Gods in color

We often think of ancient statues gods in color the white stone figures that have long dominated museum collections. But in recent years, the public has been reawakened to the fact that many of these antiquities were once brightly colored.

Imagine a stroll through ancient Athens among colorful statues and brightly decorated temples—in contrast with the colorless stone ruins that survive today. This exhibition presents full-size copies of Greek and Roman sculpture whose painted decoration, faded over the millennia, has been painstakingly reconstructed. The color reconstructions—based on close examination and scientific analysis of the scarce traces of paint remaining on the surfaces of the originals—include a number of well-known masterpieces, such as the Peplos Kore from the Athenian Akropolis, pedimental sculpture from the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, and the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus. The exhibition opens up a world of richly attired deities, proud warriors, and barbarians in dazzling costume and dispels a popular misconception of Western art: the white marble statue of Classical antiquity. A brochure accompanies this exhibition. Close Modal.

Gods in color

Its subject is ancient polychromy , i. The exhibition is based on the conclusions drawn from research on ancient polychromy, conducted especially by the Classical archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann since the early s, based on earlier works by Volkmar von Graeve. It displayed copies of ancient sculpture in their reconstructed and painted appearance that had been produced during his studies, as well as new reconstructions created especially for the exhibition, in conjunction with the originals or comparable ancient sculptures. Soon, the exhibition began to travel to other cities in Germany and beyond. Since , the exhibition and underlying research has received support from a foundation created by the government of Bavaria , as well as private donations. After the original German catalogue produced for the Munich exhibition, new editions were issued for later showings, most recently for the one in Frankfurt. An English catalogue was published for the — showing in the Arthur M. West and East pediment of Aphaea Temple on Aegina. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk.

Gods in Color presents reconstructions of well-known sculptural works from ancient Greece and Rome to uncover their original colors and uncover the spirit of classical civilizations as never before. This exhibition and its catalogue present reconstructions of well-known sculptural works dating gods in color Bronze Age Greece to Imperial Rome BC — second century ADgods in color, reinstating these bright colors to familiar works and uncovering the spirit of classical civilizations as never before. These ancient examples, both original and reconstructed, are complemented by watercolors of Greek landscapes and monuments by the English antiquarian Edward Dodwell and the Italian artist Simone Pomardi.

Although the classical ideal usually evokes unadorned bronze and white marble sculptures, the art of ancient cultures was often painted to dazzling and powerful effect. Thanks to modern science, we can discover what pigments were used and how these sculptures would have originally looked. Gods in Color presents reconstructions of well-known sculptural works from ancient Greece and Rome to uncover their original colors and uncover the spirit of classical civilizations as never before. These are complemented by original antiquities from the Mediterranean world and early nineteenth-century watercolors that provide a more comprehensive view of polychromy in ancient cultures. To find out more about the exhibition, explore this digital offering from our friends at the the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt. The art of ancient cultures was often painted to dazzling and powerful effect.

To find out what the Greek gods looked like, it would seem reasonable to start in Room 18 of the British Museum. That's the gallery devoted to the Elgin Marbles, grand trophies removed from the Parthenon in Athens between and by Thomas Bruce, seventh earl of Elgin, the British envoy to Constantinople from to , when Greece was under Turkish domination. Even at the time, Elgin's action struck some as the rape of a great heritage. Lord Byron's largely autobiographical poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" contains this stinging rebuke:. Dull is the eye that will not weep to see Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed By British hands, which it had best behov'd To guard those relics ne'er to be restored. The genius behind the Parthenon's sculptures was the architect and artist Phidias, of whom it was said that he alone among mortals had seen the gods as they truly are. At the Parthenon, he set out to render them in action. Fragments from the eastern gable of the temple depict the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus; those from the western gable show the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the patronage of the city. As the city's name indicates, she won. The heroically scaled statues were meant to be seen from a distance with ease.

Gods in color

For many years, the polychromy of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture has been captivating the public worldwide. The Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung presented a major expanded exhibition allowing a nuanced look at the disconcerting phenomenon of statuary polychromy. Since the exhibition GODS IN COLOR was first on view in Frankfurt in , the number of reconstructions carried out by the research team has doubled, and new aspects have come under consideration, for example the polychromy of ancient bronzes.

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The color reconstructions—based on close examination and scientific analysis of the scarce traces of paint remaining on the surfaces of the originals—include a number of well-known masterpieces, such as the Peplos Kore from the Athenian Akropolis, pedimental sculpture from the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, and the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus. Experimental color reconstruction of the Greek grave statue of Phrasikleia, Liebieghaus Frankfurt. White or monochrome sculpture would have been as strange to the ancients as the color reconstructions might seem to us. ISBN Additional support is provided by Bernard and Jane von Bothmer in honor of Dr. Harvard Art Museums. Retrieved 8 December In the exhibition "Gods in Color - Golden Edition," which features over painted sculptures in Frankfurt's Liebieghaus museum, visitors can witness the polychromatic transformation of ancient statues and experience their original, eye-opening bright hues. When archaeologists dug them up after two and a half thousand years in , some of the colors were still fresh and dazzlingly beautiful," said the archaeologist. Since beginning his research in Athens 40 years ago, Brinkmann has been studying the colors of ancient sculptures and brings his specialist expertise to the exhibition. Close Modal. Your Collections Select a collection. The exhibition is based on the conclusions drawn from research on ancient polychromy, conducted especially by the Classical archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann since the early s, based on earlier works by Volkmar von Graeve. About us Work with us Press room Contact us.

Mark Abbe was ambushed by color in , while working on an archeological dig in the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias, in present-day Turkey. The gods, heroes, and nymphs displayed in museums look that way, as do neoclassical monuments and statuary, from the Jefferson Memorial to the Caesar perched outside his palace in Las Vegas. Aphrodisias was home to a thriving cadre of high-end artists until the seventh century A.

Toggle limited content width. West and East pediment of Aphaea Temple on Aegina. So by the end of the 19th century it was clear: Antiquity was not white. Search only artworks. Latest videos Latest audio. Examples of colorful sculpture in this survey include Cycladic figures of the third millennium BC, reconstructed examples of Archaic-period Greek marble and bronze sculptures, and marble portraiture by Roman artists. White or monochrome sculpture would have been as strange to the ancients as the color reconstructions might seem to us. Legion of Honor Open today am — pm Plan your visit. Latest audio Latest videos. Experimental color reconstruction of the east frieze of the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi, Liebieghaus Frankfurt. Retrieved 7 December