04-23-2007, 09:13 AM
I dunno about classical statues, but certainly some high mediaeval ones have extremely sophisticated (and attractive to our modern eyes) shading and graduated colouring to give an extremely natural-looking figure.
Have a look at this (probably Walter de Helyon (circa 1357) and this
I think military model-makers would be very aware that just painting something the right colour doesn't make a character look natural, despite what our commonsense tells us. It needs "artificial" highlights and shadows to look the same as a human figure, even though the light conditions appear to be the same. This applies equally to full-sized figures, and sculptors and artists, in the Middle Ages at least, were aware of the problem and did something about it.
Perhaps the same thing occurred in classical times.
Then of course there's always the question of whether the above figures have the original paint job, or have been "messed with" in the intervening centuries.
And also that the aesthetic sensibilities of people in classical times may not have been the same as ours or those of mediaeval people. But hey, they were a pretty sophisticated bunch . . . do you go to all that trouble to produce probably the most magnificent portrayal of the human form ever made, then paint it like a kindergarten kiddy?
Have a look at this (probably Walter de Helyon (circa 1357) and this
I think military model-makers would be very aware that just painting something the right colour doesn't make a character look natural, despite what our commonsense tells us. It needs "artificial" highlights and shadows to look the same as a human figure, even though the light conditions appear to be the same. This applies equally to full-sized figures, and sculptors and artists, in the Middle Ages at least, were aware of the problem and did something about it.
Perhaps the same thing occurred in classical times.
Then of course there's always the question of whether the above figures have the original paint job, or have been "messed with" in the intervening centuries.
And also that the aesthetic sensibilities of people in classical times may not have been the same as ours or those of mediaeval people. But hey, they were a pretty sophisticated bunch . . . do you go to all that trouble to produce probably the most magnificent portrayal of the human form ever made, then paint it like a kindergarten kiddy?
"It is safer and more advantageous to overcome the enemy by planning and generalship than by sheer force"
The Strategikon of Emperor Maurice
Steven Lowe
Australia
The Strategikon of Emperor Maurice
Steven Lowe
Australia