Writing Sample:
Classical Greek art embodies the most basic, visceral drive behind the creation of beautiful things by humans. Other than the strictly formulary and objective art of the Egyptians, the ancient Greeks did not have the benefit of any predecessor from which to derive inspiration and ideas. Instead, they were driven to create art by something much more profound and ingenious than blind tradition. More than any other time or any other culture, Greek art is defined by the scope of its people's imagination and feeling. Through a study of this art, we gain insight into the most fundamental, honest and humane aspects of artwork, namely, the essence of human experience and understanding.
Laocoon and His Sons, a sculpture created by Agesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus, is a penultimate example of the culmination of the Greek art movement. This sculpture commemorates the cornerstone of Greek tradition, depicting a part of the story of the legendary Trojan Horse. According to tradition, Laocoon is a Trojan priest of Poseidon who scorns the gift of the great wooden horse from the Greeks. He insists that it is not an offering to the goddess Athena as the Greeks suggest, but a “deadly fraud... devised by the Achaean chiefs (Smyrnaeus).” Laocoon throws a spear at the horse, and invokes the wrath of the goddess, who sends deadly serpents across the sea to attack Laocoon and his sons in retribution. (end of preview)