Heracles--A Greek God

Heracles--A Greek God

1st Century  BCE

           The Greeks  brought  their  gods with them. The army of Alexander  must have worshiped  Heracles as He is the god of physical strength.
           This is a typical Greek sculpture  with its attention  to anatomical  details of the body. Since the Greeks believed  that  God made Man in his own image, and that Man was the center of the universe, the nude body  reflected the Divine spirit. Hence, the importance  of the Nude figures in Western  Art.
           Here Heracles  stands without his lion skin, and holds a club in his hand. Known for his brutish behaviour, He symbolises  the brute force inside all of us--a force we need to civilise.

Portrait of a Child

Portrait  of  a  Child

Gandhar  School, 1st  Century  BCE

            This is a portrait of a small child looking  at the world below. It is most likely  a funerary  figure,  a sculpture  which marks the grave of a small child. This beautiful  looking child must have died  early in life. He is a picture  of innocence.  Having  gathered a bed sheet about him, he looks out at the world from above, from heaven. Or is it a portrait  of an infantile Greek civilization  taking ginger steps in a new part  of  the  world, India?