The Return of Persephone by Frederic Leighton
The Greek myth of Persephone, the daughter of the highest god Zeus and the goddess Demeter who in Greek myth rendered the earth fruitful, before being abducted by the god of the underworld, has great emotional power and because of that was a frequent motif in art. In 1891, the English painter and sculptor Frederic Leighton painted The Return of Persephone, which, as its name suggests, depicts Hermes helping Persephone to return to her mother Demeter after Zeus forced Hades to return Persephone. This painting is now in the Leeds Art Gallery.
Polykleitos' Doryphoros is a visual expression of the Greeks' search for harmony and beauty
Doryphoros or Spear-Bearer of Polykleitos is one of the best-known Greek statues of classical antiquity. Polykleitos made a statue according to the tenets of his treatise, and called it, like the work, the Canon, translated as measure or rule. The lost bronze original of the statue would have been cast circa 440 BCE, but it is today known only from later (mainly Roman period) marble copies. A well-preserved Roman period copy of the Doryphoros is in the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
Myron's Discobolus is one of the most iconic artworks of classical antiquity
Discobolus, the motif of a discus thrower, an ancient Greek athlete, is often present in ancient Greek and Roman fine arts. It was depicted on vases, money, reliefs, and statues. The most famous is the statue of the Greek sculptor Myron from the middle of the 5th century BC the Discobolus or Discus Thrower, originally sculpted in bronze. The statue has gained fame largely through its many bronzes and marble copies made by the Romans. Its famous copy, made in marble, exactly according to the original, by Roman sculptors, is today in the National Museum in Rome.
The legend of Laocoön and His Sons
Like most Ancient Greek sculptures, the subject matter depicted in Laocoön and His Sons, or Laocoön Group is based on classical mythology. It depicts the suffering of the mythical Trojan prince and priest Laocoön (the son of Agenor of Troy or, according to some, the brother of Anchises), and his young sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus. There are several versions of legend about the death of Laocoön and His Sons, with key details changing from story to story. Similarly, the identity of the vengeful god behind the attack varies; while Poseidon is typically held responsible, some stories also mention Athena or Apollo.
Laocoön and His Sons create the impression of astonishing beauty while observing the scene of dying and stumbling
Hellenistic sculpture Laocoön and His Sons, or Laocoön Group represented, in condensed form, all the aesthetic properties that Michelangelo was striving to create in the Italian renaissance context. The original attribution by the Roman author Pliny the Elder is that it was the collaborative project of three sculptors from the island of Rhodes, namely Agesander, Athenodorus and Polydorus, and probably dates from around 42 - 20 BC. It was found in 1516, in Rome, near the town of Nero's Domus Aurea or the Golden House. This sculpture is housed in the Vatican Museum in Rome.
The influence of the Laocoön and His Sons on Michelangelo's work
The sculpture Laocoön and His Sons, also called the Laocoön Group, was unearthed in a vineyard on the Esquiline Hill near Roman Emperor Nero's Domus Aurea complex and the Colosseum in 1506. This discovery made a great impression on Italian artists and continued to influence Italian art into the Baroque period. 31-year old Michelangelo, who was working for newly elected Pope Julius II, and his arch-rival Giuliano da Sangallo were called in to take a look and give their opinion. The young Michelangelo immediately recognized and admired the quality of the sculpture convincing Pope Julius II to buy it for the expanding Papal art collection.