Compare and Contrast Greek and Roman Statues

Running Head : Greek and Roman Statues

Statue of Meleager and A Grave Marker : A Comparison /Contrast Statue of Meleager and A Grave Marker : A Comparison /Contrast

The ancient Greeks and Romans left such artistic treasures in art and architecture that the world is still using them as models . Their sense of style and symmetry was such that everything seemed to fit together perfectly . There was an emphasis on the capture of beauty and perfection so that what is left will always be classic art . The Statue of Meleager and A Grave Marker

are perfect examples of how statues from two different empires represent the societies and the artistic periods of their day

Two unknown sculptures produces both The Statue of Meleager and A Grave Marker . Lack of records is a sad fact of much of the artistic works of the ancient periods . Many could not read or write even if they were accomplished artist . The records that were kept have had to constantly battle the test of times . Much of the materials used for writings simply could not stand up to the elements of time . Then of course , many important documents were destroyed each time a different empire would overtake the one before it . So the world is left with incredible pieces of art work yet it will never know whose hands crafted it with such talent . These two statues are no different . It is evident by the craftsmanship that whoever carved them , were not armatures , but talented sculptures . Their works have remained , but the names and lives are lost forever

Since the sculptures ' identities are lost forever , there is no way of knowing who the patrons of these great works of art were . However there surely would have been a patron of each of the works . The sculpture of a youth from A Grave Marker has been recognized as being from circa three hundred and eighty B . C . Since it is a grave marker there surely would have been a patron . It would have been commissioned after the death of this young man since the death of one so young would not have been expected . The patron would have been wealthy since many of the graves in ancient Greece were not marked at all . This one proclaims wealth and importance . Even though the Greeks tried hard to not have a social hierarchy , There was a notable social mobility for certain groups , and exception not permitted in ancient Greece (D 'Ambre The fact that the subject is a youth points toward some kind of family importance because he would not have lived long enough to have established his own life and accomplishments . This grieving patron would have hired the best that Greece offered at the time . The sculpture would have to have known the subject to have created such a life like image . There were no photographs at the time so the work would have had to be done from memory . Therefore the sculpture would have also been in a...