From Mortals to Gods in Ancient Art — 3D Virtual Gallery by Jaiden Romberger
Mythological figures have long been figurative and made of marble. This mythology helps create stories and convey how ancient people depicted these stories of mortals, gods, and goddesses. Even though all of these sculptures are made by different people and have different stories, they do not fail to cast a majestic presence. All of these art works a lot with their nudity, which is not common with other eras of art. The calm humanistic portrayal of these gods could be explained from Malvina Hoffman’s quote “Sculpture is a parable in three dimensions, a symbol of a spiritual experience, and a means of conveying truth by concentrating its essence into visible form. ... It must be the reflection of the artist who creates it and of the era in which he lives, not an echo or a memory of other days and other ways.”. This exhibition starts with Praxiteles sculpture, Aphrodite of Knidos, fully nude and radiating the representation of beauty. Even while she gets ready for a ritual bath, the goddess stays in a majestic stance, while breaking gender norms set during that time. Then we look at Alexandros of Antioch’s sculpture, Venus de Milo. Although the sculpture’s limbs are missing, she still continues to have a sense of calmness and a majestic figure. The posture is a big factor that reveals this goddess’s tranquil aura. As the exhibition continues, Laocoön and His Sons by Agesandro, Athendoros, and Polydoros is the next work of art that really presents majesty even through hardship. This really explains how, even though the story is intense and is full of agony, the figures still stay majestic in their movements and stance. Not only is Laocoön shown as stately and majestic while protecting his family, but his sons are as well when fighting for their lives, while still being mortal. The importance of majesty in this exhibition continues with Timotheos’s sculpture, Leda and Zeus as a Swan. This is another piece of art that tells an interesting story while still displaying a calm and majestic feeling. The collision of manipulation with these feelings is unusual yet works great with the work. This concludes with Leochares’s sculpture depicting Apollo Belvedere. While again being fully nude, his majesty is shown a lot since he is of high status among both the gods and mortals. This statue is thought to illustrate Apollo slaying Python, which conflicts with the theme of calmness and majesty that he continues to give off in his stance. This majestic characteristic is clearly shown within all of these works of art in many different ways. This theme continues with the nudity, the colliding stories, and the movement and stances. Even though the majestic nature is more known with the gods and goddesses, these artists use it even with mortals. From Mortals to Gods in Ancient Art invites people to explore these themes shown in mythology and understand how these pieces of art combine together.
A 3D virtual art gallery on Galerra featuring 5 artworks. Walk through the gallery in an immersive 3D experience.
Artworks in this gallery
- Aphrodite of Knidos (2026) — The sculpture Aphrodite of Knidos is made of marble and was created by a famous artist named Praxiteles in the 4th century BCE. The statue depicts the goddess Aphrodite, who represents love and beauty, which is pronounced in her appearance. She is fully nude with her breasts showing, and one hand covering her lower part. She is placing a cloth on something, like she was taking it off. She has nothing else on, where in other sculptures we either see crowns, sandals, or jewelry. There are three principles of design that are very clear, such as movement, proportion, and harmony. The most important one is proportion. She is perfectly proportioned, with how her body looks, and is idealized. The artist definitely had a lot of respect for women, especially since he made her nude. This statue was originally displayed in the Temple of Aphrodite, but didn’t survive and was recreated by Greek and Roman artists. This statue is supposed to depict the goddess Aphrodite undressing, while slightly covering herself, to get ready for her ritual bath. THe history of the nude body originally lies with only male heroes, but Praxiteles changed that. I believe the meaning of this statue is supposed to show the strength and beauty of women, while breaking ancient standards of only keeping the nude body for males. I think that it is also supposed to show a lot of idealized beauty and grace as she hangs her cloth on something elegantly. This statue also doesn’t defy realism, even while depicting a god.
