CLARA

CLARA Review: Nava Sevilla-Sadeh, 2022: The Secrets of Classical Beauty. Exploring Greek Aesthetics In Art And Thought. Simple Story Digital Publishing

2023-05-29T10:44:29+02:00

The book by Dr. Nava Sevilla-Sadeh, titled The Secrets of Classical Beauty: Exploring Greek Aesthetics In Art and Thought, is a well-researched, rich and interesting study of the concept and intrinsic value of Classical Greek beauty, as expressed in art and thought. Dr. Nava Sevilla-Sadeh is an art researcher, curator and adjunct Department Member at the Tel Aviv University. The subject of ancient Greek Classical beauty has been variously analysed in previous studies, yet this recent book by Nava Sevilla-Sadeh, published in 2022, bears a new and refreshing approach to the matter by combining ancient Greek literary references and commentary on ancient artefacts with comparanda of modern times and a critical exploration of Classical Greek and contemporary aesthetics.

Forged, Copied or Misunderstood? The Carlsberg Diadumenos Revisited

2023-10-07T17:41:45+02:00

The so-called Diadumenos Carlsberg, a marble statue at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, was bought by Carl Jacobsen in 1895 as an original ancient artwork inspired by the work of Polykleitos. A year later it was denounced as a modern forgery, and it has subsequently been hidden away in the study collection at the museum. Yet, it may still provide insights into how antiquity is perceived, both in the present and at the time of its acquisition. The story behind its purchase as a copy of a masterwork of Polykleitos, and the reasoning behind its dismissal as a modern fake, may show us how connoisseurs understood and perceived antiquity through a modern lens, and how contemporary artists have influenced perceptions of their ancient predecessors.

Among Saints and Relics: Danish and Norwegian Research in Thessaloniki (1939 and 1953)

2024-01-29T20:54:06+01:00

After a presentation of the Danish architect and archaeologist Ejnar Dyggve’s excavations in Thessaloniki in the late antique palace complex (1939), the article turns to the Dano-Norwegian archaeological and art-historical studies in the Rotunda (1953). The local authorities’ positive attitude made it possible for Hjalmar Torp to work for four months on the scaffolding inside the monument to examine, describe and make drawings and photographs of the cupola mosaics. Permission was also granted to excavate in the choir of the church. These excavations uncovered remains of holy relics. The forensic report on the contents of the altar relic tomb is published here in full for the first time.