Greek mythology is the most important motif of Greek art. In literature, the most famous ones are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as three famous tragedies: Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus, King Oedipus by Sophocles and Medea by euripides. Architecture, sculpture and painting are mostly based on Greek mythical figures.
As far as sculpture is concerned, so far several ancient Greek sculptures have ranked among the top ten in the world, such as:
1, Discus Thrower (Author: Miron)
Miron's The Discus Thrower is about 152 cm high and is collected by the National Museum of Rome, Vatican Museum and SOMA Museum. It was originally used as bronze, and Miron wrote it around 450 BC. The original has been lost, and now it is a copy. The statue selects the instantaneous action of the athlete in the process of throwing the discus, which is a temporary constant state in a series of instantaneous and ever-changing actions before the discus is released. The athlete holds the discus in his right hand and puts it at the highest point. His whole body's center of gravity falls on his right foot, his left toe touches the ground, and his knee bends into an obtuse angle, which makes the whole body feel a kind of nervous explosiveness and elasticity. The physical modeling is tense, but it gives people a calm and steady impression in the overall structural treatment and the expression of the head, which is exactly what the classical style pursues.
2. Venus
Aphrodite of Milos, commonly known as Venus of Milos, Venus with a broken arm, Venus statue, etc. , is a marble statue with a height of 204 cm. Alexandros was founded around 150 BC, and now it is located in the Louvre in Paris. From the first day when the statue was discovered, it was recognized as the most beautiful Greek female statue to date. This statue is also a treasure of the three city halls of the Louvre.
3. Statue of Athena (Author: Pheidias)
Athena is the patron saint and goddess of wisdom of Athens. Originally used as the main statue of the Parthenon, it was 13 meters high, carved with silvery white marble, partly inlaid with ivory and gold, but unfortunately it was destroyed by the Byzantine Empire. Here is a small marble replica. In this statue of the goddess, she wears a battle helmet and a Greek dress, and her chest protector and armor are decorated with snake-shaped ruffles and heads. Her bare arms, through the thin skirt, can see the plump and strong body; The pleat and decoration of the dress make the density of horizontal and vertical lines change beautifully; Her gesture may be holding a spear and a support, and the whole image is full of femininity and life. It is more human nature than divinity, which is also a major feature of Greek mythology.