I happened to come across one of my favorite works of ancient art today, the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
3rd c BCE
it currently resides in the Louvre, and is in the process of being restored. It’s an interesting monument depicting Victory (her Greek name is “Nike”) standing on the bow of a ship, in a position of perfect movement and stillness all at once. Is she running to announce victory? Alighting on the ship to make her congratulations? Her body and clothing are wonderful examples of the Greek ideal of beauty, proportions are correct despite her massive wings, she’s graceful, she has beautifully modeled clothing (that kind of look is sometimes called “wet drapery” because the folds are so precise. And because you can clearly see her belly button–that’s “oumphalos” (OOM-pha-los) in ancient Greek, btw).
My quilts reflect my background and interests as an ex-Classical archaeologist, but really, I think that knowing about these things can be helpful to us as we consider what we find appealing (or not) in the world around us and in our own work, since so many of our ideals of beauty and proportion are Classically inspired. That, and it’s awfully pretty to look at. Just thinking out loud, I guess.
What’s your favorite work of art?
I totally love this too!! The illusion of fabric, is an amazing testimony to the skill of the carver. Despite bring incomplete, it’s beautiful.
The belly button is always my favorite, as is the ancient Greek word for it “oumphalos” (OOM-pha-los).