Iconographic Representation in Greek Art Term Paper by write123

This paper examines the representation of gods in Greek art, and the very rigid patterns and canons that had been imposed by the masters of the past. The paper holds that those rules were followed religiously by art pupils, who learned the crafts to continue traditions. This is one reason why artistic representations of gods and goddesses show very similar features and obey to the same anatomical rules of body structure and proportion. The Greeks believed that the gods were perfect and their goal was to represent this perfection by finding the key to flawless harmony of features and lines. The paper argues that this created some troubles in representing a vast range of deities, since they all looked alike for following the same anatomical rules. The paper concludes that Greek representations of gods or heroes usually present only the best part of those characters, even if sometimes placed in human positions, with weaknesses, adversities and frustrations.