La 120 - Art Differences

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Differences

Although these two sculptures are similar, it would be imprudent to ignore the differences that exist between them. That said, the first difference is that although both works are based on the theme of violence, the Hercules sculpture can be described as naturalistic and idealistic while the other sculpture can be described as realistic or naturalistic. To put it differently, Michelangelo refers to Greek mythology of “half-man-half-horse” and Hercules to create the sculpture (Heller 67), while the artist for the other sculpture uses his imagination to depict something that seems realistic. In the first sculpture, the injuries that the fallen warrior seem realistic, whereas a man fighting a half-man-half-horse seems fictional. Michelangelo uses the struggle between Hercules and the Centaur to represent the theme of violence, whereas the Greek artist uses a man who is badly hurt but is willing to fight on to represent this theme.

The other difference is that, unlike the artist of the fallen warrior, Michelangelo uses his understanding of human anatomy to create a statue that represents a powerful or strong evocation of the strength of a man (Laterza 1). In other words, unlike in the Fallen Warrior statue, the muscles, veins and body language of Hercules and the Centaur are more pronounced. In fact, Hercules and the Centaur look more masculine when compared to the fallen warrior. Through this, Michelangelo is able to promote the idea that human beings are violent on a much larger scale. All in all, the fact that these two sculptures are more similar than they are different despite being from different periods that promoted different art styles goes to show that art can be used as an avenue to educate the masses on social issues.

Conclusion

Anyone would be forgiven to think that ancient Greek art and early Italian Renaissance art do not share any similarities. If Fallen Warrior from the Temple of Aphaia and Hercules and the Centaur Nessus are anything to go by, artists tend to convey certain themes with their works. For these two sculptures, one message that they both seem to convey revolves around the violent nature of human beings. These two artworks share some similarities such as the use of dimensionality to convey the intended message. It is also important to mention that these two works of art are different in some aspects. All in all, one lesson that one can learn from these two artworks is that art is present in many cultures across the world.

Works Cited

Hartt, Frederick., and Wilkins, David. History of Italian Renaissance Art. Pearson Publishers. 2010.

Heller, Alexandra. From Architecture to Graves: The Development of Emotion in Ancient Greek Sculpture. The University of Colorado. 2015.

Laterza, Maria. Giambologna-Hercules and the Centaur Nessus, 1599. Dec 7, 2016. http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2015/09/Giambologna-Sculpture.html. Accessed December 16, 2016.

Tyson, Tracey. Fallen Warrior from the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina. Stacy Hartlage Taylor, Oct 2, 2011. https://hum120.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/fallen-warrior-from-the-temple-of-aphaia-at-aegina/. Accessed December 16, 2016.