Europe

Europe

The earliest European sculpture to date portrays a female form, and has been estimated at dating from 35,000 years ago. The discovery in 2008 has caused experts to revise the history of the development of art.

Greek-Roman-classical

 

Main article: Classical sculpture

See also: Ancient Greek sculpture

Features unique to the European Classical tradition:

1.     full figures: using the young, athletic male or full-bodied female nude

2.     portraits: showing signs of age and strong character

3.     use of classical costume and attributes of classical deities

4.     Concern for naturalism based on observation, often from live models.

Features that the European Classical tradition shares with many others:

1.     characters present an attitude of distance and inner contentment

2.     details do not disrupt a sense of rhythm between solid volumes and the spaces that surround them

3.     pieces feel solid and larger than they really are

4.     ambient space feels sacred or timeless

The topic of Nudity

An unadorned figure in Greek classical sculpture was a reference to the status or role of the depicted person, deity or other being. Athletes, priestesses and gods could be identified by their adornment or lack of it.

The Renaissance preoccupation with Greek classical imagery, such as the 5th century B.C. Doryphoros of Polykleitos, led to nude figurative statues being seen as the 'perfect form' of representation for the human body. Subsequently, nudity in sculpture and painting has often represented a form of ideal, be it innocence, openness or purity. Nude sculptures are still common. As in painting, they are often made as exercises in efforts to understand the anatomical structure of the human body and develop skills that will provide a foundation for making clothed figurative work.

Nude statues are usually widely accepted by many societies, largely due to the length of tradition that supports this form. Occasionally, the nude form draws objections, often by moral or religious groups. Classic examples of this are the removal of the parts of Greek sculpture corresponding to male genitals (in the Vatican collection), and the addition of a fig leaf to a plaster cast of Michelangelo's sculpture of David forQueen Victoria's visit to the British Museum.

Ancient Greek sculpture. A portion of theParthenon Pediment, displayed in the British Museum.