Benvenuto Cellini, Perseus with the Head of Medusa, c. 1554, bronze (Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, Florence). Created by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. David Drogin
Пікірлер: 81
@alanlawrence29542 жыл бұрын
I saw this masterpiece of bronze sculptures as an 18-year-old art student and wondered how he managed to cast such a huge piece in that era... Now I know. Full marks for scholarship and presentation.
@imcryingggg7 жыл бұрын
One of my favorite Sculptures....
@maxthemoon22904 жыл бұрын
Love it - that casting anecdote is my favorite from his Autobiography - I will remember it as long as I live
@liegesaboya82654 жыл бұрын
It's been said that it is one of the best autobiography anyone has written . He was a fantastic figure
@KerryRussellRN2 жыл бұрын
Thank you. My favorite sculpture hands down. Cellini was a master.
@3dferr7 жыл бұрын
Cellini is a true Genius! His work is awesome!!
@martinpansecchi33313 жыл бұрын
If he was such a genius, why did he die?
@ALEJANDROARANDARICKERT2 жыл бұрын
@@martinpansecchi3331 dumbest reply ever
@martinpansecchi33312 жыл бұрын
@@ALEJANDROARANDARICKERT Sorry, ... I am allergic to you, ¿"ano"?, broken, ☹️
@martinpansecchi33312 жыл бұрын
* Your ☹️
@daveygivens7353 жыл бұрын
I was just there and stood not 10 feet away from all of these statues, and I did not make the connection between Medusa and the 'stone' David and Hercules. Mind blowing.
@suburbanpicasso2 жыл бұрын
Fantastic! Thank you.
@Sasha0927 Жыл бұрын
What a grizzly sculpture! 🙊 I think Cellini's the first artist I've seen with his own sculpture, so that's noteworthy. After hearing about his confidence, tenacity, and ingenuity, I can see why he was honored this way. It turned me to stone a little, I can't lie. lol.
@cammer46 Жыл бұрын
How fascinating. I love this statue and I'm visiting it for the 4th time soon. I will have a hugely enhanced understanding of it thanks to this video.
@JT_Williams3 жыл бұрын
I loved this so much I got it tattoo'd on my arm!
@bannedaccount37523 жыл бұрын
You have very good taste!
@likemy10 ай бұрын
I love the expression on Perseus' face: triumphant, but humble and modest. Character elements that too many people lack.
@codedlAnguage Жыл бұрын
Autobiography of B Cellini # 1. Best book of all Time. 💝💝💝💝💝. 🤕. 💆. 🤕
@unknown813602 жыл бұрын
This is so interesting! Amazing statue and great video
@suburbanpicasso2 жыл бұрын
Thank you
@Sacrer4 жыл бұрын
Great story! Wish you had include the Cellini's face on the back of Perseus's head.
@DerekVinci4 жыл бұрын
thank you, this was awesome
@ALEJANDROARANDARICKERT2 жыл бұрын
Very good . It would also be interesting to analyze the psychological aspects of such a work.
@mutualbeard2 жыл бұрын
If I was a woman I think I would feel somewhat intimidated by this grouping.
@kulacin74805 жыл бұрын
When you have to do the sculpture analysis and you finally find the video that shows the sculpture XD thanks guys
@zoefang45636 жыл бұрын
Actually the myth is incorrect. Athena turned Medusa into a Gorgon as a punishment for violating her temple. Athena does help Perseus slay Medusa but Athena's the one who turned Medusa into a Gorgon.
@doncarlodivargas54973 жыл бұрын
Is that not Ovid? Think so
@abooswalehmosafeer173 Жыл бұрын
Fascinating
@bannedaccount37523 жыл бұрын
I would like to know how was the Duke's reaction when Cellini successfully casted this beautiful, perfect sculpture. Also, do you know why Antonio Canova's Persus has apparently more recognition than this one? That's something I would want to understand. Thank you, really interesting video on perhaps my favorite sculpture all time.
@ianhines61924 жыл бұрын
what a cool period
@MohammadAli-sd7fm7 жыл бұрын
Beautiful lesson...make episodes about old Egypt art and sculptures...well be great
@alecblunden86156 жыл бұрын
The story is that Cellini pinched some of the tin Cosimo had paid for (expensive, but essential for the bronze to flow - tests show the casting is low on tin). Hence, the need to add pewter- basically tin - to get it to flow. A genius he was, but decidedly bent.
