Social Status in Hairstyles - Essay Example

Ancient Greek Sculptures: Social Status in Hairstyles The hair is considered the crowning glory of every human being. For many artists and famous personalities, a unique hairstyle serves to establish a unique identity. In fact, the world has seen the fame of several artists sporting hairstyles that are uniquely their own. For instance, Marilyn Monroe was famous for her blonde hair, Tina Turner for colored spikes, Elvis Presley for the pompadour hair and Superman for the spit-curl bangs. Hairstyles were also significant in the ancient times. According to Pearson (47) and Cleland, Davies and Jones, Greek and Roman women in the ancient times “displayed social status with their hair” (20). This idea enables a viewer like me to identify social statuses of Greek models. I believe that the long, symmetric and curly hairstyles imply ancient Greek tradition and culture. Four sculptures from Ancient Greece captured my interest. These sculptures are important works of art, and they are displayed in famous museums. The first is the Statue of a Youth from Paul Getty Museum. This statue is also featured in Janson’s History of Art textbook. The second one is called Head of Hades from the Online Metropolitan Museum of Art. The third is called Statue of a Kouros, which is displayed at J. Paul Getty Villa Museum located in Malibu, California, and the fourth is the Kore, located in Akropolis Museum in Athens and is also featured in Janson’s History of Art. While I was gazing at these works of art, one aspect caught my attention: the similarity in hairstyles of ancient Greek sculptures. I noted that all sculptures have symmetrical braids or curls that cover the forehead. The first sculpture is called Statue of a Youth. It is located at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California under “Sicily: Art and Invention between Greece and Rome Exhibit.” The sculpture dates back to 470-460 BC from ancient Greece. It is made of marble and measures 181 cm. tall. The sculpture presents a young man, a charioteer from Mozia in Sicily. On one hand, his small face and well-built body form emphasizes his youth and strength. On the other, his hairstyle, which according to the caption, “ends in ringlets,” may seem feminine to modern viewers. Many would think that his hair is fashionable, some would wonder who styled it; others might take interest in the cultural background of the hairstyle. These reflections could lead to the inkling as to why the charioteer has ringed braids. Was this the fad in Ancient Greece or did social status have anything to do with the hairstyle? The caption states, “The Mozia youth's capped hair ends in ringlets, an untypical feature, and symmetrical.” This caption acknowledges the fact that the artist employed symmetry in his art, despite the half-twisted gaze of the young man. It also declares that the hairstyle is untypical or uncommon; hence it is important to consider tracing back the history of braiding among CVbnm,.charioteers and the whole society of ancient Greece to know the relevance of the hairstyle in display. Nevertheless, I will reserve my findings in the latter part of this paper. Statue of a Youth (the Mozia Charioteer, detail), 460 B.C., Sikeliote (Sicilian Greek). Marble, h: 181 cm. J. Paul Getty Museum The statue is placed in the middle of the room, making it the center of attraction. From this location, viewers can note the importance of this piece of art in Greek art and culture. The sculpture is not within a glass case. Made of marble, I suppose it can stand heat and cold, and will not tarnish easily. Nevertheless, some features are missing, such as the arms (and hands), nose, and one shoulder, which could help give more information to the viewer. I am not sure if these are intended or the sculpture was actually damaged at some point in its existence. According to the book, the sculpture was damaged when Carthaginian forces seized the artworks from Sicily. The figure, which displays the features or a charioteer from Mozia has a braided hair that spans from the forehead and ends in ringlets at the back. The symmetry of the braids and the lines on his clothes, along with the anatomy of the body, especially at the knee portion, show the craftsmanship of the ancient Greeks. The second figure is the Head of Hades from 400-300 BC. According to records, this portrait sculpture is made of terracotta and pigment. Found in J. Paul Getty Museum, the sculpture also captured my eye because of the curly hairstyle. Although, it is not as symmetrical as the first, the same ringlet-like curls are prevalent and the sizes of each curl are almost the same. The sculpture has complete facial features, except that the eyes are closed so the eyeballs are not visible. The model has profound facial features. The eyebrows, nose and lips are well formed, attaining balance and symmetry. One can sense that the artist took great care in placing or attaching each macaroni-shaped curl of the hair and beard on the head. Despite the poor color, symmetry and balance are two main features of this masterpiece. Head of Hades, Greek, Morgantina, Italy, c. 400-300 B.C., terracotta and pigment Paul Getty Museum Similar to the first sculpture, the subject in the Head of Hades has short hair. However, unlike the first, his hair is not tamed and braided; instead it is unmanaged. This may be due to the anti-hero role he plays in mythology. Suffice to say, the first sculpture also has short hair but it is braided. This could mean that short hair signifies a low status in society while long hair corresponds to wealth and prominence. To settle this issue, it is wise to look at other sculptures with long braids to find out if such observation is true for wealthy people. The third sculpture I found is called Statue of a Kouros (youth) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Website. It is another Greek sculpture of a young man. The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes it as, “A noble figure of a youth, it is one of the earliest freestanding marble statues from Attica, and is believed to have served as grave markers or as dedications in the sanctuary of a god.” Similar to the first sculpture, the subject of the work is a young man with symmetrical body and hairstyle. However, his hair is very long, unlike the charioteer. His body is also considerably less muscular but well-formed. The first sculpture is sturdier, considering his work but as an offering to gods, the Statue of a Kouros must be made with perfection, thus I may say that the ancient Greeks favored the latter over the first sculpture. This implies that the