Art I Love: Winged Victory
Wednesday, October 18th, 2006
I realized I haven’t talked about any sculpture yet, and since the Winged Victory of Samothrace is one of my favorite sculptures, I thought it would be a good place to start. I had the great privilege of seeing it in person at the Louvre when I went to Paris over spring break. They display it at the top of a large staircase, so you turn a corner, look up, and are rendered speechless. It’s a dramatic location for a very dramatic statue.
(I remember, in fact, the first time I saw a picture of the statue, in an art history book: a full-page, color photo that I opened to by chance and could not tear my eyes from. It’s a memorable piece of art.)
The sculpture is ancient Greek (about the 3rd century BC), so we don’t know much about who sculpted it or why, but one theory (according to Wikipedia) is that it was created to commemorate a naval victory, perhaps at Rhodes or Cyprus. It clearly presents a triumphant and powerful image; the sense of movement created by the anonymous artist is so masterful that the viewer can almost see the wind rippling through her garments. The head and arms, of course, have not been found, but it’s hard to imagine the statue with them. The arms, especially, might mar the gorgeous sweep of the lines. Then again, if what remains of the statue is so amazing, the sculptor probably did an equally good job with the head and arms.
(The photo is my own, which is why it’s rather mediocre.)
