Saturday 31 March 2012

Athletic Greeks

My search for the discus thrower at the British Museum last week revealed that he was in storage and sadly unavailable for viewing. A search around the galleries of ancient Greek art revealed the figures on the Elgin marbles were either fighting or making music and neither poses seemed to suggest Olympic activity. My husband then found a rather majestic urn with figures that looked as if they were running and described as taking part in a 'foot race'. He (husband not foot racer) brought me a folding stool to sit on as I hurriedly drew this figure. The next day I found an online picture of the discus thrower and drew it at home. Here are both drawings.
'Foot' note - the research of circles and the discus thrower is to develop the initial 'thinking' stage for a textile project that I'm planning for an exhibition in July in Manchester. I'm trying not to celebrate the Olympics but instead am inspired by the work of Eadweard Muybridge I saw in the Tate last year. 
Keep watching!



1 comment:

  1. Oh dear these museums! Looking forward to more. Will be interesting to see where you go, Edward Muybridge took such wonderful studies.

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