ArtofACOdyssey 3: Parthenon Marbles

Statue base featuring a Parthenon frieze block. Screenshot from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (Ubisoft 2018).

 

Day 3 of #ArtofACOdyssey! I’ll give you a second to think about where you’ve seen this before. Hint: it’s a huge tourist attraction in London that probably shouldn’t be there.

That’s right! It’s Block W-5 from the Parthenon Ionic Frieze! You may be wondering why I am so frightfully specific. That, dear reader, is because I am very familiar with this block. Very, painfully, familiar. Mostly because I worked around the clock for weeks making a 1:1 scale model out of rigid foam insulation, glue and cement compound, cheesecloth and specially mixed paint. Here’s a picture of my low-relief panels (5 in colour, half of 6 in white) juxtaposed with Rebecca Levitan’s 2-D panels on Nashville’s Parthenon.

Painted 2D and 3D replicas of Parthenon frieze blocks, on the Nashville Parthenon. Photo: K. Jones.

We (Emory Parthenon Project) were testing the visibility of the Ionic Frieze from various distances, and discerning what role colour and depth played in all that. TL;DR: you could totally see the frieze from a good distance away. None of that “built for the gods’ eyes alone” nonsense. But, back to our statue base. Like the Jason panel painting from day 1, this panel has been extended to better fit the space as well. The Parthenon sculptures appear to have been used quite heavily in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey so keep an eye out as you play!

 

This was originally published on Twitter, October 9 2018. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ArtofACOdyssey: Kronos at Olympia

Image
Someone at Ubisoft Quebec is a Rubens fan! The monumental statue of Kronos above Olympia is clearly inspired by Rubens' 1636-8 "Saturn" (now in the  Museo Nacional del Prado at Madrid). Kronos devouring a child, Assassin's Creed Odyssey screenshot (Ubisoft 2018)   There are changes to the right arm, robe, and hair, not to mention the addition of wings and blood. The composition and anatomy are clearly post-classical, however. The wings might be inspired by Romanelli's 17th c. painting, as ancient works portray him as a normal, mature man.   Saturn Devouring a Son , Peter Paul Rubens, 1636-1638. Oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, P001678. Photo: wiki, public domain.  
Read more

ArtofACOdyssey: Medusa, AKA The Writhing Dread

Image
  AS PROMISED: this latest installment of #ArtofACOdyssey features the beautiful, deadly, and always badass Medusa. This is going to be a very long thread so strap in and bring a shiny shield.   Medusa standing over Kassandra's body. Screenshot from Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft 2018)   First, a bit of background. Medusa is one of the most recognizable monsters in the classical pantheon and, I daresay, one of the most popular. She lives with her two immortal sisters, Stheno and Euryale, on an island at the edge of night (translation: very far away). Her story grows as time goes on, although she seems to have been associated with Perseus for most of it. She starts out as a child of Phorkys and Keto (Hesiod, Apollodoros, Aeschylus, Pausanias, Nonnius Dionysiaca - Hyginus says Gorgo and Keto and Homer nixes the sisters). Notably, the whole thing about her being a beautiful woman cursed by Athena for being raped by Poseidon in her temple doesn't come along until Ovid. So...
Read more

Steam Next Fest Fall 2023: Labrys

Image
Labrys , from ETS, is a multiplayer survival horror game set in the labyrinth of Crete. You and your buddies start out in cells deep within the labyrinth, and you have to find a certain number of discs within the maze in order to unlock the door and escape. Unfortunately, there is a large and angry minotaur out for your blood the entire time.  What I really like about this game is the option to play as the minotaur. You get a different set of skills and abilities, and your goal shifts from escaping to killing everything that moves.      The developers have also made good use of online 3D assets, such as the Roman statue seen here. Anachronistic, but nice easter eggs when you're running around. I believe the minotaur can also smash them.   All in all, it's an easy game to jump into. The controls aren't that difficult and in terms of horror, you really only have minotaur jump scares to worry about. I predict this will be the entertainment of choice for Classics So...
Read more