Formal Analysisof Marble Statueofa Wounded Warrior PDF

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Intro to Art History: Europe Analysis of Marble statue of a wounded Amazon Marble statue of a wounded Amazon is an Ancient Roman sculpture created between the 1st and 2nd century AD, that was copied from a Greek bronze statue created c. 450-425 BCE. The marble statue is on display today at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The inspiration for the original statue comes from an Ancient Greek myth about a race of Warrior women called the Amazons. Though I do not know where the marble statue was found, it is likely that the original bronze statue was located at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos.The sculptor’s choice of medium, ability to carefully compose a work that displays both realism, and idealism, and use of heavy and soft lines, draws attention to the warriors unique representation of feminine strength. The medium that this sculptor chose to work in is entirely marble. This medium lends itself to the creation of carved, free-standing sculptures such as that of the wounded Amazon. The use of marble is both instrumental and detrimental to this artwork, but the sculptor is able to ultimately use it to his advantage. The marble is most instrumental in establishing the strength of the warrior. The marble creates a sense of the statue taking up a definite amount of space, and defining that space. The marble then gives the statue a feeling of heaviness. The space that the statue takes up seems to have a great amount of mass. This apparent massiveness makes the warrior’s body appear strong. Not only the mass but the scale of the warrior in proportion to the viewer creates a sense of strength, as well as importance. The warrior stands about a foot taller than the average woman, even taller than the average man. This height implies that representative of either a human in their peak form, or of a woman who is somewhat more than human. This “peak form” is represented very well with marble. The warriors biceps are carefully chiseled, and the position of her arms- especially her right arm- are so that the viewers eyes are drawn to her bulging bicep muscles. The use of marble also means that the sculptor was able to

carve a very clear silhouette of the woman, with all of the space around her body defined. The only spot where the sculptor does not carve out space is where her chiton is attached to the column that she leans on. Though, this does not detract from the Amazon’s overall form. It appears clear that her garment is not clearly defined from the column, but all this does is give the appearance that the warrior is leaning on it. The only way that using the marble as the medium is disadvantageous is that it makes it hard to present “feminine curves.” If the viewer ignores the very obvious breasts of the warrior, they might assume that it is a male warrior. She appears broad-shouldered, and short-haired. Also, she has the inverted triangle body-type that is often associated with men, rather than the pear-shaped woman. But, the fact that the sculptor is still able to create detailed breasts, as well as carve the warrior’s body in a position that appears stationary, yet organic, leads me to believe that the somewhat masculine appearance was not a mistake. Though this statue was created by an artist during the period of Ancient Rome, it is modeled after a bronze statue from the classical age of Ancient Greece. The Greeks highly revered the male body for its athleticism. The decision to give the female warrior a someone masculine body was to show the athleticism of the warrior. This male athleticism, combined with the warriors feminine breasts, shows the sculptor’s desire to create a representation of feminine strength not normally achieved by the average woman. One of the most visually attractive features of the statue is the Amazon warrior’s erect breasts. The warrior’s breasts play a central role in telling the viewer more about the artist’s goals in creating this marble statue. The artist’s decision to highlight the warrior’s breasts is important in establishing her gender as female. The use of marble, though advantageous for other reasons, does not allow for the easy creation of a clearly feminine body-type. This is why the prominence of the breasts is so important. Not only that, but the attention to detail of the warriors breasts suggests a high degree of skill on the part of the artist. The breasts appear to be asymmetrical. Only the warriors left breast is completely exposed, while the right breast is half hidden by the

warrior’s draped chiton. Her breasts look nothing like those belonging to the “perfect” female body that is portrayed by the today. Though I cannot speak to the ideal womanly figure of Ancient Greek society, I can surmise that the artist’s asymmetrical representation of the warriors breasts is important in bestowing this otherwise ideally depicted heroic figure with a sense of realism. The careful carving of the Amazon’s breasts give the viewer the sense that this warrior could be a real woman. This assertion of womanhood stands in stark contrast with the idealized figure of the warrior that is otherwise portrayed. The use of marble to create this statue means that her breasts appear solid and firm. But, the artist’s decision to carefully carve erect nipples, as well as the high position of the breasts, suggests a youthful vitality in the warrior. If her breasts appeared to be sagging, we could conclude that the sculptor was attempting to portray a woman who was aging, and whose body had been through much wear and tear. This youthful vitality is important in telling the viewer that the warrior is a human being in their prime, or possibly someone who is more than human. Her breasts also act as a visual cue to draw the viewer’s eyes towards one of the most important parts of the sculpture. Underneath the warrior’s right breast is a thin crack that is supposed to represent a battle wound. At first glance, the viewer may not realize the significance of this crack. It almost appears to simply be an unfortunate degradation of the statue caused by age. The proximity of this crack to the warrior’s youthful, feminine breasts, is an example of the sculptor’s skillful composition. The Amazon’s breasts are realistic attributes of a young woman. Yet, the pronouncement of her nipples, as well as the apparent firmness of her breasts, contribute to an ideal female strength. The sculptor is able to carefully balance the a sense of realism with a sense of idealism, that contributes to the overall vitality of the sculpture. This vitality is made even more important by the placement of the wound. This wound does not appear to have any effect on the warrior, as she still stands strong. The use of both hard and soft lines in this sculpture contribute to the overarching theme of feminine strength. The hard lines of the silhouette of the warrior present a clearly feminine,

yet strong warrior. The asymmetrical lines of the arms and legs, give the warrior the “contrapposto” stance that was so famously used by sculptors in the Ancient Greek world. This contrapposto stance also promotes the idea of the statue as an organic being. The warrior, while clearly stationary because of her position leaning against the column, also appears to be in motion, because of the position of right arm over her head and her weight loaded on her right foot. The hard and soft lines of the warrior’s chiton also create a sense of motion, as well as help the viewer identify the warrior as female. The hard lines of the chiton are the most prominent, and the only place where the statue is not entirely smooth. These lines give us a sense of the way the garment is draped over the warrior almost haphazardly. These lines also provide a cinching of the chiton at the waist of the warrior. This plays an important role in helping the viewer identify the warrior as female. It is a way for the artist to create curves in the hard marble. The softer lines on the chiton create a rippling that implies motion. This motion is important in the contributing to the overall strength of the warrior, as it shows that her wound has not slowed her down. The sculptor’s use of marble was instrumental in creating a feminine strength that could only be attributed to the mythical Amazonian warriors. The carefully shaped the breasts are important in establishing the femininity of the warrior, as well as being used as a visual cue to the subtle wound under the warriors right breast that imbues the warrior with a greater strength. The sculptor’s use of both hard and soft lines gives a sense of motion to the warrior as well as further establishes her strength and femininity....