Perhaps one of the greatest archaeological finds of the nineteenth century is the Hermes and Infant Dionysus. When I first saw this sculpture at the Louvre in Paris, France, I immediately disregarded it because the tour guide stated that it was a replica of the original located in Olympia, Greece. I thought that it was not worth observing or critiquing, but what I failed to realize is that even the original pieces are composite statues. When ancient statues are recovered, archaeologists and art historians must use their knowledge and expertise to restore the piece to its original beauty. Many times not all the parts of the art piece are located or able to be fully restored, so the artists must add on the missing parts. A typical occurrence …show more content…
The Greeks used complex art forms in order to tell narratives, especially those surrounding Greek mythology. The ancient Greeks depicted their deities as religious figures in human form; focusing on symmetry and accurate proportions in relation to the human body. This is evident in the statue of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus. This statue depicts two Greek gods, Hermes and Dionysus, in loving and affectionate poses. The messenger god, Hermes, is believed to be showing his half brother, the young god of wine, Dionysus, a cluster of grapes in his outstretched arm. Hermes stands in the typical Classical era pose called “contrapposto, or counterpose in Greek” (Kleiner). This is demonstrated through the s-shape that is created by his outstretched left leg which bears most of the weight. The movement of Hermes’ contrapposto gives a sense of movement and life to the piece that earlier pieces lacked. Though Dionysus does not appear to be in accurate proportions for his size, Hermes appears to be a realistic interpretation of the human body. This standard of aesthetic beauty and accurate proportions is still relevant worldwide. Hermes’ perfect youthful features are etched out in order to portray a sense of beauty. Many modern artists continue to portray this perfection of beauty. Photoshop, for example, is used in order to create perfect images and blur imperfections. The Greeks valued aesthetic beauty, symmetry, and form. Their narratives are told through the ingenious use of form in order to portray beauty and perfection which is still a standard in modern art as it was in