art history meme | 4/7 sculptures/other media: Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike of Samothrace) (200-190B.C.)
The Nike of Samothrace, discovered in 1863, is estimated to have been created around 200-190 BC. It is 8ft (2.44m) high. It was created to not only honor the goddess, Nike, but to honor a sea battle. It conveys a sense of action and triumph as well as portraying artful flowing drapery through its features which the Greeks considered ideal beauty. It stood on a rostral pedestal of gray marble from Lartos representing the prow of a ship (most likely a trihemiolia), and represents the goddess as she descends from the skies to the triumphant fleet. Before she lost her arms, which have never been recovered, Nike’s right arm is believed to have been raised, cupped round her mouth to deliver the shout of Victory. The work is notable for its convincing rendering of a pose where violent motion and sudden stillness meet, for its graceful balance and for the rendering of the figure’s draped garments, compellingly depicted as if rippling in a strong sea breeze. The Nike of Samothrace is seen as an iconic depiction of triumphant spirit and of the divine momentarily coming face to face with man. It is possible, however, that the power of the work is enhanced by the very fact that the head is missing.
Johann Ryno De Wet, Underland (2009)
“My methodology for creating images starts with writing down the events of the dream as soon as I’ve woken up. Sometimes I’ll make sketches to help me remember particular visual details of the dream. I use this information to look for subject matter in my environment that has elements matching those of the environment of the dream. I then use digital manipulation to combine different visual elements to create the environments and the atmosphere I experienced in the dream. This is an important part, as it is where I transform my vision into a tangible medium. The meaning of a dream is the most important part, as it forms the backbone of the project. I therefore focus on using dreams that have a lasting effect on me, or is meaningful to me in some way. To me life is an existential journey and dreams can play an important part in learning how to deal with the complexities of living and can help to see things from a different perspective. The materializing of my dreams into images is a process which helps me understand myself and life better.” - Artist’s Statement
Desktop background time! This hyper-detailed cityscape is the work of Imperial Boy, a massively talented illustrator. It comes in four flavours - dawn, day, dusk and night - so if you’re really fancy you can sync it up with the time of day.
