INTRODUCTION: WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG?


Introduction: What’s the Purpose of This Blog?

Welcome to Classical Clayton, a site devoted to Classical Reception, particularly the fascinating and sometimes bizarre afterlife of Greek art (has anyone else noticed casts of Riace Warrior A forming the setting to Celebrity Juice?).  For those of you who don’t already know me, or have not been taught by me, my name is Julia Clayton; I’ve taught Classics (Classical Civilisation, Ancient History, Greek and Latin) in a state-funded sixth form college in UK for nearly twenty-five years.  The articles and in this blog have developed out of the fascinating questions, conversations and places I’ve encountered over the course of my teaching career.  

To give you an idea, of the scope of these articles, I’ll be covering:

  • Greek Sculpture (especially Classical and Hellenistic sculpture)
  • Sculpture inspired by Greek myths and Greek models:  Roman, Renaissance, Neoclassical (especially Thorvaldsen, Canova, Gibson and Flaxman), Victorian & New Sculpture
  • Casts and copies of Classical sculptures, including reviews of cast galleries
  • Exhibitions of Classical artefacts or on Classical themes
  • Novels inspired by Classical myths or ancient history
  • Paintings featuring Classical statues
  • The use of Classical statues in films, television and advertising
  • Some of my short stories inspired by Classical themes

 I hope these articles and reviews will prove useful to students studying Classics or Art History at A-level and beyond, and to anyone else who is fascinated by the Classical world and its continuing relevance to modern life  

I will be featuring a ‘Statue of the Month’: the first one is the Apollo Belvedere.  If anyone has any suggestions for statues you would like me to cover, please let me know by responding to this post.  




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