Comparing Sleeping Eros and a Stele of a Little Girl

Joyce Salame Art History Paper Whether in the fifth century B.C.E or the first century C.E, Greek art has maintained continuity among its theories since its inception. Throughout history, the Greeks have been perfecting their human sculptures. The Metropolitan Kouros (600 B.C.E) and the Spear Bearer (450 B.C.E) are made centuries apart but have the same Greek interest of the human anatomy. However, because of the time difference, it is clear that the Spear Bearer is more advanced. The same idea goes to the marble grave Stele of a Little Girl (440 B.C.E) and the bronze statue of Eros Sleeping (1st century C.E). They share many similarities such as the Greek touch; conversely, they have their differences. The two sculptures, Stele of†¦show more content†¦One can almost imagine the drool coming out of his mouth. Most importantly, it gives the illusion of a sleeping baby lying nude after days play. This illusion comes from his worn out sleeping position, chubby arms, and his curls spilling over his head. Th is statue is different than the typical Greek style because of the baby’s proportions. Greek art celebrates the perfection of human anatomy. Most Greek sculptures, especially ones of gods, show perfection in the muscles and cuts in the body. On the other hand, this sculpture shows the opposite. There aren’t any muscles shown in the baby Eros; in fact, the creator emphasized on presenting Eros’s big belly. With one arm hanging over his body, the sculpture’s belly has a stomach roll. In addition to that, his belly button looks like it is hidden and misshaped in all the chubbiness. As much as the Greeks loved to portray the natural human body, presenting a person with the perfect muscular body is the opposite of natural. The shape of Eros’s body in this sculpture shows a great achievement for the Greeks to depict a more realistic body. The Stele of a Little Girl and Sleeping Eros are very similar. First off, the obvious, they are both sculptures of ch ildren. Both of these sculptures didn’t have to be of children, yet, their creator chose to do so. This fact causes the viewer to feel more emotional towards them. There is something about a child upset or peacefully resting that