Gods in color

Although the classical ideal usually evokes unadorned bronze buses moaña vigo white marble sculptures, the art of ancient cultures was often painted to dazzling and powerful effect, gods in color. Thanks to modern science, we can discover what pigments were gods in color and how these sculptures would have originally looked. Gods in Color presents reconstructions of well-known sculptural works from ancient Greece and Rome to uncover their original colors and uncover the spirit of classical civilizations as never before. These are complemented by original antiquities from the Mediterranean world and early nineteenth-century watercolors that provide a more comprehensive view of polychromy in ancient cultures.

We often think of ancient statues as the white stone figures that have long dominated museum collections. But in recent years, the public has been reawakened to the fact that many of these antiquities were once brightly colored. In the exhibition "Gods in Color - Golden Edition," which features over painted sculptures in Frankfurt's Liebieghaus museum, visitors can witness the polychromatic transformation of ancient statues and experience their original, eye-opening bright hues. Since beginning his research in Athens 40 years ago, Brinkmann has been studying the colors of ancient sculptures and brings his specialist expertise to the exhibition. They no longer had any color.

Gods in color

Imagine a stroll through ancient Athens among colorful statues and brightly decorated temples—in contrast with the colorless stone ruins that survive today. This exhibition presents full-size copies of Greek and Roman sculpture whose painted decoration, faded over the millennia, has been painstakingly reconstructed. The color reconstructions—based on close examination and scientific analysis of the scarce traces of paint remaining on the surfaces of the originals—include a number of well-known masterpieces, such as the Peplos Kore from the Athenian Akropolis, pedimental sculpture from the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, and the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus. The exhibition opens up a world of richly attired deities, proud warriors, and barbarians in dazzling costume and dispels a popular misconception of Western art: the white marble statue of Classical antiquity. A brochure accompanies this exhibition. Close Modal. Your Collections Select a collection. Collection Name. Username or Email. September 22, —January 20, Arthur M. Sackler Museum.

In other projects. Examples of colorful sculpture in this survey include Cycladic figures of the third millennium BC, reconstructed examples of Archaic-period Greek marble and bronze sculptures, and marble portraiture by Roman artists. This exhibition presents full-size copies of Greek and Roman sculpture whose painted decoration, faded over the millennia, has been gods in color reconstructed.

Its subject is ancient polychromy , i. The exhibition is based on the conclusions drawn from research on ancient polychromy, conducted especially by the Classical archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann since the early s, based on earlier works by Volkmar von Graeve. It displayed copies of ancient sculpture in their reconstructed and painted appearance that had been produced during his studies, as well as new reconstructions created especially for the exhibition, in conjunction with the originals or comparable ancient sculptures. Soon, the exhibition began to travel to other cities in Germany and beyond. Since , the exhibition and underlying research has received support from a foundation created by the government of Bavaria , as well as private donations. After the original German catalogue produced for the Munich exhibition, new editions were issued for later showings, most recently for the one in Frankfurt. An English catalogue was published for the — showing in the Arthur M.

In ancient times , when approaching the Temple of Aphaia on the Greek island of Aegina, one would have seen a sculpture of a young archer, painted in bright colors to look as lifelike as possible. Contemporary writings on art, including a book by Roman author Pliny the Elder, mention the fact that sculptures in ancient Greece were painted and not left with the white marble exposed. Yet many people today are surprised to learn that classical statues were bursting with color. So how and why did this myth of colorless marble statues begin? Renaissance artists thought statues from antiquity were bare marble and fashioned their works accordingly, thus helping to create the myth. The colors on most ancient statues had faded by the time they were initially excavated , so it was assumed they had always been colorless. But even as new knowledge emerged, the truth was intentionally withheld from the public to fit with the ideals of society, Brinkmann explained.

Gods in color

Mark Abbe was ambushed by color in , while working on an archeological dig in the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias, in present-day Turkey. The gods, heroes, and nymphs displayed in museums look that way, as do neoclassical monuments and statuary, from the Jefferson Memorial to the Caesar perched outside his palace in Las Vegas. Aphrodisias was home to a thriving cadre of high-end artists until the seventh century A. In , archeologists began systematically excavating the city, storing thousands of sculptural fragments in depots. When Abbe arrived there, several decades later, he started poking around the depots and was astonished to find that many statues had flecks of color: red pigment on lips, black pigment on coils of hair, mirrorlike gilding on limbs. For centuries, archeologists and museum curators had been scrubbing away these traces of color before presenting statues and architectural reliefs to the public. Oh, my God!

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In the exhibition "Gods in Color - Golden Edition," which features over painted sculptures in Frankfurt's Liebieghaus museum, visitors can witness the polychromatic transformation of ancient statues and experience their original, eye-opening bright hues. Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 A. Experimental color reconstruction of the Kouros of Tenea , Frankfurt Liebieghaus. Latest videos Latest audio. A reconstructed marble portrait of Caligula from the Roman Imperial Period provides an opportunity to see how artists of this culture used a wide range of pigments and surface applications to create lifelike images. Experimental color reconstruction of the so-called Winckelmann -Artemis from Pompeii next to the original marble statue, Frankfurt Liebieghaus. West and East pediment of Aphaea Temple on Aegina. In focus. Legion of Honor Open today am — pm Plan your visit. These ancient examples, both original and reconstructed, are complemented by watercolors of Greek landscapes and monuments by the English antiquarian Edward Dodwell and the Italian artist Simone Pomardi. Wikimedia Commons.

Reconstruction A1 of the so-called Chios kore from the Akropolis in Athens, Copy of the original: Athens, ca. Crystalline acrylic glass, with applied pigments in tempera.

Read more : Germany returns antiquities to Mexico. Latest audio Latest videos. At the same time, the simplicity of colorlessness fit with the popular ideology of the period. The current show will also travel to Naples, New York and Sydney, among other locations. These ancient examples, both original and reconstructed, are complemented by watercolors of Greek landscapes and monuments by the English antiquarian Edward Dodwell and the Italian artist Simone Pomardi. Experimental color reconstruction of the bronze statue called Boxer at Rest from the Quirinal hill in Rome, detail head, Liebieghaus Frankfurt. Puppy love: Canine loyalty, friendship and status explored in new exhibition From cuddly pugs to hunting dogs and three-headed canines guarding the gates of hell, to the storied pets of David Bowie, Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine the Great, "Loyal Friends" celebrates our puppy obsession. To find out more about the exhibition, explore this digital offering from our friends at the the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt. Three weeks earlier, anti-immigrant protesters gathered in the park. In the 19th century, large excavations on the Acropolis in Greece caused further upset. Experimental color reconstruction of a marble torso from the Athenian Acropolis, Liebieghaus Frankfurt. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gods in Color.