Title Creator Date Era City Country Emotional Sum (Sense of Life or emotional World View) Theme
Chariot of Apollo Sculptor: Tuby, Jean Baptiste (1630-1700) 1668-1670 1600s The world has thrilling powerful men of action.  There are no limits to what can be achieved.

Elegant, physical power.&nbsp; The fantasy ability to fly through water and air with grace and ease.<br>
David Sculptor: Buonarotti, Michelangelo 1504 1500s Man is a strong, indomitable creature who has the intelligence to overcome terrible odds.

[requires assumption of some context of this work -- not a "cold" introduction to it]: A man able to face a daunting task, with tremulous calm and determination. This is the depiction of the David/Goliath story of the Bible in which David takes on the much more formidable Goliath and wins.
Niobe Sculptor: unknown c. 200 BC Human action is beautiful.

Life is movement.
Pieta Sculptor: Buonarotti, Michelangelo 1500 1500s United States Resignation in the face of tragedy.

Recognition and acceptance of a great personal loss.
Rape of Polyxena, The Sculptor: Fedi, Pio 1866 1800s United States Strength and complex beauty are central.
Vitality, passion and action are hallmarks of this work.

Life is complex strife, entwined with strong god-like characters.
Three Graces Sculptor: Canova, Antonio 1814 1800s The female human form is beautiful, graceful, ideal.

Quiet repose and sisterly love. The piece exudes a quiet elegance and peacefulness amidst the complex three-dimensional composition. The inclusion of "sisterly love" is less certain, except that taking into account the mythological background of the piece. It can be argued that one should not take that into account, so perhaps that should not formally be included in the theme.
Laocoon (Laocoön and His Sons) Sculptor: Agesander 1st century BCE to 1st century CE 500 BCE - 1 CE United States Life is a desperate, agonizing struggle.

The heroic but agonizing defeat of Men. This sculpture certainly represents at the same time the heroic nature of men but cast into an impossible situation that can only be tragic.
La Grande Nevrose Loysel, Jacques c.1896 1800s The dynamic female body is beautiful and exciting. Although it may not explicitly suggest it, the nude and its tense position could be felt as erotic.

An animated female body is a vessel of perfection.
Riace Bronze A Myron? c.460 BCE 500 BCE - 1 CE Reggio Calabria Italy Man is strong and indomitable

Intelligence, Pride, Strength = Man
Shade, The Rodin, Auguste 1880-1904 1900s Paris France Life is a gruesome trial. There is no hope.

The world destroys man. (Some unknown evil force is destroying this young strong man.) Given that the sculpture is titled as a "Shade" and is related to the Group sculpture "Gates of Hell", one can presume the evil is some unnamed condition that can overpower life and cause destruction of the good.
Winged Victory Sculptor: unknown 190 BCE c. 500 BCE - 1 CE Paris France

One of the great expressions of the Greek Classical and Hellenistic spirit -- that men (and women) are larger than life and triumphant.  While the image is partially a fantasy since the woman is winged and probably represents a goddess: Nike -- this concretization depicts a "god" in the form of a human woman, thus glorifying women.

The grandeur of being alive and free.