Head Of Odysseus Analysis

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The Head of Odysseus has widely been argued as one of the finest sculptures of antiquity. With its emotional intensity and exaggerated style typical of the Hellenistic period, it is not surprising that art historians hold this piece with such high regard. Currently housed in the Museo Archeologico of Spain, the Head of Odysseus represents the peak of the Greeks’ representation of human form and emotion. This statue is dated back to the early first century CE. The head itself is about 2’1” tall and is made of marble. The artists of the Head of Odysseus are technically unknown, but are assumed to be Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydoros of Rhodes. This sculpture is stylistically very similar to the Laocoön sculpture, which was also done by …show more content…
During the Hellenistic period, after Greece became a Roman province in 146 BCE, Greek artwork was in great demand in Rome. An endless stream of copies of Classical and Hellenistic masterpieces were sent to Roman patrons. This sculpture group shows characteristics typical of Hellenistic style. It is perfect sculpture in-the-round, meaning it is shown in complete three dimensional form and must be viewed from several different angles to appreciate the whole scene. The poses are supple, and unique themes of both suffering and sleep are represented in this piece of artwork. There is an emotional intensity that is unparalleled in other works of art during this time period. There is also a large degree of anatomical hyperrealism, as is shown in the men’s bulging veins and musculoskeletal …show more content…
This became especially important as the Greek culture spread throughout the world. In this particular scene, Odysseus is about to stab Polyphemus in his one eye with a stake, effectively blinding the monster and allowing the men to escape from harm’s way. Odysseus holds the stake over the sleeping giant and prepares to thrust it into his eye, while two men stabilize it at the bottom. A third man steals away with a wineskin that had been used to get the giant drunk enough to fall
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