Greek Sculpture and the Problem of Description

This book examines how interpretation and examination of Greek sculpture are intertwined.

A. A. Donohue (Author)

9780521840842, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 June 2005

278 pages, 43 b/w illus.
25.5 x 18.1 x 2.2 cm, 0.793 kg

'… published and illustrated to Cambridge University Press's usual high standard … Dr Donohue does a service in refreshing our approach to ancient sculpture …' Art Newspaper

This book explores the role of description in the interpretation of ancient Greek statuary. Although scholars have emphasised the importance of separating objective evaluation of evidence from interpretation, in practice it has proved difficult to draw this distinction. Even at the level of observation and vocabulary, the scholarship on Greek sculpture has been moulded by concepts and convictions that impose particular interpretations on the material. This study examines the scholarship on a select number of well-known Greek statues from the eighteenth century through the present. The impact of the historical, cultural and intellectual contexts that produced this specialised scholarship is demonstrated through considerations of issues such as ethnicity, psychology, theories about artistic form, and evolving conceptions of nude and clothed figures.

1. The problem of archeological description
2. Nikandre's dedication and the description of early Greek statuary
3. The analysis of the clothed female form.

Subject Areas: Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Sculpture [AFKB], History of art: ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE [ACG]