Athena, Goddess of Wisdom

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank, is yellow the original color? I have converted it B&W and added a tint as a trial , it doesn't look bad . But if you want to keep the original colour I think you have done your best for this image

Hi Binnur, the colouring of the gold in the pedestal is reasonably close is seen in this SOOC image. Here you can see the glass panels with the glare and reflections - warts and all! I did soften it a bit to help minimize some of the more tricky reflections which were more toward the middle of the panorama.



if you compare this to image #3 above where you can see the pedestal, that image has some clarity added to bring out more of the detail that would otherwise be difficult to discern. In this case, I had to go a bit in the opposite direction or the reflections would really be distracting, perhaps to the point of ruining the enjoyment of the intricate detail. I hope this makes sense.

If you look closely, you may be able to make out the edges of the glass panels and the right-angle glass supports that distort the scene behind them.

[rpcrowe]

Frank, great shots... Both of the original and the reproduction. Actually the reproduction (while not having the historical importance) is quite aesthetically pleasing and would be even more so if it were situated on a hill as is the original.

I like the way that the leading lines all point at Athena...

BTW: I am under the impression that the Parthenon was originally covered with brightly colored paint. I think that would take away from the simple beauty of that structure.

[FrankMi]

Actually the reproduction (while not having the historical importance) is more aesthetically pleasing and would be even more so if it were situated on a hill as is the original. However, I wonder what the impact would be if the reproduction were true to the original and was painted in bright colors like the original was? I suspect that we of the modern age would not be particularly impressed with a colorful rendition of this elegant structure...

From what I could observe Richard, the original columns looked like they were made of white marble whereas the reproduction columns in Nashville were made of crushed stone and concrete.

Two things spoiled the impact of the Parthenon and the Acropolis complex in general for me.

First is that the structure was under renovation and was spider webbed with scaffolding. However, the last time I visited that area (1961) the building was also being renovated and surrounded with scaffolding. It makes me wonder if any progress was made in the last 52 years? But 52 years is just a blink of the eye in comparison with the age of the Acropolis structures.

Second (and this is from a guy who really loves dogs) in shooting the Acropolis from the Acropolis Park (below the hill) my olfactory senses were assaulted with the overwhelming and pungent odor of dog poop! Obviously, the "Clean up after your dog" routine is not practiced by the Athenians. At least not in the Acropolis Park!

Although I didn't observe (or smell) any issues at the Park, it was clean and pleasant, there had to have been well over 50 workmen busily restoring numerous sections of the Parthenon and surrounding edifices. Scaffolding and huge cranes littered the Acropolis It was obvious that a number of repairs had been made but the crisp lines and brightness of the repaired parts stood in start contrast to the original. Hopefully they will have a way to blend the repairs into the original over time or it will remain a disjointed patchwork quilt.