Laocoon and His Sons

Descriptive Essay # 113541

Art > History
Art > Sculpture
History > Greek and Roman

The paper discusses the statue "Laocoon and His Sons"

1,200 words () | 8 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The author of the paper examines the sculpture "Laocoon and His Sons", carved in Greece during the Hellenistic period. The paper describes briefly, the evolution of Greek society up until the time of the sculpture's creation and explains the story that the statue seeks to illustrate. The paper describes the statue and recounts its history from the date of its creation, including restoration works carried out by artists such as Michelangelo.

From the Paper:

"While this piece has been very controversial throughout the eras, it is beautiful, historic, and timeless. The turmoil shown in this sculpture portrays the basis of the Hellenistic Period. There is so much realism shown in every depiction of the story of Laocoon that it is hard not to find a connection with the piece. There is so much allure and fascination in the agony and misery shown with Laocoon and His Sons. Laocoon will be admired for ages to come, not only because of the exquisiteness, but also because of the epic memoir that accompanies its mystery."

Sample of Sources Used:

C.M. Bowra, Classical Greece (New York City, NY: Time Incorporated, 1965),166-167.
Jennifer T. Roberts and Tracy Barrett, The Ancient Greek World (New York City,NY: Oxford University Press, 2004), 40-44.
Michael Lahanas, "Laocoon and his sons and the aesthetics of pain," Greek Art, http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/Laocoon.htm (accessed March 20, 2008).
Russel Chamberlin, Loot! The Heritage of Plunder (New York City, NY: 1983), 123-137.
Seymour Howard, "Laocoon Rerestored," American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 93, No. 3. (Jul., 1989), pp. 417-422.