Caricature and the Grotesque in Hellenistic Sculpture
by Seàn Hemingway
One of the most unusual classes of ancient Greek sculpture is the group of small statuettes, primarily of terra-cotta and bronze, known today as grotesques, which were introduced during the Hellenistic era (323 - 31 b.c.). These figures originated during a time in Greek art when there was a tremendous interest among artists and their patrons in realistic representations of people young and old, and of those living on the fringes of society, subjects that had not occurred before in any significant way. Alexandria, in Egypt, was clearly a leading center for the development of this trend in the third century b.c., although many other artistic centers, particularly among the Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor, also produced works of social realism. The grotesques, however, with their distorted bodies and gruesome faces, took the interest in realism to an extreme - they served a variety of functions in Hellenistic society and are not always easy to interpret. Some are demonstrably pathological studies of human deformity and, as in the case of works from Smyrna, have been linked to ancient medical and healing centers. They likely served an apotropaic function, to protect their owners from evil and sickness. Others are clearly humorous in nature and can be linked to Greek comedy and satire. They may represent actors, called mimes, whose slapstick dramas centered on inane buffoonery and obscenities of the seamiest nature. |
