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I've received some requests to post my final paper from one of my art classes I took in my last semester of college. The paper goes alone with the photos below. The idea is to show that viewpoints of ancient greece and today are very similar in the way we view people and beauty. They used statues, we use magazines/photoshop. The first photo is an original photo taken of me that is unaltered, the second is of course the altered version. If you have questions on how I did any manipulations feel free to let me know.

   

Click here to download:

we-haven-t-changed-in-thousands-of-years-HhFfggtzdcCvBscfxjme.zip (1454 KB)

 The Bronzes were found off of the coast of Riace in 1972 by a diver named Stefano Mariottini. His discovery would be one of the greatest discoveries of art in the past few hundred years. What he believed to be the corpse of an actual person turned out to be the hand of a beautifully molded bronze statue, now named statue a. (The beauty myth, p42) These statues upon first glance seem to be that of a well built and in shape men, statue a, assumed to be a general due to his helmet tipping upward.

 There is much controversy surrounding these statues. The dates of their creation are unknown, when they were lost at sea, why they were lost at sea, and above all was there a third bronze that was stolen? In 2008 Italy Magazine wrote an article entitled "Mystery of vanished third Riace bronze, 35 years on". This article poses the questions regarding the account of Stefano Mariottini which says "... the 'two protruding statues [...] were free of any clear incrustations'. Yet Bragho' has found a previously unpublished photograph of the statues apparently showing one of the figures entirely covered in incrustations, its features indistinguishable." (Mystery of vanished third Riace bronze, 35 years on, italymag.co.uk). This furthers the questions regarding the statues and what might have happened to the third statue, or if there even was a third statue to begin with.

 The date of the statues is unknown, as well as the artist who created them. It is however believed to be created in the time of Polykleitos, whether or not he created them himself is unknown (Polykleitos lived around 400 to 500 B.C.). If Polykleitos did not create the statues it follows very closely to the Kanon he produced. While no other works of Polykleitos exist, there are replications done in marble. The Riace Bronzes follow if not almost perfectly to what Polykleitos was made known for. (Reflection of the Social Values in Ancient Greek Art, 4). These statues contain parts of their body which could be said to be part female and missing parts of the human anatomy all together.

 In analyzing the statues, it seems as though cognitive is the best route in order to not only analyze but always remember the pieces. Cognitive analysis is the process in which a person relates a piece of art to things that already relate to him in his surroundings. The use of cognitive theory not only helps in relating to the piece of art, but by concreting thoughts that stick out to the viewer in relation to them. In this article there will be the relation between modern views on body image and those of Ancient Greek culture.

 The back of statue a, is completely taught with the muscle formations tightened to show as though he is flexing, while the front of his body is formed as though he is in a relaxed state. The curve of his back "was almost hermaphrodite: his pronouncedly curvaceous backside, according to the Italian experts, belongs to a woman." (The Beauty Myth, 42-43). Not only is his backside too curvaceous to be that of a man, but he is missing a part of the body all together. The coccyx which is towards the bottom of our back, attached to our spine is completely gone. The curved spine which is overly emphasized leads right into his backside without any interruption by the coccyx, this is physically impossible and you may not be able to sit down correctly without this part of the body. (The Beauty Myth, 42-43). Beliefs in Greek times were very humanistic in nature. Concentrating mostly on appearance they would cast these bronzes to idolize what they could hopefully one day achieve.

 The focus in Greek times was so greatly influenced by their bodies and appearance, their entire culture revolved around it. The belief of most Greeks was that the more attractive and in shape one was, the closer to a god they were. This belief also marked the amount of clothing they would generally wear. The more fit a person was, the less clothing they would wear. This can be easily demonstrated in the first olympic games, specifically the gymnastics. The word gymnastics comes from the greek word "gymnos" which literally means naked. The focus on their appearance is clearly reflected in such statues as the Riace Bronzes, the unattainable proportions like the largely indented spine, the distorted legs to be the same length as the torso, and the overuse of musculature on the abdomen that separates the body from the lower half of the bronze are clearly a reflection of the Greeks world view. The belief that these men (Statues A & B) were heroes, whether through the Grecian army or just through their physique allowed the lack of clothing as in most other greek statues.

