19 essay plans on freestanding sculpture and architectural sculpture in the A-level module of Greek Art.
I achieved an A* overall in Classics
some are extremely detailed
incorporates scholars quotes
Free-standing sculpture
Q1 ‘The New York Kouros makes no definitive statements about man at
all.’ (Osborne) How far do you think this is true of this and
other kouroi you have studied? [20]
Intro: definitive – all have to make the same statement on man. This is wholly untrue
Para 1: could be said to be true – no emotion, very little skill, not obvious position
Para 2: wholly untrue of the New York Kouros – statement on ideal of man – young, muscled, lean
Para3: all make the same statement – all make the same statement about the ideal of man, they
achieve this with varying degrees of success, with the Aristodikos Kouros achieving their aims much
better than the overly skinny New York Kouros.
Conclusion: it is unfair to say that Kouroi make no definitive statements about man at all
Explain why kouroi such as A & B were so popular in
Greece for well over 100 years.
One reason why kouroi were so popular in Greece for well over 100 years is the sculptors did not
have the ability to create something else. Carved in the square method, the kouroi needed supports
for limbs, even the Aristodikos kouros had struts for his arms. Moving into the early classical period,
bronze was able to be used as a much cheaper, more malleable, and with more tensile strength than
marble. Marble was also very expensive and trying anything more experimental would put the
sculptor at risk of losing money. Therefore, the material used in the archaic period was too
constrictive to try anything else.
Another reason why kouroi were so popular in Greece for well over 100 years could be that they
reflect the continuity of the Greek mentality – finding patterns and fixed things in an unreliable
world. The Greeks sought order out of chaos during a time where politics in Athens was very volatile.
The consistency of kouroi with their regular dimensions reflected this mentality
A final reason why kouroi were so popular in Greece for well over 100 years could be they embody
aristocratic ideals and these ideals did not change. The kouroi were mostly commissioned by wealthy
families, as they were the only ones who could afford the expensive marble. As such, the artist
would have to make something that suited the family he was making it for, therefore, the kouroi
must embody the ideals of the aristocracy. These ideals are youth, strength, and tranquillity of
emotions.
, Assess how far you agree that the statue in Source B is
a ‘vivid’ statue.
Intro: vivid in its most conventional sense is defined as lifelike, this essay will use vivid to mean both
lifelike and leaving an impression on the viewer
Para 1: Yes this can be considered vivid –
Anatomy overall correct, gives the impression with the furrowed eyebrows of a god in anger, overly
tall – shows he is a god, torso musculature reacts to the action,
Para 2: but the figure is in arrested motion – no sense of pushing forward onto his left leg, the arms
are too long – when at rest they would go down to his knees, very little expression – though that was
the aim in archaic and early classical art
Conclusion: overall, this is a mostly vivid statue with some drawbacks, but the drawbacks do not
limit the whole image being almost completely lifelike and leaving a lasting impression
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