@thomasdigiulio11514 жыл бұрын
Which author/text is the source you are citing? I don’t want to say this retelling is wrong but I’m unaware of this version of her as a sorceress, Hera was the one who punished her, among some other major details.
@accountreality19882 жыл бұрын
he also said she tried to seduce Zeus and his wife Hera cursed her for it. but i thought Poseidon raped her and due to Athenia being jealous of medusa's beauty she changed her to a monster out of spite?
@MrTsa19924 жыл бұрын
This is great! The one correction is that Medusa is raped by Poseidon in a temple to Athena, so Athena curses her. It's basically the one time that Zeus isn't responsible for a rape! great vid other than that!
@VenexoGaming3 жыл бұрын
@@cleduc5059 Are there any good books on greek mythology?
@daveygivens7353 жыл бұрын
That Zeus. What a rascal.
@MrTsa19923 жыл бұрын
@@VenexoGaming Stephen Fry's book just came out called Mythos which isn't terrible. The standard is still the books by Edith Hamilton or by Robert Graves.
@MrTsa19923 жыл бұрын
@@cleduc5059 yup! I usually suggest my students to check out these translations if they don't want to spend money on the books: www.poetryintranslation.com/?sort_by=item_language#Greek These translations are quite close to the original greek and you can find most of the things you mentioned here. I would also just add that the best translations of Homer I've found are by Barry Powell. They're completely annotated and have lots of helpful notes for those who haven't read Greek myth before. Also Virgil's Aeneid is the most important Latin epic poem. For more Greek myth I would also read the Homeric Hymns.
@xihuantiyu2 жыл бұрын
i noticed this video was made seven years ago. I visited this place a month ago. The statue looks exactly the same.
@haykogevorgyan99357 жыл бұрын
Great lesson, but there is a little mistake. The Hercules with Cacus statue is not republican! Medicis came back in 1530 (after being kicked out from the town) and they wanted to give an answer to David. Bandinelli's statue was commissioned by Alessandro de' Medici and it suposed to represent Medicis smashing the head of the Republicans with a club. Cosimo wanted another statue because nobody liked Bandinelli's creation, infact everbody were making fun of the artist calling it a "bag of patetos" or "bag of melones".
@mercedeslb2375 жыл бұрын
Merci 😊
@zombieat4 жыл бұрын
wow. i'm in awe.
@KelciaMarie12 жыл бұрын
There's a book based off of the story of casting this sculpture. Its titled "the spirit ring" by Lois McMaster Boujold. I found it extremely enjoyable!
@keithgreen23605 жыл бұрын
Athena cursed Medusa, not Hera. And Medusa didn't seduce Zeus. She was raped by Poseidon in Athena's Temple.
@doncarlodivargas54973 жыл бұрын
Ovid
@ymacneely Жыл бұрын
Helpful when giving the location, to mention the city.
@smarthistory-art-history Жыл бұрын
We do mention Florence, several times. Just below the video, within the video within the first minute and elsewhere as well. Sorry you missed it.
@iamDBA19 жыл бұрын
great study tool
@manborg84 Жыл бұрын
Oh yeah!!! This is some classical ultra violence!
@patsyricks53062 жыл бұрын
I have watched many of these Smarthistory commentaries and enjoyed them so much, but this one annoys me because Steven Zucher never allows Beth Harris to share her insights; he keeps dominating the script. She has much to say, and he should have given her fair time.
@smarthistory-art-history2 жыл бұрын
Dr. David Drogin is on this audio with Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker doesn't say a word.
@ShaizaShamim3 жыл бұрын
I don't like how he keeps talking over her.
@0395848509383 жыл бұрын
Agree, I had the exact same thought.
@terminatordzDz5 жыл бұрын
Deserves to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
@uhohwhoops29534 жыл бұрын
terminatordz What does?
