Abacus
Abide
Archaic Smile
Moscophoros
Smiley
Aborigine
Relationship
El Boyero
Prov.1:1
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
"who can abide in the fierceness of his anger?"~~~Cotton Mather
The Moscophoros of the Acropolis, ca
570 BCE
Moschophoros (Greek: μοσχοφόρος "calf-bearer") is
an ancient Greek statue commonly known as The Calf Bearer. It was
excavated in fragments in the Perserschutt in the Acropolis of
Athens in 1864. The statue, dated c. 560 BC and
estimated to have originally measured 1.65 meters (5.4 ft) in height, is
now in the Acropolis Museum in Athens,
Greece.
The Moschophoros stands with his left foot a
little forward, like other kouroi. He has a thick
beard, a symbol of adulthood. He wears a thin cloak. The sculpture's nudity is
the main aspect of the art as it adhered to the artistic conventions of the
era. The cloak on the other hand, depicts him as a respectable and
well-recognized citizen.[3]
The challenge of representing man and animal
together is successfully accomplished by this Archaic sculpture. The calf's legs are held
firmly, making a bold X-shaped composition. This interaction between the calf
and the calf-bearer represents a strong, inseparable bond between the two. The
man in the sculpture is smiling, which is a unique and new feature that started
from around this time in the art than from earlier Greek statues (and those
from Egypt and the Near East).
The main idea of a connection between a man
and an animal is strongly portrayed. The crossed legs of the calf with the arms
of the calf-bearer creates unity between them. The forms are simple such as the
round face, eyes and mouth are created with simple arcs. The beard represents
an adult man. The body structure is well built depicting strength and power.
His mouth and eyes are round in form giving the impression of a positive
person, especially, as the man wears a smile on his face.
Head of a kouros in the National
Archaeological Museum of Athens bearing a typical archaic
smile.
Archaic smile
The
Archaic smile was used by Greek Archaic sculptors,especially in the
second quarter of the 6th century BCE, possibly to suggest that their subject
was alive, and
infused with a sense of
well-being
The dying warrior from the west pediment of
the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina, Greece is an interesting context as the warrior
is near death.
In the Archaic
Period of ancient Greece
(roughly 600 BCE to 480 BCE), the art that proliferated contained
images of people who had the archaic smile.
Chess: "Abacus" "Abide" "Archaic Smile" "Moscophoros" "Smiley" "Aborigine" "Relationship" "El Boyero"
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