similar to that of Venus de Milo.
When looking at the relevance of the piece of art to audiences today, the statue can be used to study the various aspects of the Greek tradition through studying the art from the classical period. The different styles employed in the creation of the statue can be used to compare the present and past statues made in Greece and compare the different narratives that influenced the formation of these pieces and the different evolution periods for art that were experienced by the Greek. The study of the statue can also inspire other artistic works such as the writing of articles regarding the sculpture, such as famous articles that were written in the 17 th Century such as “La Venus de Milo” by Reinach that helped to explain the different theories that helped to evaluate the process of reconstruction of the statue to ensure that all parts were reassembled to come up with a similar version of the initial sculpture (Kousser, 2005). Similarly, other scholars can come up with different accounts from their studies. Another relevance of the piece of work is that, through the narratives that can be told from it, scholars can come up with skits and plays depicting their understanding of the Greek traditions and other tales related to the Greek during the Hellenistic period. The sculpture is also a source of inspiration to other artists who would like to adopt the Greek artistic classical style. This is further coupled with the need to achieve harmony and proportionality in their models upon observation of other structures, preferably those that attempt to display human or animal forms and anatomy. This piece of ancient art can also be used by today’s audience as a tool for campaign, to support other artists and other forms of art, and as a tool for assessing other sculptures to establish their originality and creativity.
From the analysis, it is evident that ancient works of art have a huge role to play in today’s lives. Through the knowledge earned of how the different works of art were sculptured, it is evident that artists have the ability to combine several words into one structure, as evidenced in the statue Venus de Milo, whereby a tale of the Greek goddess is given in conjunction with the Judgment of Paris, and a combination of other depictions such as evolution of art during the classical period. I noted that works of art therefore have a portray a deeper meaning than can be perceived by the eye, and thus constant study enables one to understand the different tales related to any given work of art. It is also evident that different works of art are open to numerous interpretations, depending on the inspiration behind it, and other factors such as location of creation and time period within which it was created. Careful assessment enables an individual to be able to come up with an idea for an art piece, develop it artistically and put it up for different interpretations by their audience, such as Venus de Milo which some believe to be Aphrodite, while others believe it to be goddess of the Milos River, based on where it was excavated. This ensures that originality of the art is maintained, despite having numerous interpretations.
References
Hemingway, C. and Hemingway, S. (2008). The Art of Classical Greece (c.a.480-323 B.C.). Heibrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Kousser, R. (2005). Creating the Past: The Venus de Milo and the Hellenistic Reception of Classical Greece. American Journal of Archaeology. Retrieved from https://www.ajaonline.org/sites/default/files/1092_Kousser.pdf
