Aphrodite: An Inspiration to Artists
Through the centuries, artists have been astounded by the beauty and serenity of Aphrodite, causing various representations of guises and poses. These guises and poses caused such a stir that artists were kept busy to satisfy the hungry collectors (Loggia). “Aphrodite is known as the Greek goddess of love, desire, beauty, fertility, the sea, and vegetation” (Paris) and has many mythological significance about her to cause artists to be fascinated. Many artists have tried to depict various women as Aphrodite. This was a way for the artist to “show their own personal feeling towards the woman”. Every woman dreams of having goddess qualities and the artist try to succeed in doing so (Paris). The goddess of love and beauty has become an inspiration to many artists throughout history and continues to seduce those artists who capture her brilliance through the portrayals of her birth, mythological influences, and the ideal female body image. One way Aphrodite has influenced artists has been her birth from the sea and how artists depict not only her in great detail but also her surroundings with many influences to the piece of work. As told through numerous myths, Aphrodite was thought to have been born from the sea. An
“Aphrodite was portrayed as an object of male desire” (Moulton). The more social dominance a man gained, “the depiction’s of Aphrodite changed from maternalism to passive sexuality” (Moulton). The use of nudity of the goddess to was used to denote vulnerability, in which covering herself gestures self consciousness. The concept of sacred sexuality, by Classical Greece, “developed into the exploitation of women as objects of utility or pleasure” (Moulton). Greek sculptors lavished attention on the images of Aphrodite and were closely followed by Roman artisans, who were delighted to portray her in an array of beguiling scenes (Loggia). As men grew more socially dominant, depictions of Aphrodite changed from aggressive maternalism to passive sexuality. The goddess’ identification shifted from the sacredness of the life-cycle to the profanity of mere physical pleasure. Instead of looking at a piece of artwork, admire it and try to imagine how the artist was feeling by the mood of the artwork. Being the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite has a way of influencing artists in many ways. Numerous artists have used Aphrodite as a guide while portraying other women in their artwork. Many statues and sculptors have been made due to her beauty. Artists such as Titan, Botticelli, Boucher, and Luini are just a few of the artists seduced by the goddess of love. Over time, Aphrodite will ensnare new artists and new portrayals of her will be portrayed. The identification of Aphrodite through her birth, mythological influences, and the ideal female body image has made a contribution to many artists work. Over the centuries, these themes have brought us illustrious works of art that are still being exhibited in admiration in many museums worldwide. Aphrodite represents an “image of a sexual and active female role” but most of all, authority of femininity (Watney). Aphrodite of Knidos is an “ancient Greek statue served as the
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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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