The Evolution of Sculpture #5

To me one of the most well known statue is the Winged victory of Samothrace. An unknown Greeks artist created this statue around 190 B.C. It is made of marble, which means it once used to be white, but has worn over time. The sculpture was made by assembling separate pieces, but when it was discovered many pieces like the arms head and feet were lost. This sculpture is of Nike, the Greek Goddess of victory, who was a messenger whose duty was to spread news of victory and rewarding glory to those on the battlefields. Greek mythology played an important role in Greek art; most sculptures were made based off of stories of the gods, goddesses and the beauty of the body. The winged Victory was created during the Hellenistic period, which was a period of battles; meaning art was of people with very dramatic or emotional expressions and body position. This piece was originally on the prow of a sculpted war ship that overlooked the coast of Samothrace. The ways the goddesses’ clothes wrap around and cling to her body indicate wind as if the ship was moving forward and her power and stance against it. The way the artist made the cloth drape loose then tight shows movement, energy and beauty. I have attempted to sketch a smaller replication of this statue many times, but have never been able to render the power and intricate beauty of the goddess, which gives me great respect for whoever the artist was and the great skill they had.

            A Dutch sculpture artist that is definitely one of a kind is Theo Jansen. He has been creating kinetic wind sculptures that are made of PVC pipes and fabric since 1990. Theo Jansen has an interesting but different take on sculpture using innovative tools, which also has a function of walking by power of the wind. Some of his creatures have wings, tails and even heads, even though those are physical traits of typical animals he steered away from making them look like anything that already existed. They are completely unique. It’s amazing to think that simple tools such as plastic pipes and some fabric can create not only an amazing work of art, but a moving one. Comparing the Winged Victory statue to these kinetic wind sculptures is definitely an interesting example of how sculptures have taken on a way different form and how they have evolved with different artistic perspectives. Regardless of the tools used and the finished look, both the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Kinetic wind sculptures required a great amount of imagination, patience and skill.

Kinetik Wind Sculptures, by Theo Jansen, 1990-2013

Kinetik Wind Sculptures, by Theo Jansen, 1990-2013

Winged Victory of Samothrace,
 unknown Greek artist, 190 B.C.