The Influence of Ancient Myth on the Contemporary World

This report explores the enduring influence of ancient myths on the contemporary world, focusing on the impact of Greek and Roman art. It discusses how Greek art, particularly the kouroi, influenced modern art and painting styles, and how the Byzantine Empire preserved Greek artistic traditions. The report also examines the Elgin Marbles as a symbol of Greek pride and their influence on modern ideologies, including the use of classical art by figures like Hitler. The references provided support the analysis, highlighting the historical and cultural significance of ancient myths in shaping the present day.

The influence of Ancient Myth over
Contemporary World

What is Myth?
• Myth are the stories that tell the tale of romance and
tragedy, gods or heroes.
• Mythologies of the ancient civilization are continually
referenced and returned to.
• Mythology is so prevalent in art nowadays since it still
resonates across time.

Origin of Greek art and Mythology
• The legacy of Greek cultures and
art can be seen in it statues.
• They had stone figures called
kouroi- which meant youths.
• This stone figure was a display of
heavily stylised human anatomy,
which portrayed the influence of
the ancient Egyptians over the
Greeks (Weitzmann, 2014).

Influencing the Modern Art
• The influence of the ancient Greek
art has moved beyond the
sculptures.
• The prime concern of the European
painters, since the Renaissance era
had been how to capture the human
body into the paintings more
realistically.
• The ancient art was then copied into
the modern form of paintings, which
kept the Greek art and its influence
alive in the new forms for centuries
(Sapsed and Feichin, 2014).

Greek art in the East.
• The eastern part of the Roman
Empire survived the collapse of
Rome and became to be known
as the Byzantine Empire in 6th
century AD.
• The Roman art was inspired by
the Greeks.
• The Byzantine art through pieces
continued to be in the Roman
style which helped to keep up
the legacy of the Greeks myths
and the Greek art (Herrin, 2017).

Ancient Greek myth shaping the present
day.
• The Elgin marbles are one of the
most important collections if the
classical myth in the art form, in
the present day world.
• The marbles are a symbol of
Greek pride and nationality.
• the muscular white marble
figure , Hitler found an ideal that
he wanted Germany to look up to,
so that the nation could live up to
the high standards of the ancient
mythology (Mirzoeff, 2018).
• German art also echoed the
Greek classical art.

References
• Mirzoeff, Nicholas. Bodyscape: Art, modernity and the ideal
figure. Routledge, 2018.
• Weitzmann, Kurt. Greek mythology in Byzantine art. Vol. 523.
Princeton University Press, 2014.
• Herrin, Judith. Personification in the Greek world: from antiquity
to Byzantium. Routledge, 2017.
• Sapsed, Jonathan, and Feichin Ted Tschang. "Art is long,
innovation is short: Lessons from the Renaissance and the
digital age." Technological Forecasting and Social Change83
(2014): 127-141.

Thankyou