Before the portrayal of the human body can be critiqued, you must understand
the artist's culture. As man evolved over centuries, his views of the body also
transformed. Our tour definitely showed the drastic changes in different
cultures' art. Each culture and era presents very distinct characteristics.
Through time and experimentation, we have expressed our views of the human
body clearly with our art. Egyptians were the first people to make a large
impact on the world of art. Egyptians needed art for their religious beliefs
more than decoration or self-gratification. The most important aspect of
Egyptian life is the ka, the part of the human spirit that lives on after death.
The ka needed a physical place to occupy or it would disappear. Most of the
important men of Egypt paid to have their body carved out of stone. That was
were the spirit would live after the man dies. They used stone because it was
the strongest material they could find. Longevity was very important.
The bodies are always idealized and clothed. Figures are very rigid,
close-fisted, and are built on a vertical axis to show that the person is grand
or intimidating. Most of the figures were seen in the same: profile of the legs,
frontal view of the torso, and profile of the head. Like most civilizations,
Egyptians put a lot of faith in gods. The sky god Horus, a bird, is found in a
great amount of Egyptian art. Little recognition was ever given to the artists.
The emphasis was on the patron. Early Greek art was greatly influenced by the
Egyptians. Geography permitted both cultures to exchange their talents. The
beginning of Greek art is marked by the Geometric phase. The most common art
during the Geometric phase was vase painting. After the vase was formed but
before it was painted, the artist applied a slip (dark pigment) to outside. Then
the vase was fired and the artist would incise his decorations into the hard
shell.
It was important to incise humans into the fired slip and not paint with
slip. The people in the pictures needed light colored skin, which was the color
beneath the slip, because Greeks wanted to make their art as realistic as
possible. Much like Egyptian art, the Greeks idealized the bodies of the people
in their works. As the Archaic Period evolved, Greek sculptures were almost
identical to the Egyptians'. Unlike Egyptians, the Greeks refined their
techniques. Greeks used marble to construct their sculptures.
It was considered more valuable and beautiful than any material available.
They softened the lines of the body. Greek sculptors slowly perfected every
contour in the human figure. Greek people viewed the human body as something
beautiful and so they depicted nude men. Women were eventually nude but only
when there was a reason, they needed to be bathing or something where they would
be naked. They people that are sculpted are always young and their bodies are
still idealized.
The Greeks invented contrapposto, the relaxed natural stance of a sculpture.
A figure that is standing in contrapposto becomes a sculpture in the round,
meaning that the emphasis is not only on a frontal view but also from all
angles. The Hellenistic Period emerged as the Romans began to produce some of
the finest art in history. This new revolutionary style was incredible. Figures
weren't confined to the unnatural or boring positions they had for centuries.
All body parts were in perfect proportion.
These statues came alive as their limbs reached out into space. Vacant stares
evolved into human emotions, which were easily recognized on their faces. I
think this renaissance portrayed the way people were thinking. They were
exploring philosophy, religion, and politics. This was a time for rebirth.
Christian art was introduced during the middle of the second century. In many
cases the only difference between Christian art and Hellenistic art is the
religious subject matter. After a slow start the Christians introduced something
new, the mosaic. Mosaics became a favorite medium for decorating churches.
