Likewise, the city of Athens was embarking on a new and more sophisticated polis. After repeated defeats in the Peloponnesian War, Athens would regain its footing not as a major political power but as the apex of intellectual and artistic achievement. The figure of Nike seems to embody this now-relaxed, confident attitude. Having survived the horrors of war, Nike – the goddess of victory – can afford to leisurely adjust her sandal. Though her face has been lost to the ages, we can infer from her body position and the sensuality of her figure that she is calm, unthreatened, and secure in her place as guardian of Athens’s dominance.
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- Jenny Prince (
jennyprince) wrote,
Jenny Prince
jennyprince
Nike Adjusting her Sandal
Likewise, the city of Athens was embarking on a new and more sophisticated polis. After repeated defeats in the Peloponnesian War, Athens would regain its footing not as a major political power but as the apex of intellectual and artistic achievement. The figure of Nike seems to embody this now-relaxed, confident attitude. Having survived the horrors of war, Nike – the goddess of victory – can afford to leisurely adjust her sandal. Though her face has been lost to the ages, we can infer from her body position and the sensuality of her figure that she is calm, unthreatened, and secure in her place as guardian of Athens’s dominance.
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Virgin of Vladimir
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