George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌

George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌

10 months ago • •

George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌
10 months ago • •

This Friday's art appreciation moment focuses on The Myth of Classical Whiteness, as seen at the #MFA Boston. There are three toots for this topic. First, the familiar and classical statue of Athena. #art #statue #antiquity #Athena #FridayArtAppreciation 1/

A white marble statue of Athena. Looking closely, we can see that she is constructed from different parts and is missing most of both arms. She stands about 7 feet tall against a grey background.

#art #statue #antiquity #MFA #athena #fridayartappreciation

in reply to George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌

George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌

in reply to George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌 • 10 months ago • •

Part two of The Myth of Classical Whiteness, as seen at the #MFA Boston. Here we have a 3d rendering of the white marble statue, but shown wearing colorful clothing matching the minute pigments discovered by scientists at the museum. #art #statue #Athena #FridayArtAppreciation 2/

A 3d rendering of the Athena statue, but now wearing clothing of the time. The dress is red with gold decorations and some blue embellishments. Look closely, and you may see that she had a unibrow.

#art #statue #MFA #athena #fridayartappreciation

in reply to George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌

George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌

in reply to George 🍦🚲 🥾 ✌️🌎 🌌 • 10 months ago • •

Part 3, and the final part of The Myth of Classical Whiteness. Here, we have a photo of the signage explaining this Myth. #art #Myth #science #MFA #FridayArtAppreciation

The Myth of Classical Whiteness

Greek and Roman sculptures have long been associated with whiteness, even though their original appearance was quite colorful, even garish by today's standards. Some were pieced together from differently colored marbles, and most were brightly painted or Greek and Roman sculptures have long been associated with whiteness, even though their original appearance was quite colorful, even garish by today's standards. Some were pieced together from differently colored marbles, and most were brightly painted or decorated with gilding and precious stones. But after centuries of burial, overzealous cleaning,and poor storage colors were dissolved or stripped away, leaving a false
impression for later viewers

European and American art historians, collectors, and artists of the 18th and 19th-centuries valued Greek and Roman sculpture as the model of ideal beauty. Implicit in this judgment was the superiority of whiteness found in both the color of the marble and the supposed ethnicity of the figures represented. Sadly, some white nationalist groups have exploited the current appearance of these ancient statues to support their claims that the Greeks and Romans were themselves white, a racial concept that did not exist in antiquity. Although their societies were hierarchical, the distinctions were not based on skin color.

Scientists and academics around the world are now working to correct the historical record and reimagine ancient statues in color ...

#science #art #myth #MFA #fridayartappreciation

⇧