 To the modern man this belief seems a bit far fetched, however, this belief can be seen in today's culture. If one takes a trip to the beach he will notice this in real life, just as though they were at the olympics in years past. Without realizing it, people judge others based on their fitness level to clothing ratio. The larger or less physically fit a person is, the more clothes we automatically believe these people should be wearing. However, if the person is more physically fit and attractive we feel it completely acceptable to allow this person to wear less clothing, or none at all.

 The belief of being physically fit has changed throughout history. How a person is perceived as attractive has not always nor always will be based on how skinny they are. The oldest of all art is the Venus of Willendorf which is believed to be over 20 to 30 thousand years old. This statue is now seen as grotesque in it's form. It over emphasizes the breasts, abdomen and genitalia of the limestone sculpture (Women in Prehistory: The Venus of Willendorf, witcombe.sbc.edu).

 This creation shows the world view of the time period in which it was created, where it was more important to be larger in body type, the belief being that a woman would be more fertile, providing more children. This world view is seen more in times of devastation or depression.

 Today's woman has two extremes, one is to become as small as a model, the other is to choose to be a larger woman and "love your body". The National NOW Times states that companies are "... pressuring [women] to conform to impossible ideals. In telling women that they're weak and their bodies need fixing, companies try to convince women that their goods and services are just what they need to make themselves over so they can attract a man and make other women envious." (National NOW Times, p5-10). The goal of the article is to persuade women that they do not need to be as small as a supermodel, but that a woman needs to embrace her own curves and shape. This belief was not entirely the same in times past but has changed to the acceptance of larger women in the past 10 - 15 years.

  This could be seen as the same as the Venus of Willendorf situation, however instead of men viewing the women as merely reproductive machines it is used in the sense of women's liberation. Either way, this may be equated to the same situations that occurred at both periods, the idea that the people are going through financial or some other crisis. Currently the world is in a state of crisis financially and emotionally, wars are in most countries and there is a higher unemployment rate than seen in decades. The idea that physical appearance and value changes is rarely taken into equation but should be noted in reference to a persons surroundings.

 Whether one believes the idea that the events of recent affect their views on fitness and attractiveness one can agree that the Riace Bronzes strike a chord in today's culture. The statues focus mostly on an appearance that cannot be attained, but should be strived for according to the artist's world view. This world view can be said to be the same as the artists who photoshop the latest model who graces the cover of any Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, or Men's Health. The bodies in both scenarios are unable to be attained. Women do not have perfectly silky skin, nor do men have legs the same length as their torso.

 Next time a person views the Riace Bronzes, they should keep in mind the time period that the greeks lived in, and look at their own time period to see what is different. The outward look of a body matters in today's culture. A more attractive, in shape person receives higher wages and better treatment in the workplace, there is no avoiding it. It is amazing that we have come so far in technology and in our forms of artistic expression, but when it is broken down, we are just like the Greeks. All people really want is to be the most beautiful person they can be, or wish they could be, and this has been and always will be reflected through the art we create.

Works Cited

Demıralp, Didem. "REFLECTION OF THE SOCIAL VALUES IN ANCIENT GREEK ART." Ekev Academic Review 12.35 (2008): 165-169. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.

Burton, Madeleine. "Love Your Body Campaign Challenges Narrow Beauty Standards." National NOW Times 41.1 (2009): 5-10. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.

Spivey, Nigel, and Rosie Millard. "The beauty myth." New Statesman 134.4738 (2005): 42-43. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.

Unknown. Mystery of vanished third Riace bronze, 35 years on, 03 April 2008. Web. 29 April 2010. http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/calabria/mystery-vanished-third-riace-bronze-...

Witcombe, L. C. E., Chrisopher. Women in Prehistory The Venus of Willendorf, 2000. Web. 29

 April 2010. http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfwoman.html

Other references

"More Human Than Human: The Riace Bronzes"

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ86pfsJXEE

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