Classical Works of 2020
During my final year of Secondary school, I took on some Classical themed projects. The subject is something that has grown on me since being introduced three years ago. The artworks are for local Classics groups in New Zealand, the majority depict Alexander the Great.... just because.
This artwork relates to the narrowing of the Classics and Latin courses in Secondary school. The face of Alexander is being covered and erased by these dark governmental hands.
Mosaics are fun to replicate digitally.
This piece was dedicated to a Classics Week event that happens across Secondary Schools annually. It was selected as promotional material nationwide.
The artwork depicts Alexander on horseback carrying the Parthenon and slicing through the Colosseum. This diagonal form is present on the Amphitheatre itself, and I thought it would be cool to incorporate another piece of architecture into the piece. In the background, Mt Vesuvius is about to erupt! Thankfully to the eruption, many artworks such as Mosaics and Frescoes were preserved over many centuries. One such artwork include the Battle of Issus, excavated at the House of the Faun which prominently features the Macedonian leader, Alexander in all his glory overwhelming King Darius III and the Persian army.
Finally, these were some artworks I created for the 'Classical Memes for Hellenistic Teens' page on social media.
The first artwork depicts the three main figures that represent three of the most prominent Western Ancient societies. This was a difficult decision to make considering this would need to appeal to people beyond the school system, but I think these are the best figures to represent their respective societies. We'll start with Alexander, a Macedonian (Greek) leader that single-handedly conquered masses of land within a short period of time. Facing him is Julius Caesar, a prominent (Roman) leader who was backstabbed by his own senators. Framing these two figures is the Egyptian God, Hōrūs, a symbol of protection. Each element of the piece are depicted in their own respective style, but united under the same era.
The portrait was a celebration of 'Saturnalia'. An ancient festival that can be comparable to Christmas but traditionally different. Hadrian is depicted with a Starbucks parody of the Roman God, Saturn, embedded onto the terracotta cup.
I hope to explore different themes of the Classical World and create more dedicated works for them...
