Sculpture and Culture

The sculptures of different cultures provide us with a variety of details about those cultures. For example, some cultures of the Roman era show us the significant influence of Greek art in Roman culture. Others, like the Stele of the Code of Hamurabi inform us of the religion and laws of a culture. This analysis of sculpture and culture will look at the artworks of various cultures from Mesopotamia to the Middle Ages in an effort to illustrate the relationship between sculpture and culture.

If we look at the Stele of the Code of Hammurabi, we see that Mesopotamian sculpture tells us about the gods and religion of the culture. Mesopotamian sculpture was often devoted to the depiction of deities, with little interest in achieving likeness. Due to this the details of hair, facial expression, body form, and clothing were often schematically achieved. In the Stele of the Code of Hammurabi we see this exemplified (See Code URL). With respect to culture we see a variety of details that provide us with insight into Mesopotamian beliefs. We see the belief in deities, as in this sculpture the sun God Shamash is giving the law of Hammurabi to the king. In this we see that the Mesopotamians who were agrarian-dependent worshipped deities related to nature. Thus, from their sculpture we know they are a pagan, an agrarian, and a morally lawful culture.

In the Stele of King Narram Sin, of Assad, we see that the Mesopotamian culture was fond of glorifying i

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into sculpture. If we look at the legs and arms of the Kouros we can see the attempt to achieve naturalism in Greek sculpture. The Greeks were very inquisitive and it showed in their interest in the sciences like anatomy and these elements of culture were represented in many Greek sculptures. The Kouros also shows that in the earlier period of Greek sculpture features were still fairly simplistic but much more realistic than the sculptures of earlier cultures. The hair pattern also shows the Greek cultural preoccupation with looks and adornment, perhaps best exemplified by the rule of Cleopatra. The Altar of Zeus Detail shows the Hellenistic period of Greek sculpture and shows that high art that culture aspired to in its immortal creations. The Altar of Zeus Detail shows the remarkable level of naturalism achieved through the creation of fine detail like hair, feet, eyes, and emotional expression (See Altar URL). The sculpture demonstrates the love of passion and Gods in Greek culture. The figures appear to move and their limbs extend in all directions further achieving a realistic three-dimensional affect on the viewer. The cultural devotion to the Gods of Olympus is evident in this sculpture that shows a magnificent Zeu

Category: Philosophy - S