Harry
Tash Jayasinghe
Dexter
CibbuanoOlympic Games Art
August 8th 2008 03:31
The Art of the Games
Conflicting Personal Expressions of Beijing
The opening ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games start today. The Ancient Games began in 776BC in Olympia, Greece. Ever since they have inspired artists from all disciplines to create works depicting the athletes, events and their champions.
the recognizable Olympic Games statue discus
Uniting the nations of the world in friendly sporting competition, the modern Games as we know them began in Athens in 1896 and continue to be an ultimate event on the sporting calendar.
Olympic Oil Paintings
Art itself merged with the Olympic Games on several occasions. In 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936 and 1948 Art competitions were held in conjunction with the event. The Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were given for excellence in architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.
Olympic Games Statues
On the topic of why the 1948 games were the last to hold the art competition, from Wikipedia:
“These would be the final Games in which art competitions were held, after being in the official program for all Games since 1912. At a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in 1949, it was decided to hold art exhibitions instead, as it was judged illogical to permit professionals to compete in the art competitions but only amateurs were permitted to compete in sporting events. Since 1952, a non-competitive art and cultural festival has been associated with each Games.”
An Olympic Vase
Seems it might be time for a revival now that in recent years professional athlete’s compete in events like Basketball. These images show that some striking paintings and sculptures have been inspired by the games and will continue too for years to come.
The colours of the games
Reimagining the Rings
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