Art of the Classical World in the Metropolitan Museum of Art

2007

Central N5871.5 MK71

New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Working in stone, marble and bronze, the ancient Greeks became masters in the art of sculpture. Athletic male bodies were represented in what was thought to be its ideal form – nude and muscular – while women were usually clothed in elaborate drapery. Greek sculptors were so skilled that they could make clothing carved in marble appear diaphanous, revealing the shape of the body beneath. Many artists in later centuries, especially those of the Renaissance, were profoundly influenced by the works of ancient Greek sculptors.