12 Labours of Heracles metopes

just as a reminder these are on the doric frieze at the temple of Zeus in Olympia

Cretan Bull

positive

  • recognisable

  • good use of space, fills corners

  • clear battle scene, shown by poses

  • deep relief

  • realistic bodies

negative

  • the rotation of the bulls neck seems quite unnatural

Erymanthian Boar

positive

  • fills space quite well, boar covers top

  • recognisable

  • realistic, boar + proportion

negative

Mares of Diomedes

positive

  • realistic horse , accurate looking anatomy

  • fills in space well, with limbs

  • recognisable, shows Mares and Hercules

negative

  • could be a bit more interesting, as its just Hercules holding a horse, could have chosen a better scene

The Lernean Hydra

positive

  • very recognisable scene, you can tell it’s a battle by the hydra snapping in his face

  • fills nearly all the space with the Hydra’s necks

negative

  • For me personally, the Hydra looks inaccurate to me

The Cattle of Geryon

positive

  • recognisable, clear battle scene shown by Hercules’ pose and Geryon’s shield

  • fills most of the space, with Geryon’s body, however there is a huge gap in the right corner

negative

  • Geryon’s body looks unrealistic, the positioning of the heads doesn’t make much sense

  • massive space in the right corner

Apple of Hesperides

positive

  • good use of space, through the three people

  • accurate heights and proportions for the people

negative

  • not very recognisable, only shown by the pillow (which is tiny) and Atlas’ presence

Cerberus

positive

  • very recognisable, Hercules’ dragging Cerberus and Hermes’ appearance

  • good use of space, empty space is used up well by Hermes

negative

  • not a lot of it remains and so it’s hard to judge

  • I

  • would view Cerberus bigger than he’s shown here

Augean Stables