"Hermes with baby Dionysus". Myth and description of sculpture

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Hellas is the cradle of Western and Eastern European culture, science, philosophy, plastic arts. An example of the latter is the statue of Hermes with the infant Dionysus.

The myth of the birth of Hermes

The god Zeus had a stormy personal life. Hera's wife was madly jealous of him. When she found out about her husband's next love adventure, she decided to take revenge on his beloved Semele, who was expecting a child from Zeus. She persuaded Semele to ask Zeus to fulfill her request, swearing an unbreakable oath, and appearing to her in all his glory. With horror, he complied with the request of his beloved. From his lightning and brilliance, the palace burned, and Semele began premature birth. Hera was angry when she learned that, at the request of Zeus, Hermes with the baby Dionysus went to Semele's sister, whose name was Ino, so that the child would grow up.

Perhaps this moment of the myth was depicted by a Greek sculptor. Further, Hera deprived the mind of Ino's husband. He decided to kill his family and managed to kill one of the children. Ino, fleeing from the madman, threw herself with another son into the waters of the sea. They became sea gods. Meanwhile, the savior of the young god reappeared. Hermes with the baby Dionysus was instantly transported to the Nisei valley to the nymphs. Or maybe Praxiteles sculpted this episode of the myth. Dionysus grew up and became the god of winemaking, violent orgies and the ruler of goat-footed satyrs and nymphs. An ivy wreath and a thyrsus wand became his attributes.

Praxitel

From the sculptor of the fourth century BC. e. Praxiteles, few works have come down to our time. One that is supposedly attributed to him is Hermes with the infant Dionysus. We know that it was Praxiteles who sculpted it from the work of the ancient Greek writer Pausanias. Some art historians doubt that Praxiteles was the author of the sculpture. "Hermes with the baby Dionysus" is made in a technique that is not typical for the classics. The sculptor lived so long ago that it is difficult to recreate an exact biography. It is known that he lived in Athens. He was brought up by his sculptor father Kefisodot. My father's workshop was visited by philosophers, artists, poets.

Praxitel grew up in an atmosphere of high creative debate about art. It is also known that he loved the beautiful Phryne. In his youth, Praxiteles repeatedly creates captivating female images. The best, according to enthusiastic descriptions, is Aphrodite of Cnidus. Pilgrims streamed into the city of Knidos to admire the perfect work. The original has not been preserved. There are only a few copies that can be used to judge how gentle, feminine and charming this image was created by inspired love.

In the years of maturity, in 334, Praxiteles completed the sculptural work "Hermes with the baby Dionysus." We'll talk about herbelow. After himself, the sculptor left a school of masters, his admirers, who, unfortunately, failed to reach such heights in the art of creating lifelike and beautiful images.

Excavations of German archaeologists

In 1874, the Greek state signed an agreement with Germany on archaeological research. During their course on May 8, 1887, a sculpture covered with a thick layer of clay was discovered. She was called "Hermes with the baby Dionysus." She was found in the ruins of the temple of Hera in the town of Olympia, which was previously a simple settlement in the Peloponnese, where the Olympic Games originated and were held.

The discovery of Ernst Curtius

The honor of this discovery belongs to E. Curtius. The two-meter sculpture of a young man standing leaning against a tree covered with a cloak has a well-preserved head, torso, legs and partially arms. Hermes, like today, was missing his right forearm and left hand. Dionysus is missing his left arm and right leg.

The face and torso of Hermes are strikingly polished, while traces of a chisel and a rasp have been preserved on the back, indicating that the work was incomplete. The very same sculptural group is made of the best Parian marble. It stands on a base of gray limestone surrounded by two blocks of marble. The sculpture was hardly very famous, since not a single copy of it was found.

"Hermes with the baby Dionysus": description

It seems that the round composition of Praxiteles was intended for flat perception. He did not expect the viewer to bypass it. The sculptor wanted to show a gentle and harmonious relationship. This static image is in a relaxed state. For this purpose, the support on which Hermes rests is intended. Its soft fabric sets off the radiant Dionysus. He is light and graceful. Everyone assumes that Hermes held a bunch of grapes in his hand, to which the baby reaches. They are connected not only by physical, but also by spiritual ties: a sweet game when Hermes contemplates the movement of a child. God's gaze is full of tender care.

His face is beautiful and noble. A cap of hair with curls in which the light is crushed leaves open his perfect face. And the whole look, elongated, is full of elegance. The ratio of the parts of the figures is harmonious. If we consider the whole composition, then 1/3 (A) is the upper part in which Hermes holds Dionysus, and the lower part goes from the waist to the end of the legs (B). The figure of the god can be divided into unequal parts: 1/3 (C) - head, 2/3 (D) - his torso to the waist with a baby in his arms. The lower part of the composition also respects these proportions: 2/3 (E) is occupied by the torso and thighs, and the last third (F) is the lower leg and feet. Such a division can be equated as follows: A of the upper general composition is equal to C + D in the figure of a god, B=E + F. Without a drawing, it is a little difficult, but if you think about it, it speaks of nobility and harmony of proportions. The whole composition "Hermes with the baby Dionysus" gives divine energy and love to the world.