Museum Report

ShengYu Wen

Museum Report

I went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and explored the great Greek mythology. I am very interested in the Greek mythology since I was little but I never had a chance to read any source about it in text; fortunately, I had the opportunite to read one of the greatest literature The Iliad with the class and discussed with our classmates. However, I yearned to know more about it and the trip to the museum offered me that great opportunite. There are various sculptures on exhibition; but what caught my eyes first were the set of the gods from the Greek mythology. I see Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Hera, and even a young man who was one of the macedonian Greek kings. I stood in front of these marble heads and stared; I felt that I was so close them but they are far away from me. Actually some of these sculptures have been damaged but you are not difficult to find out that each of these sculptures has a different facial expression. These marble heads without any decorations but lighting; they are simple but astonishing.

This is the marble head of Zeus. Zeus is the king of gods and husband of Hera. As I looked close enough to the marble head, I noticed that the backs of these marble heads were completed with another material, paobably stucco; I am still wondering what would be the purpose of that. However, the different material bewteen the front and the back does not have effect on the nobleness of the sculpture at all.

After reading the Iliad I wanted to find out more information about a Greed god who named Hermes. From the reading, I learned that he is the messanger of the gods and also a one who afraid of the power of the great warrior Achilles. I want to know how he was described or if he was described in the ancient art because he was not as powerful as otheres and did not have the great impact on me. Finally, I found him, the messanger Hermes.

The marble relief which is located in the bottom row, right hand side. The relief represents Hermes escorting three nymphs and at the back; in front of the three nymphs, there is a bull and it represents the river god Acheloos. Such style of relief imitates works of the Archaic period (ca. 600-480B.C). According to the reading of Iliad, Hermes plays as the same role who escorts Priam the father of Hector all the way to Achilles' camp.

The Greeks put significant emphasis on deceased heros. From the same picture with marble relief sculptures, the one which is located in the bottom row, left hand side is a votive relief which dedicated to a deceased hero; the relief is about a cult that was concentrated at the grave of the hero. According to the relief, there were also animial sacifice and offering of food and libation in order to honor the hero.

The one in the middle of the bottom row was a horseman. It doesn't provide any further information about him. I thought he was another unnamed hero who was going to fight for his honor and his country; and his story would be written on the grave.

During the day, I also took some pictures about the mesopotamia age that I thought they were interesting and attractive.