Louvre Greek and Roman art comparison: 5 Nov 07

Cameron writes...

Greek Art: The Satyr

The satyr was the companion of the Greek god of wine Dionysus. They were most recognizable by their pointed ears and stunted horns. This bust is a mere part of the statue it used to be. It is from the collection called “invitation to dance” and was probably created during the Roman epoch.

In the scene he used to be posed in, he was inviting a young woman “nymph”, who was sitting on a rock, to dance. His original group is lost today, but is known by some pieces of money they were seen on. It looks like a type of Hellenistic art called “rococo”. The Romans liked to sometimes put statues of satyrs, like this one, in their gardens.

Roman Art: Emperor Commodus

This is a marble statue of the Roman emperor Commodus. It appears to be made after he was already emperor for awhile. It was also made on the special occasion of his marriage to his wife Crispine. The impressionist that created it appears to have used a style that seems one of the possible outcomes of the Antonius Style, which was already present in some statues on Marcus Aurelius.

Similarities/Differences

The Satyr	Commodus
Neck very detailed	Not much detail in neck
Appears relaxed, laughing	Appears very “serious”
Head slightly tilted	Head slightly tilted
Cheeks very meticulous	Cheeks very un-detailed
Hair less curly	Hair much tighter curled
Very apparent eye-lids and detailed eyes	No eye-lids or detail in eyes
Ears very small	Ears very small

Over all I think the Greek art is much more detailed and expressive. The satyr is laughing and joking around while Commodus sits and stares at you with his nonexistent eyes. The satyr’s neck has a lot of details in muscle structure, much like his cheeks. For some reason both the Romans and the Greeks like people with tilted heads more that straight ones. They also make people with small ears.

I think they both civilizations have different reasons for doing statues this way. The Roman generals might have wanted to appear fierce and mighty, while the Greeks care-free and happy. It could also be that the Louvre doesn’t have all the art in the world; this is just a small dose…