Art has grown and developed over the centuries, but bad art is just bad art.
I'd like to share with you this week a brilliant little tumblr that I found called Ancient Art Fails.Taking a look through the full breadth of our noble ancient history, this blog isn't afraid to call a dud a dud.
For example, check out this bad-boy:
Clearly, heaven has plenty of fermented drinks to enjoy and this cherub was caught a little worse for wears when he sat to pose for this sculpture. Somehow the harlot-red lipstick is just the cherry on the top of the cake.
Now I have a real thing for ecclesiastical art. You want to keep this girl happy? Trot me 'round a Cathedral somewhere and let me gawp at the architecture and try to pick out how many pieces of momento mori and pre-reformation survivors I can get my hands on. So let me say with some conviction that this is not a typical piece of stained glass art. This guy is dodgy as all heck and looks like he's nursing a hangover from the same party the lipstick-cherub went to.
Of course it's not just the Christian entities that get the 'ancient art fails' treatment. For example, it's not entirely clear whether this ancient urn is indeed some sort of sheep/goat god/dess...or just has really goofy ears,
And it's not only the gods. The art failure even trickled down to noble pharaohs. This guy, for example, looks rather like he's about to pass wind. Or he's told a very 'funny' joke that he's just waiting for everyone to get. Either way he does look like someone's fun uncle - maybe the artist got it spot on after all.
"But wait!" I hear you cry. "Old art is just old. You cant judge it's quality based on modern standards!"
Believe me, I hear you. Styles do change. But sometimes bad art is just bad, and always will be.
Need proof? Ancient Art Fails provided this little comparison: some gorgeous Roman works of artistic genius.....and the other one.
I guess you get what you pay for.
While the tumblr itself looks quite young, it always welcomes submissions and looks to be something entertaining to keep an eye on. So why not head over there and enjoy our ancestors' less-than-shining moments for yourself?
http://ancientartfails.tumblr.com/
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