Comparisons

• New York Kouros
• Apollo from west pediment of Zeus temple, Olympia

The Greek kouros embodies the iconic perfection of the early citizen of the polis. He stands straight, in symmetrical balance, and with the four facets of the stone block still apparent. Thus the style encodes his personal discretion, control, and physical stature. Although the figure of Apollo at Olympia does not stand aloof in the traditional symmetrical pose, his presence in the midst of the chaos of the Lapith wedding represents the injection of rational order and serves as a model of divine behavior.

Key Topics

The human impulse, across history, to use art to express notions of the divine.

• “Mother goddesses”: female figures were created in the earliest societies for ritual purposes, to encourage fertility, both in women and the earth itself.

• Gods in human form: ancient Greek gods were usually portrayed in recognizably human form, and their ideals influenced subsequent artistic practices in the West.

• The figure of Christ: central to the work of artists in Europe, and its portrayal changing over centuries to reflect changes between Church and state.

• Celebration of the gods: in contrast to Christian depictions, Hindu art celebrates the eroticism of its gods.

• Nirvana: the quest of the Buddhist artists, across time and place, to portray Buddha in this state.

• Anthropomorphism: Aztec gods were represented in animal form with human characteristics.