Hellenic: Athena

Athena

Hellenic, or Classical, Greek sculpture is often the image we think of when we hear about Ancient Greece, and yet it only lasted a century and a half. Within that century, however, Greece experienced a golden age and created some of the greatest masterpieces and ideals of art, culture, and philosophy that would influence the world for centuries, such as the histories of Herodotus, Pythagoras the mathematician, and philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Classical Greece began around the end of the Persian wars (479 BC), Xerxes having been defeated by the Athenians, who prided themselves on their single-handed victory and became the political and cultural leader of all of the Greek city states, practically creating an empire. However, it is important to note that the city states were only united against Persia and in their common culture. Athens' self-elected rule over the other city states led to the long Peloponnesian war, the Spartans' rebellion and war against Athens. In some ways, discontent among the city states eventually led to the fall of classical Greece.

The Hellenic style in art reflects the culture's ideals of balance, order, and harmony. The art was created from marble or bronze and depicted subjects ideally, mostly gods, heroes, or humans in the prime of their life. The proportions of both sculpture and architecture were also ideal, and sculptures were usually depicted with a contrapposto stance (weight on one leg) and emotionless expressions. If there was action and tension in a sculpture, it was strictly restrained and idealized. As balance and order requires finding the golden mean between two opposites, it is understandable that there would be tension, but that it would be restrained and not exaggeratedly expressed. All of these characteristics became the ideals for both the Renaissance and Neo-Classical eras.

Classical Athena, as the plaque in the Louvre calls her, is a beautiful Roman marble copy of a late Hellenic bronze sculpture called the Piraeus Athena (residing in the Archeological Museum of Piraeus, the port of Athens). The original statue dates back to about 360-340 BC. The Roman copy is also called Athena Mattei (she was in the Mattei collection before being moved to the Louvre) and the peaceful or youthful Athena, due to her gentle and welcoming stance. There are some differences between the copy and original, particularly since the material is different and thus needed to be sculpted differently (see Perseus Project), but the Roman copy still provides an excellent example of the classical style.
As a marble statue of a goddess, she has the ideal proportions and features of the classical age. Her stance has all of the weight on her right leg with her left leg bent, the typical contrapposto stance, and her facial expression is emotionless and harmonious.

Though she is still dressed in her role as the warrior goddess with her helmet and the skin of the goat that Zeus, her father, gave her, bordered with serpents and decorated with Medusa's head given to her by Perseus (all of which are symbols of Athena), her manner is strikingly different in this statue compared to usual depictions of Athena. She seems more approachable, casual, and humane. This is why I initially noticed and liked this statue. Her expression and stance is one any human would make in conversation. It seems as if she is frozen in the middle of an explanation or a friendly conversation. To me it implies a kind and encouraging interest in the viewer, who would have approached the statue to pray.