Final answer:
Iris is the name of both a part of the eye and the Greek goddess of rainbows, who acts as a messenger between the gods and humans. Her role is symbolically reflected in Greek art, emphasizing the Greek’s value on divine beauty and the representation of their deities through sculptures like the one from the west pediment of the Parthenon.
Step-by-step explanation:
In addition to being a part of the eye, Iris is also the name of the Greek goddess of rainbows and a messenger of the gods. The iris in our eyes is the pigmented, circular muscle that adjusts to regulate the amount of light entering the eye, similarly named perhaps because of the range of colors it can exhibit. When considering the Greek divinity, Iris is depicted in mythology as a link between the gods and humanity, swiftly travelling with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.
Greek mythology is full of rich stories and characters that were personifications of various concepts and ideals. One such example is Iris, who served as a visual representation and mediator of divine messages. Her role as the embodiment of the rainbow was symbolic of her connection between the heavens and earth, just as the natural phenomenon bridges the sky and land.
There is a figure from ancient Greek art that can be associated with Iris, which is a statue from the west pediment of the Parthenon. It depicts her in a marble form and is a testament to the Greek idea of beauty and divinity. The Greeks often associated their gods and goddesses with ideals of beauty, and statues like these were not just religious icons but also representations of these ideals.