Perseus with the Head of Medusa & Faun Teased by Children
Nadia Gondal
Prof. Del Almo
ARHS- 106
Perseus with the head of Medusa
&
Faun Teased by Children
Choosing a specific piece of art to write about is not the easiest task. Art is so subjective and there are so many different types and styles from which to choose. My own personal preference tends toward the classic; structure over abstract. I would have to say the thing that most impresses me about any artwork is the skill and the craftsmanship put into a piece. When I say craftsmanship I mean the ability to create something at the highest level that that person is able to produce. Craftsmanship means superior skill coupled with ability and attention to detail, that produces a piece that is more than just pretty, or full of symbolic meaning.
The sculpture that I choose is a good example of craftsmanship. An artist by the name of Gian Lorenzo Bernini created the sculpture Bacchanal: Faun Teased by Children in the early seventeenth century when he was eighteen years old; it was created of marble and is a little over four feet high. While people could possibly find symbolic meaning in each part of the sculpture I concentrated on the details of the actual piece.
I loved this work because it seemed unusual and more fluid than other static pieces that I’ve seen. It has three children and a grown man, a lizard and a lion all in various positions around a grape laden tree. The man is in an interesting position, half twisted, supporting part of his weight on his left arm behind him, his right arm above his head gripping a branch. His left leg is stretched out and ahead of him with the left foot on another branch, and his right leg supports most of the rest of his weight. Two children are a bit above his head one with a hand on the man’s forehead and the other child holding onto his companion. The third child is atop the lion at the bottom of the piece. You can see the details of each grape, the wrinkles on the lizard, as well as the tendons on the man. In
Prof. Del Almo
ARHS- 106
Perseus with the head of Medusa
&
Faun Teased by Children
Choosing a specific piece of art to write about is not the easiest task. Art is so subjective and there are so many different types and styles from which to choose. My own personal preference tends toward the classic; structure over abstract. I would have to say the thing that most impresses me about any artwork is the skill and the craftsmanship put into a piece. When I say craftsmanship I mean the ability to create something at the highest level that that person is able to produce. Craftsmanship means superior skill coupled with ability and attention to detail, that produces a piece that is more than just pretty, or full of symbolic meaning.
The sculpture that I choose is a good example of craftsmanship. An artist by the name of Gian Lorenzo Bernini created the sculpture Bacchanal: Faun Teased by Children in the early seventeenth century when he was eighteen years old; it was created of marble and is a little over four feet high. While people could possibly find symbolic meaning in each part of the sculpture I concentrated on the details of the actual piece.
I loved this work because it seemed unusual and more fluid than other static pieces that I’ve seen. It has three children and a grown man, a lizard and a lion all in various positions around a grape laden tree. The man is in an interesting position, half twisted, supporting part of his weight on his left arm behind him, his right arm above his head gripping a branch. His left leg is stretched out and ahead of him with the left foot on another branch, and his right leg supports most of the rest of his weight. Two children are a bit above his head one with a hand on the man’s forehead and the other child holding onto his companion. The third child is atop the lion at the bottom of the piece. You can see the details of each grape, the wrinkles on the lizard, as well as the tendons on the man. In
Bibliography: on Antonia Canova. It explained how Canova began working as an artist and his work other than just the Perseus with the head of Medusa. It gave more information on him as a person than just an artist which helped me write more about him in my paper. "Antonio Canova, marchese d’Ischia." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. . Another bibliography about Antonio Canova. Helped me understand Canova move as an artist and learn his passion for sculpting mythological figures. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children. Marble, 1598-1680, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. A Faun Teased by Children is a very intricate sculpture piece with many details. Witnessing it firsthand gave me a better look at it and made me understand the sculpture even more than I would had if I just seen a picture of it. There are many details in this amazing piece that you can see once you see it in real life. Gianlorenzo Bernini. Mark Harden 's Artchive. http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/bernini.html (accessed April 10, 2012). This online article gives an insight to Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s life. It is a biography of Bernini. This article was helpful to me in writing my paper because it helped me understand Bernini more as an artist. 5) Antonio Canova, Perseus with the head of Medusa. Marble, 1757-1822, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. This sculpture stands tall at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seeing the physical sculpture helped me understand it more. The sculpture captures the emotion of Perseus perfectly, it shows him as being strong, stiff, and heroic. It could all be seen when looking at the sculpture with the naked eye.