Above all, Greek art symbolizes humanism. The sculpture of the Greek god Hermes, the son of Zeus and the messenger of the gods, by Praxiteles, exhibits this symbolism. The sculpture’s humanized portrayal of a god speaks volumes to the power ancient Greeks attributed to humans. Praxiteles himself, well-known for his portrayal of gods with elegant human features came from a generation of 4th century artists who specialized in artistic realism. The sculpture, which also portrays the god in a philosophic light, reflects the value the ancient Greeks placed in knowledge and reflection. In the sculpture Hermes is comforting a crying baby by showing him a shiny object. Hermes, performing this lowly task, has very human features, as the left side of his face is sad and the right is joyful. Hermes furthermore, is the messenger of the gods. He is the connection between the mortal and immortal world. Praxiteles depicts this portrayal through a mixture of godlike features as well as human traits. Praxiteles unlike most sculptors at the time was renowned for his gentle and amiable sculptures; others often depicted graphic and violent works. In the Hermes sculpture, Praxiteles uniquely depicted the Olympian gods as friendly and not wrathful, contrasting the distance and angry qualities of which they were thought of. To illustrate, Hermes is depicted as a protector of youth as he gently cradles the human like God Dionysos. By making Dionysos an infant, Praxiteles achieves a soft and playful feel. Praxiteles created a distinct perspective of intimacy which had not be seen before is sculpture. Through his use of emotion, playfulness, and gentle feel, Praxiteles achieved a different state of art, and as such is regarded among the best artists.
Harry Yadav, Sid Vyas, Jen Suh, Charles Negrini, Sophie Resnick
To elaborate on your post, while Gods like Hermes had super-heroic qualities it’s remarkable that they were afflicted with human weakness: rage, jealously, inconstancy, and treachery. Hermes was known as the winged messenger and as the thief who stole Appollo's steeds. The Gods are symbols displaying the heights and depths of man’s most challenging human elements. They could help their followers get passed earthly obstacles or simply allow them to proceed in life if appeased by offering a sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteLooking up your statue, the baby Hermes is hoisting up is identified as newborn Dionysus. Though Dionysus was not one of the 12 Olympians and was not mentioned by Homer, he is believed to be introduced much later. Here he appears to be celebrated by Hermes, perhaps the most popularized in myths of the original Gods. Bringing out this God, God of the vine (and drunkenness)perhaps tells that a God might be put forth in some new position in the culture.
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