Visual Analysis: Muse (Terpsichore)
When I heard that our assignment had us needing to go the Michael C. Carlos museum at Emory, I got very excited. I had been there before and found the experience quite enjoyable. When I arrived, I entered the main hall and Muse (Terpsichore) immediately caught my eye. It is a sculpture from the Hellenistic period of Greek art, that depicts an unknown woman with soft, elegant features. The condition of the sculpture appeared to be in excellent condition, with only the arms and a small part of the left foot missing. Absent limbs are a commonality amongst sculptures. Her arms would have been in an outward position, making them venerable to wear and tear. Thus, these are not conditional flaws that I take into…show more content… This information is important to have in order to view the material and make a guess as to what it is made of. From first sight, I notice that the stone is marble (common at this time) However, when looking at the other sculptures around me, I could tell that Muse (Terpsichore) was unique, in that it had a warm peach hue to it. It exuded excess and expense. The material I was looking at must have come at no small price and could have possible been rare to find, giving me more evidence that a lot of effort went into making this…show more content… This is a subtractive sculpture carved with excellent care. The head and body were sculpted separately, in order to achieve the best possible outcome. The tactile quality is very soft and smooth. I think that this was very important in creating the mood for this piece. If it had been harsh and rough, then I think there would have been a completely different meaning, so much so that historians would have to come to different conclusions on who the sculpture is meant to depict. As I walked around the piece, I noticed that there was this fluted pattern which appeared to be an undergarment of sorts. Even though a small aspect of this sculpture, it was my favorite part. I remember learning in class that these sculptures were meant to be engaging from all different angles and I can tell that there was a lot of attention for detail put into this sculpture, in order to achieve that
