Bust of Demeter - Institute of Classical Architecture & Art

A Bust of Demeter

In this image, Demeter opens her eyes, and stares back at the viewers. No longer being gazed at passively, she blinks and winks until a few tears start to spring from her eyes. What are her tears over? Perhaps the sadness of being shown without her original pigmentation. Bright hues flash over her surface, calling to mind the colors that the Greeks would have chosen to decorate her.

The bust depicts the goddess Demeter. First carved and painted in Greece in the fourth and fifth centuries B.C., this cast is based off of a Roman reproduction. Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, and can be recognized by the veil that pools on her shoulder and the crown, or diadem, that she wears on her head. It's not just her original color that she's missing, her diadem would have originally been decorated with precious stones like pearls to mark her important status.

An Interview with Demeter

Like an archaeologist sifts through found artifacts, watch through the videos below in no set order to discover each piece of the conversation between Demeter and the ICAA's Cast Hall Fellow. The separate pieces of video re-enact the process in which ancient sculpture was often discovered, in fragments that archaeologists had to reassemble in order to reconstruct the original work. Mimic that process for yourself as you piece the conversation together by watching through each mini-installment.

As the segments unfold, Demeter comes to life and begins to speak to Mollie Wohlforth, ICAA Cast Hall Fellow, shedding her silence of the past centuries. They both have questions for each other as they begin to communicate. Demeter asks about being a cast, noticing that she is both a replica of an original ancient work of art and a work of 19th century art in her own right. Demeter also wonders why she is in the ICAA's Cast Hall in New York City, and what it means that she has lost her color and been whitewashed. Not thrilled with her appearance, she puts the color back on herself, testing out differently vibrant shades while she poses her questions. The lavish shades cover both her clothing and her skin, as she rebels against the whiteness history has imposed on her.