Laocoön and His Sons is a magnificent statue on display in the Vatican Museum, Rome. The marble sculpture created during the Hellenistic period (323 BCE – 31 CE) stands at 7’10-1/2′′ high. The seven distinct blocks of white marble interlock to constitute the unified statue created in a realistic style. The subject matter in the artwork is incredible agony and suffering. The head of Laocoön is tilted towards the sky due to anguish and distress while his two sons watch him in desperation and need for help. Meanwhile, Laocoön and His Sons features extensive emotion depicted on the faces and bodies of the character. The sculptors used smooth texture to enhance the reading of the emotions and asymmetry to institute points of focus on the art. For instance, Laocoön’s muscles seem outstretched to illustrate an immense struggle to free himself from the serpent coiled on his left shoulder and writhing to bite his hip on the right-hand side. His sons are looking upon their father with fearful eyes, requesting for help, but he is deeply embroiled in his struggle to come to their aid. Probably, the anguish, desperation, and helplessness force him to look towards the sky and beckon the rationale for his suffering. The sculptors also utilized geometric and organic shapes to formulate the artwork. The irregular bounded form describes human characters and the serpent in Laocoön and his Sons. The regular bounded form describes objects and the organization of components in the artwork. For instance, Laocoön is sitting on a cuboid-shaped pedestal while the drooling lobe of the son on the right-hand side forms a prism with its apex on his left shoulder. Therefore, Laocoön and His Sons is a magnificent statue with numerous features and components, which articulate the subject matter and institute aesthetics.
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