Sculptures of Ancient India and Greece

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Cultural Studies

Document 1

The sculptures show the differences in cultural beliefs between the two cultures. Nudity in Indian sculptures and the representation of gods with different capability among the Greeks is common in modern artworks. The difference in the depiction of man and gods The Greek and Indian gods are depicted to be operating in different spiritual realms. The Greek gods are shown to be operating in the physical world and interacting with people through looking at them (Aldrich 31). The gods would also meet, for instance, the sculpture of the Aphrodite the goddess of love sitting next to Ares, the war god. The Indian gods are shown in nude pictures, and they have personality traits including bodily pleasures. Both Greece and Indian gods had beautiful bodies and outstanding physical attributes.

Sign up to view the full document!

For instance, Greece gods had gorgeous muscles. Indian gods had different colors and Goddesses were depicted to be attractive having wider hips and thin waist. The posture of women was from the belief that human beings can have a mystical union with the divine. The Indian cultures emphasized creativity in artwork including the making of godly sculptures. However, Greeks viewed God to have the manly capability which can only be depicted by showing gods as having human features. As a result, the gods in Indian culture were sculptured in different colors, connoted movements and had multiple hands as an appreciation of creativity. Examples of Cultures Representing Ancient Artworks An example of Indian sculptures are the nude statues and paintings in American museums that is similar to the nudity that was common among Indian deities.

Sign up to view the full document!

Artists create nude pictures in an attempt to show the beauty of the human body (Moser 22). Mary is shown to have piety towards the beliefs and believers use her as a way of approaching God especially when they are sinful. To conclude, the Indian and the Greek sculptures of god and humans were consistent with the cultural beliefs. Paintings are a reflection of people’s culture and what is acceptable in society. Artworks that are inconsistent with cultural beliefs are a bad example and may lead to a rise in legal liability in extreme situations. Works Cited Aldrich, Robert. University of Chicago Press, pp. Moser, Stephanie. "The devil is in the detail: museum displays and the creation of knowledge. " Museum Anthropology 33.

Sign up to view the full document!

From $10 to earn access

Only on Studyloop

Original template

Downloadable