Ancient Greece and Rome: Sculpture in Context
Hannah Rosen-Hamilton
In Ancient Greece and Rome: Sculpture in Context, I am exploring classical Greek and Roman sculpture in various contexts to raise thoughts and questions in the viewer’s mind as well as expressing my opinion on the subject. Section one is an introductory essay discussing the difference between ancient and contemporary sculpture, and, although written in 1905, it is still relevant. Section two looks at the depiction of the human body from mid-6th Century B.C.E. to 2nd Century C.E. and how idealism has changed. Section three focuses on reproduction of images of classical sculpture. For example, how can one discuss these sculptures in a class setting when the images are reproduced so poorly through Xeroxing? Section four questions the integrity of conservation. Society today associates Ancient Greece and Rome with these pristine white statues, but the truth is they were once painted vibrant colors. This is now such an abstract notion to us that we cannot begin to imagine. All together, these books are not meant to be looked at from an academic but rather from a purely visual point of view. Focusing on sculpture, how do all of these elements come together to form our notion of Ancient Greece and Rome?