long braided hair is likewise more elegant than the short one, hence confirming the earlier statements regarding the first and second sculptures that lower class people did not maintain long hair. Statue of a Kouros (youth), ca. 590–580 B.C.; Archaic Greek, Attic Naxian marble The Metropolitan Museum of Art website Apart from the symmetrical braids, almost all of the lines on the sculpture are symmetrical. The contour of the face, the brows, ribs, and most of all, the muscles in the legs. Perfect anatomical structure can be observed in the lower extremities but modern viewers might not favor the broad shoulder with small biceps. Nevertheless, as mentioned, considering that this was an offering to the gods, the Greeks must have favored this over the muscular works of later artists such as Michelangelo and Donatello. There is likewise balance in the form. Each pair of eyes, ears, shoulders, hands and legs are equal and almost identical. Based on this, I can say that the ancient Greek artists were very meticulous and perfectionist. Each part is carefully molded and refined. Nevertheless, the breasts of the model are quite imperfect because they are not aligned. Alignment is not really a problem because we know for a fact that the body parts are not perfectly aligned. However, with the left foot stepping forward, the left breast should be lower than the right, which is in contrast to what I saw in the sculpture. Likewise, the back should strive a bit in order to make the striding pose but it seems that the sculpture is too stiff, making the stance difficult if a real model was to be copied. Simplicity and modesty are implied in the form of the sculpture. The model smiles modestly and has his fists clenched. With this pose, there is no need to elaborate on the fingers, which is apart from the first sculpture whose one hand is on the waist. I do not know if there is any significance to the hand gesture but it makes the work uncomplicated. The last sculpture I chose was from the Janson’s History of Art textbook. This piece is called Kore, from Chios. The sculpture is different from the first three, because it depicts a female rather than a male figure. Her hair appears to be long and flowing gently over her breasts, almost down to her waistline. The hairline looks very detailed and each wavy curl seems to have been carved very carefully. The middle of her head has a similar hairstyle as The Statue of Youth, which is a neat symmetrical ringlet curl. However, unlike the first sculpture, Kore has a long hair just like the Statue of a Kouros. Following the claims of archeological researchers such as Pearson (47) and Cleland, Davies and Jones (20), I could say that the woman in the sculpture also comes from a wealthy family. The Kore sculpture supports the idea that ancient Greeks favored long braided hair as they are signs of wealth and high social status. Nevertheless, research related to the Kore declare that kore or maiden sculptures abound in Ancient Greece. However, others originate from 5th Century AD, some from different milieu. Many kores were unearthed only lately but many of them have been restored to sost of them The Kore wears an elegant dress. Unlike other Kore dresses found in the textbook, the Kore dress I saw was more elaborate than the others who had only plain dresses. Similar to the first and third sculptures, this shows the symmetrical braided hair. However, unlike the first, the hair of the woman is long and more fashionable. Overall, Kore is closely similar to the third sculpture including the hair, pose, and simple smile on the face. According to Janson (85), such Kore serves as an offering to the gods and goddesses at the time of antiquity. Considering this, the sculpture may be said to be the best of its kind. Having said this, the long braided hair may be considered the fad among well-to-do people in the ancient Greek period. Kore, from Chios ca. 520 BCE. Marble, height 21 7/8” (55.3 cm). Akropolis Museum, Athens Jasons History of Art Textbook The sculptures of ancient Greek have similarities and differences. First, all of them have curly hair and except for the Head of Hades, all have braided locks starting neatly from the top of the head. This similarity reflects what researchers say about Greeks at the time of antiquity. In particular, Greeks favored the long, braided hair especially for well-to-to families. As mentioned, the charioteer and Hades both possess short hairstyles to connote their low status while the other two, who are considered favorable in the eyes of gods and goddesses both have long braided hair. Moreover, according to Cleland, Davies and Jones (20), prostitutes in the archaic Greece wore long hair but let them flow freely. This idea emphasizes the significance of the braided hair in the sculptures that I analyzed. In turn, the artist who made the Head of Hades purposively let his hair hang loose to inject the negative image of the subject. Besides the hairstyle, the body physique of the sculpture models also varies according to their social class. The Head of Hades is exempt of this analysis but I could emphasize that the charioteer has broader shoulders and bulkier or more muscular figure than the Statue of a Kouros. This is so because they have different social statuses. Considering the information that the Statue of a Kouros was made as an offering to gods, I can say that the earlier Greeks prefer the figure of the latter. Furthermore, the stance of the sculptures varies depending on their identity. Considering the position of the broken left hand on the waist of the charioteer and imagining its complete figure, I can say that his pose is unrestricted and spontaneous. In contrast, the two other statues are tamed and modest. The Statue of a Kouros and Kore both have one foot forward. This position adds to the modest look of the models. The sculptures of ancient Greece teach us a lot about early Greek culture and tradition. From the analysis and research, I learned that the long braided hair, restricted stance and modest smile are features I can look for in conservative works of archaic Greek artists. However, despite the style and purpose of the artist, symmetry and balance are always present in their works. Therefore, craftsmanship for the ancient Greek artists involves form, content, symmetry and balance. Works Cited Cleland, Davies and Jones. “Greek and Roman Dress from A to Z.” NY: Routledge, 2007. Janson, Horst Woldemar, Davies, Penelope, Hofrichter, Firma Fox and Jacobs, Joseph. “Janson’s Short History of Art.” NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. Pearson, Anne. “Ancient Greece.” DK Publishing, 2004. Read More