- Venus de Milo (2026) — The sculpture Venus de Milo is made of marble and was created by Alexandros of Antioch in 130-100 BCE. The sculpture depicts either the goddess Venus, who represents love, or Aphrodite, who represents the sea. Half of her body is draped by cloth, and the upper part is nude, showing her breasts. This art piece is created from several different pieces of marble and has had some parts broken off; the most recognizable are her arms. There are many different principles shown in this sculpture, such as focal point, proportion, and movement. The most important thing in this sculpture is its proportions. Her body resembles the human body perfectly, and her head balanced the body perfectly. This can show a connection to the mortal world and how the Greeks used to depict her. This sculpture was found in 1820 CE by Olivier Voutier and a peasant named Yorgos Kentrotas. Many believe that she lost her arms and her jewelry through the years, as well as part of her foot. The meaning of this sculpture is very hard to interpret. I think the biggest meaning of this statue is to signify beauty and the elegance of the human body. The jewelry that supposedly used to be on her could also possibly signify her status as a god and how important she was to the mortals. I believe that whoever the statue was interpreting was very important to the Greeks, whether it was Venus or Aphrodite. Unlike the sculpture before, the Venus de Milo does not contrast with fantasy and realism. This sculpture is very realistic and does not have any aspect of mythology that we know of.
- Laocoön and His Sons (2026) — In the sculpture, Laocoön and His Sons by Agesandro, Athendoros, and Polydoros in 27BCE- 68CE, there is Laocoön and his two sons being attacked by two serpents. The figures are all nude, even though there is cloth surrounding the people, or is behind them. This statue is made of marble and is quite large. The focal point of the sculpture is Laocoön which really emphasizes his strength to save his children. There is also a proportion which emphasizes Laocoön. The movement of all of the figures can show a lot of the resilience humans have. This sculpture was created in 27BCE-68CE by Agesandro, Athendoros, and Polydoros, and was found on January 14, 1506, on a vineyard owned by Felice de Fredis. It was located near Emperor Nero’s Golden House in Rome. This sculpture is deeply connected to the Trojan War, when Laocoön tried to warn the Romans to not accept the Greek’s wooden horse. The gods got mad at this and sent two serpents to kill his two sons. The meaning of this sculpture is to show the dramatic human experience, especially the father’s experience of protecting his children. Laocoön's significance in this sculpture is very important. He shows human resilience, and parental protectiveness towards their children. The veins shown in the figures emphasize strength as well, even though they go through tormentation. This art piece provides a lot of history, while placing mythology in it. There are contrasting themes of realism and fantasy with serpents being sent by gods to kill the suns.
- Leda and Zeus as a Swan (2026) — The sculpture Leda and Zeus as a Swan is made of marble and was created by Timotheos in either the 1st or 2nd century AD. It depicts Leda, the queen of Sparta, and Zeus disguised as a swan, who is the God of Thunder and the King of the Gods. Leda has her arm up and is draped with a robe. She is partially nude while carrying the swan. Her right leg is slightly lifted, like she is in a contrapposto stance. It seems to be that she is reaching for something in the sky, and looking up towards it. There are three different principles of design that are seen, such as focal point, proportion, and movement. I believe the most important thing in this statue is proportion. Her body is perfectly idealized and her head is proportionate to her body. Everything is measured carefully and realistically. The sizing with the swan and the women is also very proportionate, and her being a significant figure in this helps say that she is very important. For example, if the swan was irregularly bigger than the women, then there would probably be a different meaning. This statue was found in 1775 in Rome, and there are more than two dozen replicas of this piece. The myth was that Zeus disguised himself to be a swan to have sex with Leda, and she later birthed two eggs who became his children. I believe the meaning is supposed to show the beauty of Leda, and how easy it is to be taken advantage of as a woman by a higher power.
- Apollo Belvedere (2026) — The sculpture Apollo Belvedere was made of marble and created by Leochares in 120-140 CE or 330-320 BCE. This statute shows Apollo, the god of art and music, fully nude, reaching towards something on the right. He has a crown on his head, as well as the cloth draped over his neck and arm. There is a bow and quiver laying across his left shoulder, and something on the left side of his leg. There are three prominent principle shows in this sculpture, such are movement, proportion, and harmony. The most important is in his movement, where he shows the famous contrapposto stance. He is calm yet shows a lot of strength in his demeanor which can mean a lot of things. It almost looks like he was frozen in place while trying to reach for something. The statue was found during the Italian renaissance, by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, who was later Pope Julius II. This statue was a copy made in the 2nd century AD by Romans. The story behind this painting is interesting, where Apollo is slaying Python, who was a serpent guardian of Delphi. The meaning of this statute can be quite hard to tell, like many other statues. I think the biggest meaning is strength and tranquility, which comes from his calm stance, and his idealized body that has muscles and is toned. I think it is supposed to also show how he is of high status with the gods, and is important to mortals, because of his crown and his robe. This statute is very idealized and is another one that does not defy realism as much as other ones we see.
About the creator
Jaiden Romberger on Galerra