Olympia, East Pediment (Displacement)

sketchfab

I was thrilled to uncover during my research on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (ca. 460 BCE) that the University of Heidelberg had made available online the published results of the German excavations that began in 1875 (https://goo.gl/eyPAo9). In Volume 3, I discovered a photograph of the reconstructed east pediment sculptures (https://goo.gl/qLsfp3), which inspired me to paint it and create a displacement map. Painting Greek statues required them to be polychromed. Pausanias identifies the subject of the East Pediment as the chariot race between Oenomaos, King of Pisa, and Pelops, a suitor of Oenomaos' daughter Hippodameia. He adds that the race has not yet begun. The quietness of the scene suggests that the specific event is the taking of the oath by the contestants before the race, watched over by Zeus in the center of the pediment. The remains are housed in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. More information: https://goo.gl/wzsvnt Tools used include Cinema 4D, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.