The picture above shows the sculpture of Hercules, son of Zeus and Alkemena. The first things I noticed about this sculpture are Hercules’ posture and body shape. He is known as a very strong man, and this is exactly what the sculpture depicts. The sculpture is very similar to what we are used to seeing with Greek sculptures. Usually, if the sculpture is that of a emperor or warrior, they show their height (most often make them look taller than their actual height), wide chests, and strong arms. However what makes this sculpture different is the way Hercules is standing. His legs are apart, the right one is straight whereas the left leg looks like he’s dragging it almost as if he was walking. Both of his hands are occupied with something; in the right arm he’s holding a piece of cloth which could be a toga, and in the left one he’s carrying something that looks like a piece of wood.

This is the sculpture of “Monkey King.” In comparison to Hercules’ sculpture, this one is very different. I notice that his shoulders are wide unlike his chest, his arms are big but not muscular as we saw with Hercules’ sculpture. His waist is very small, while his legs are fat. Also he seems very short compared to Hercules. He, unlike Hercules, is wearing a hat and a lot of jewelry. Overall, this sculpture is not trying to depict Monkey King as a strong person but rather as a peaceful one judging by the gesture of his hands.

The picture above is a statue of Green Tara, who was a very popular female deity in Himalayan Buddhism.  Her role as a Goddess was that of a savioress, protecting people against “worldly dangers.” First thing we notice about the statue is that her legs are not both crossed in meditation, as we are used to seeing, but rather one is crossed while the other one extends forward. Another thing we notice is that she is wearing a crown, which possibly suggests power. So with power comes wealth which is probably why she is wearing a lot of jewelry, but we also know that jewelry in the culture represents beauty. What also caught my attention is how small her waist and breasts are compared to other statues of female deities.