@CelestialGlitch4043 жыл бұрын
@@uhohwhoops2953 dude, he is mentioning about the statue of Perseus
@peachy_872 жыл бұрын
Whilst a very informative video, unfortunately there is various mistaken information in the mythological aspect of this story. ~Medusa was not a sorceress. She had no particular magic powers before she was turned into a Gorgon, as were her two sisters before her. She did not seduce Zeus, but his older brother Poseidon, the sea-god. ~ It was not Hera, but Athena, Zeus' daughter, who turned Medusa from a beautiful woman into a horrific Gorgon. This because Medusa in human form was a priestess of Athena, by which rules dictated she was to remain a virgin like her patron goddess. Poseidon raped Medusa, in which process he also desecrated Athena's sacred temple. For this, Athena punished Medusa by giving her the Gorgon form for which she is most known today. ~ It was not Hermes, but Hades - by means of the Hesperides, who gives Perseus his winged helmet of invisibility, as this was Hades' personal possession. ~ Medusa did not turn to stone in her own reflection, as she was immune to her own powers. Only other living creatures could become petrified by her gaze. This being the reason why in all her depictions, even in Cellini's majestic statue, her head bleeds.
@dufgbd213 жыл бұрын
What feelings does this sculpture inspire when looking at it?
@AndreaSzabo71719 ай бұрын
🤭💘🪷💘🤭 So good. @ Thank You. 💕 And Cracking autobiography by Benvenutto Cellini . One of my favourite books of all time. 💘 Much Better story than Salome and John the Babtist. 🌈 💝💝💝💞🎶🫠
@sonjasarrimanolis803 Жыл бұрын
Medusa seduced Poseidon and Athena turned Medusa in to a monster.
@JMARTIN19474 жыл бұрын
Cellini and Perseus were both MGTOW guys.
@maarten70133 жыл бұрын
Some say that the gorgons where born with their looks. Other say that that Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena's Temple. To punish her Athena transformer her servant in the monster.
@cliffdariff745 жыл бұрын
I worked in a bronze foundry for a while. Large metal sculptures are cast in separate smaller pieces, then welded together. Even back then they could weld metals crudely. Probably Cellini knew this but Medici didn't.... Cellini fooled him with this story.
@smarthistory-art-history5 жыл бұрын
There is a long tradition of joining cast parts in Italy, and the patron would have been well aware of this technique. Nevertheless, I think your general skepticism is likely well founded and always a valuable tool.
@schoolstudio79154 жыл бұрын
Nice analysis, useful information .. But .. there is a mistake in mythology .. First, it concerns to Greece only and not Romans. Second, Hera and Zeus are Not responsible of the Medusa's curse. Review the story and note the mistake to Your followers. Thank you.
@marvinthemaniac76983 жыл бұрын
This sculpture reminds me of Donatello's David, only more masculine.
@KevinDixon4 жыл бұрын
Where is the other guy announcer ?
@jonporter12335 жыл бұрын
Fuck, I love art history...
@FCuss10 жыл бұрын
C.1545
@gsingh99586 жыл бұрын
It looks like Michelangelo’s David, but bronze.
@lisciatoredimele89196 жыл бұрын
Well, it's right next to it
@stel10004 жыл бұрын
Better than Michelangelo
@CelestialGlitch4043 жыл бұрын
@@stel1000 it is different and better than Michaelangelo's David..........
@codedlAnguage Жыл бұрын
🤕. 💆. 🤕
@LJKing-pd4kq Жыл бұрын
Nah... Not the way I heard it. Zeus was tryna rape Medusa. Medusa ran to the temple for protection but nobody helped her and she was raped. Athena said she was mad at Medusa because she "defiled" the temple but really, Athena wasn't powerful enough to take revenge on her uncle Poseidon so she took her revenge on Medusa! One of the original victim blamers!
@aofg3 жыл бұрын
The sculpture is a masterpiece, but it has a very annoying fault that bothers me: the blade of Perseus' sword. Maybe there was a the problem with the casting, but no ancient Greek or Roman or even medieval Italian swords look like that. It is so bizzare unrealistic, out of place. Shame, really. A xiphos or kopis or even gladius would have been more suited, then that attempt of a sword. Maybe it was meant to be a falchion?
@giulianoradice47152 жыл бұрын
Ti sfugge l'unità stilistica tra la forma della spada e il ritmo formale dell' intera statua!
@andrenewcomb37084 жыл бұрын
"dominant aesthetic of the time." NOT. Work and no gorging will give a man that sort of body. And these were times of no refrigerators and no supermarkets. So getting food was always dicey. That's what good living and good values will do for man. That doesn't even explore the excellence of art that you do explore. Nice discussion.