Comparison of Ancient Indian and Greek Sculptures (Essay Sample)

Comparison of Ancient Indian and Greek Sculptures
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Abstract
Various artists in ancient civilizations made many sculptures. Among these were the ancient Greeks and Indians. They made sculptures from stone, bronze; but other less common materials included wood and clay. Artists depicted various gods and humans in different ways in their sculptural designs. Religion and heroism were some of the dominant themes. There existed notable similarities and differences between sculptures made in India and Greece. Typically, in both civilizations, most of these works took human form, and were, in most cases, nude or semi-nude. Greek sculptures mainly idealized humans, while those in India were more symbolic of religious values inherent in that society. The sculptures evolved over different historical periods. They were in varied postures. In Greece, most were standing and seated; however, other forms also existed. For instance, athletes mostly had athletic postures, as in the case of Discobolus, the discus thrower. There was more variation in Indian postures. It was common to find Indian sculptures signify meditation. Different sizes existed. In Greece, vast majorities had normal human sizes and were more proportionate to the body parts of actual humans. They were representations that were more realistic. In India, some sculptures differed widely in sizes. They were more symbolic, especially of religion. For instance, some gods had four arms. Most of these sculptures were used in temples, public places, and sanctuaries. The modern period has witnessed a broadening of themes with a more global audience. Artists today produce sculptures that are smaller, and regrettably, with less aesthetic value than ancient ones, probably because they elevate commercialization.
Comparison of Ancient Indian and Greek sculptures
Sculptures played a very crucial role in ancient Indian and Greek cultures. People in both civilizations highly valued their aesthetic and symbolic attributes. They were some of the primary artistic impressions of old life. Many artists made statutes of different levels of sophistication. Religions, love, war, athletics, were some of the dominant themes portrayed.Although India and Greece were far apart, both displayed manifestations of great sculptures that had notable similarities and differences. In both countries, they depicted religious figures such as gods and goddesses in varied ways. In Greece, some of the gods and goddesses depicted were Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, and Hermes among others. Those in India included Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Other religions practiced in ancient India were Buddhism and to a lesser extent, Jainism. Artists also depicted many humans using sculpture, especially warriors, respected philosophers, and those that displayed athletic prowess.
In both countries, most artists designed the sculpture in human form. In Greece, they embraced more realism. The proportion of body parts was much similar to the body parts of actual people. The ratio of the head to other body parts was approximately 1:7, especially during the classical period. Although sizes of statues varied in Greece, most were life-sized. (Cartright, 2013). However, during the Archaic period, they were much smaller. They were three-dimensional. India also had many of its sculpture in human form, but the similarity of their sizes and shapes to that of actual humans showed more variation. According to Indian Sculpture (2016), it is because they were more symbolic of deeper values than the Greek sculpture. For instance, the god Vishnu had blue skin and four arms. Both countries used three-dimensional sculpture to depict humans and gods. However, a small number of Indian sculptures also included linear dimensions. (Indian Sculpture, 2016).
The art of making sculptures evolved over different historical periods in both countries. Greece sculptures improved over a long time span, mainly Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. (Green, 2016). Similarly, those of India also had marked differences during the Indus Valley civilization, Mauryan, and Gupta periods.(Indian Sculpture, 2016) As time elapsed, many of these artistic impressions improved over time, perhaps due to the significance attached to them; and the genius of many upcoming artists who were discovering better ways of making sound sculpture. There were many similarities in materials used in both civilizations. Artists mainly used stone, bronze, wood, and clay. However, the more permanent ones were made of bronze and stone.
The depictions in both civilizations were nude impressions of different humans, gods, and goddesses. In Greece, male statues were known as the Kouroi. According to Cartwright (2013), they were typically youthful and displayed as entirely nude. The sculpture also depicted nude females, although most of the times they were shown wearing drapes from the waist down. The same applied to India. This nudity did not mean that people in the two countries walked half-naked but rather symbolized higher ideals, both in the physical and spiritual realms. Nudity in males symbolized physical prowess while that for female represented fertility and love. If the sculpture was a goddess, then it was symbolic of even higher spiritual values. While less common in Greece, India had a lot of erotic sculpture, perhaps elevating sex as the basis for a continuation of humanity.
There existed a variety of postures exhibited by these artworks. The standing position was the most common in Greece. Some sat, while others were in an athletic pose, as in the case of Discobolus, the discus thrower in ancient Greece. Indian sculptures showed a wider range of poses. Some were standing, others seated, bending, and standing on one knee. Others were in meditative postures. Surya, which was the Indian sun god, wore a conical cap, and had high boots, for instance. Since the ancient Greeks abhorred expression of emotions especially among the males, most of their sculpture had little expression of feelings, except for a small number that had smiling faces. In contrast, Indian sculpture showed a wide variety of feelings, with many statues displayed as smiling while others as solemn. Some were incredibly serene, sign...