Greece is the cradle of ancient Western civilization. In terms of art, its sculptures, murals, and architecture have had a tremendous influence on later generations. If you immigrate to Greece and live or travel there, you must visit the Olympia Museum to experience the splendor of ancient Greek civilization.
Hermes embracing Dionysus
Hermes with Dionysus: 340 BC, marble, 2.15 meters high, Praxiteles (disputed), discovered in 1877 by German archaeologists at the foot of the Temple of Hera.
Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele. Semele was a princess of Thebes, whom Zeus fell in love with and secretly met with. Hera, the queen of the gods, was extremely jealous and became Semele's nursemaid. She encouraged Semele to ask Zeus to reveal his true form, to prove his love for her. Zeus, unable to refuse the princess's request, revealed himself as the god of thunder. Semele was burned to death in the lightning, and Zeus rescued the premature infant Dionysus, sewing him into his thigh until he was full-term. Because Zeus walked with a limp while Dionysus was in his thigh, he was named Dionysus (meaning "the lame man"). Even after Dionysus came of age, Hera still wouldn't let him go, driving him mad and forcing him to wander the earth. During his wanderings, he taught farmers how to make wine, thus becoming the god of wine, one of the most beloved gods of ancient Greek farmers. He was commemorated annually with the Dionysian festival, which also gave rise to ancient Greek tragedy.
The statue depicts a scene from the story where Hermes, leading the young Dionysus, is resting during their escape from Hera's persecution. The naked Hermes holds the infant Dionysus in his left arm, nuzzling him with his head, while his right hand holds something (likely a symbol of Dionysus—grapes) to tease the child. Dionysus looks up, attempting to touch the grapes Hermes is playing with. While employing ancient mythology, the statue departs from the rigid postures of earlier gods, portraying them as mortals engaged in ordinary, mundane tasks, depicting a family playful moment. This depiction of gods as mortals is a characteristic that began in the late 4th century BC.
Hermes's physique retains the style of the 5th century BC—tall, thin, and somewhat clumsy. However, his twisting S-shaped body, long legs, and the unbalanced, protruding right arm are novel features. The head, with its symmetrical face, slender eyes, smiling, upturned lips, dreamlike expression, and unrestrained languor, presents many different facets of the gods' lives compared to a century earlier (contrast with the Olympian pediment sculptures), making the god seem almost tangible.
Statue of Victory
Statue of Nike (Victory of Samothrace): 420 BC, marble, 1.95 meters high, by Peonius
Dedicated to the temple to celebrate the Mycenaeans and Nopacs' victory over the Spartans. Originally stood on an 8-meter-high pedestal southeast of the Temple of Zeus. The pedestal bears two lines of inscription. The first line reads: "The Mycenaeans and Nopacs offered tithes to the temple of the enemy's spoils." The second line reads: "Respectfully made by Peonius the Mandal."
Nike, the goddess of victory, is the embodiment of triumph and the daughter of the Titans Pallas and Styx. Her Roman name is Victoria. Victory follows wherever she goes, hence her English name Nicole. She is also a follower of Zeus and Athena. During the Titanomachy, she sided with Olympia and helped them win. The most famous statue of Nike is the Winged Victory of Samothrace in the Louvre Museum. She was featured on the obverse of the medals for the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She often appears on building roofs, relief panels, or as a standalone offering. She has a pair of wings (though these are sometimes missing, though the Greeks sometimes deliberately omitted them to preserve the image of Nike), a beautiful figure, and appears to be descending from the heavens, her garments flowing gracefully. It's as if she is slowly descending from the sky, the wind from her flight causing her clothes to cling to her body while billowing backward, as if she is about to fold her wings and cease flight. The bare arms, breasts, and the rest of the body covered by clothing create a stark contrast.
Intercolumnar walls
The partitions: The twelve labors of Hercules. Hercules is the first hero of Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, and was therefore hated by Hera from birth. It is said that Hercules means "the one cursed by Hera".
The Minotaur: Before ascending the throne, King Minos of Crete had a power struggle with his brother. He claimed that his claim to the throne was divinely ordained, and therefore, whatever he desired, the gods would grant him. To prove this, Minos asked Poseidon, the sea god, for a pure white bull so he could offer it as a sacrifice to Poseidon. Poseidon indeed sent him such a bull from the sea—the Minotaur. Because the bull was so beautiful, Minos later broke his promise and hid it, sacrificing another bull to deceive Poseidon. Poseidon was furious, and this caused Minos's wife, Pasiphaë, to fall madly in love with the Minotaur. With the help of the famous architect Daedalus, Pasiphaë disguised herself as a cow and mated with the bull, giving birth to the monster Minotaur.
Poseidon then drove the bull mad, causing great harm throughout the Cretan countryside. Later, the great hero Heracles, passing through Crete, captured the fire-breathing bull and brought it back to Mycenae to present to King Eurystheus (Heracles was destined to serve Eurystheus and complete the twelve labors). After acknowledging the completion of this task, Eurystheus released the bull (one account states that Eurystheus released the Cretan bull because Hera refused to accept it as a sacrifice).
The partition wall depicts Hercules wrestling with the Cretan bull. The artist attempted to portray the bull's immense size without diminishing Hercules' dimensions, cleverly placing the bull's head beyond the background to show its size, yet turning its head back into the image, facing Hercules as if to tear him apart. The intersecting composition, with opposing directions yet converging on one point, creates a sense of balance. The bull's head is particularly noteworthy, sculpted in the round, the neck rendered with perspective shortening, and the tail in high relief. Such intricate and exquisite detail is achieved despite the stone's mere 38 centimeters thickness!
The story reveals philosophical and religious implications: the terrible consequences of breaking the curse (the birth of the Minotaur); while Heracles' achievements embody the triumph of human civilization over barbaric forces; turning difficulties and setbacks (Hera's curse) into accomplishments, setting an example for how humanity should face the hardships and difficulties of life.