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