#Poseidon art full#

Thus, images of smiting gods borrowed from the ancient Near East are common in sixth century Greece. One way you can delight the gods is to show them their own representation as beautiful as possible or as strikingly as possible. The Greek word for an image is agalma, which actually means ‘delight.’ So, it can be a delight for mortals, but most particularly, a delight for the gods. So, you dedicate to them a fine, small bronze, or a pot, or a terracotta-sometimes in their image, sometimes in yours, and sometimes in nobody’s in particular. Right from the very beginning of Greek art, art objects are used in order to conciliate or placate the gods. That’s what Greek religion is all about, it’s about recognizing the divine and paying it its due otherwise it will come and zap you, maybe not immediately, maybe not in your generation, but at some point the gods will take their revenge. “From the time of Homer onwards, the forms, functions, powers of the gods were defined and woe betide you if you didn’t recognize them. In presenting such works as offerings, the Greeks attempted to appease their gods, earning divine assistance or favor in return. This statue was probably created as a votive for a temple dedicated to Zeus. The Greek word for image, agalma, means “delight,” and a sculpture like this would have been created for the delight of not only Greek citizens, but also the gods. The sculpture, which presents its subject as superhuman rather than suprahuman, is in keeping with the Greek conception of gods as immortal and immensely powerful, yet subject to the personality flaws and unpredictable emotions of mortal beings. However, on closer examination, it is clear that aspects have been simplified and proportions expanded to give the figure the exemplary body worthy of his divine status. From the intense expression on his face, the bulging veins of his feet, and the variegated transitions between muscles, Zeus appears to be rendered from a human model. Meant to be seen from one ideal vantage point-standing facing the vast and muscular torso-this three-dimensional figure demonstrates complete mastery of anatomy. Zeus is the militant protector ready for action and would have originally been holding a thunderbolt (or trident, in the case of Poseidon).

#Poseidon art full#

Zeus is shown in full heroic nudity with his left arm and foot thrust dynamically forward in the direction of his foes, while his right leg and arm are raised and slightly bent, implying movement. Thought to represent the mightiest of the Olympian gods, Zeus (or less likely Poseidon), this monumental bronze sculpture was found in two pieces at the bottom of the sea off the Cape of Artemision in the 1920s.