Votive Figure of Fortuna
Votive Figure of Fortuna The Goddess of Good Fortune (The Haggin Museum)When I set out to pick a piece of art for this assignment, there were a few things I was looking for. I wanted a piece that showed great detail, style and meaning. When I saw the Votive Figure of Fortuna, immediately I noticed all of these things. The sculpture was truly a strong depiction of its time and era, created in Greece in 100 B.C.- 100 A.D. Created from terracotta clay, the artist's eye for detail in this piece was so much more distinct than all of the other pieces that surrounded it. The formal elements that I will discuss that brings this piece to life are; line, texture, pattern and balance. What makes the Votive Figure of Fortuna so interesting is the intricacy it initiates for such a small and very old sculpture. The figure is around 2" wide by 7" high an
Another aspect of this sculpture that I noticed that one might tend to overlook, is the compositional balance of the figure. This woman is presented to you in a frontal stance, showing importance, power and yet still very womanly and gracious. These lines are used by the artist to bring to life the woman's flowing gown. One of her arms is draping to her side, as the other is rested upward holding a long talon. She emits an aura about her and a sense of mystery. This detail is maintained through its contrasty and abrupt line patterns with intense angles and line variation. The gown appears to be very fabric like even though the sculpture is simply hardened clay. Shadows almost are fully developed with the line patterns because of the artist compositioning in the pattern placement. However, it's her stance and body placement that depicts strong symmetry. These lines flow one into the other, creating great contrast and depth. Again the pattern usage of these lines is key to this effect. The patterns that are created with the detailed lines are also very important to the overall outlook of this piece. All of the folds are created, ripple by ripple through deep cuts in the terracotta clay.
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