Greek Figurative Sculpture

The ancient Greeks believed in a strong mind and a strong body. Their celebration of the physical beauty and ability of the human body can be seen in their sculpture, writings, and sporting events. The physical beauty of the human body is shown in the marble sculpture “Kraisos” (Benton and DiYanni 64). The sculpture shows a male with a defined muscular mid-section, broad shoulders, and thick legs. There is more detail and a more natural appearance in this sculpture compared to a similar statue from approximately 60 years earlier. The face of the sculpture is realistic and the left foot is forward, as seen in Egyptian sculpture. The art of thought was established by the philosophers of ancient

Greek culture is the source from which many of the characteristic elements of Western culture derive. Their explorations and innovations in art have both fascinated and inspired other civilizations for centuries. For this assignment I chose two Greek sculptures viewed at the Getty Museum. The first is Kouros circa 530 B.C. made of Dolomitic marble from Thasos and is approximately 200 cm (80 in) in height. The second is Cult Statue of a Goddess, (most likely Aphrodite) South Italy, 425 - 400 B.C. made of Limestone and marble. It stands at a height of 220 cm (86 5/8 in). There is some dispute to the authenticity of the Getty Kouros

One example of ancient artists representing men can be seen in the Statue of Standing Youth, or the Kouros. The male gender is being depicted through art because there is a rigid frontal area, rather than the soft frontal area of the female gender statue that the prehistoric artists created. The structure represents the male figure in motion, moving into the distance, rather than standing still. Additionally, all individuals can see the chest muscles and the pelvic arch of the male figure represented in the Statue of Standing Youth. Generally, the large body represents how the ancient civilization looked at the male gender and seemed to portray their

The primary focus of ancient Greek sculptures was that of the human body. Almost all Greek sculptures are of nude subjects. As the first society to focus on nude subjects, Greek sculptors attempted to "depict man in what they believed was the image of the gods and so would come to celebrate the body by striving for verisimilitude or true – likeness (realism and naturalism!)."(Riffert) Not only did the Greeks celebrate the human form in their art but also in everyday life. (Riffert) One of the favorite topics for sculptors was that of the athlete. In Greek culture athletes were described as "hero–athletes". (Riffert) This shows that athletes were revered and looked upon as heroes. The influence

The Archaic period lasted from 700 to 500 BCE and the sculptures haven’t yet mastered in sculpting showing realism. Their style of sculpting was similar to the Egyptians in the way that they made the bodies of the sculptures rigid with both arms on their sides and with a foot stepped forward (Greek Archaic Art). By the end of the Archaic period in ca 500 BCE, the sculpture’s features started to look more realistic rather than rigid bodies. “The ancient Greeks also had the young, nude male called a kouros and the young, clothed female called a kore. Of course, later on in the Classical period of Greek art, females would become nude subjects as well” (Greek Archaic Art). There are some possibilities mentioned by people in why they started to change by showing more musculature and one of those could be that they started to create a new warfare in the Archaic period. They started to build hoplite armies and the battles where hoplites were used were really physical which created more muscle on the army. Being a hoplite meant power and also their ranking in ancient Greek society. The hoplite fighters were idolized and artisans liked it and attributed it into their works. “This idealization also springs from the Homeric poems being composed at his time, also mentioned in Ancient Greece and the artists, or perhaps the

This article is of use to the contextualization of Ancient Greek Art as it presents the sultriness of the times, including the possibly more liberal perspective men and women during those times had about the human body. Through the article, there are images and memories relating to the myths of those times which have been repressed. This article provides a more playful and romantic perspective of Ancient Greek Art, one which very much views the human body as a

The two stylistic periods represented in this study, are the Geometric period and archaic period leading into the early Classical period. The Geometric period was a time of renaissance that took place around 900-700 BC (after the fall of the Mycenaeans.) This was a time where the Greek Islands were experiencing growth, urbanization, and political division, as well as exploration of new lands, trade, and a stronger development of written and spoken language. Homer’s epic tale the Iliad was believed to be written around this time. The Geometric period gave rise to a greater amount of worship of multiple gods, creating the need for more temples to store votives (such as the Mantiklos Apollo) that were dedicated to these deities. The geometric period can be identified by their use of repeated registers of geometric shapes on pottery, and symmetrical and triangular shapes in sculpture. Most sculptures and pottery at this time were formulated using bronze or terracotta. The second style is from the late archaic/early

Greek art, especially sculpture, was a common way to explore and reach past the confines of mankind’s natural appearance be it through penises, huge muscles, or generalized unrealistic body standards. Hercules and the Hydra, a sculpture by Mathias Gasteiger, presents an image of masculinity through the expressive posture and form of Hercules once you look past those gleaming bronze pectorals, and into the intricate details of the piece.

Hellenistic art was engaged more on perfection of the human frame, accuracy and detail. Models from Greek times looked more God-like than human. Hellenic art depended on the new thought of authenticity. Hellenic figures were molded into sensible, blamed human structures. Art in the Hellenic world art epitomized richness, cheerful nature, and coarse with. Marble statues and reliefs described human greatness and sensuality. Art in Hellenistic world emphasize extraordinary naturalism and unashamed luxury. Art in Hellenistic and Hellenic showed feelings and other components filled with different

They are particularly concerned with the proportion, poise, and the idealized perfection of the human body, while the Romans are realism. The Kouros represents a young standing male which served as a statue of an Athenian soldier that functioned as a grave marker. It is standing in a frontal pose with the left leg placed forward, arms close to the body touching the side of its thighs. Kouros is thought to be associated with the god, Apollo,

Both the Statue of Menkaura and Queen Khamerernebty II and the Marble Statue of a Kouros depict an idealized type of art that focuses on the ‘wanted’ physique of men during these time periods. Both Menkaura and Kouros portray a man ‘standing at attention’ as if they were giving commands to those below them. From a military stand point, this stance shows others dedication, and allows the surrounding men to be commanded by their leader easier. Both men are standing forward, almost as if they are looking into the lives of those within their community. Both statues lack facial expressions, allowing the viewer to question why the artist portrayed them this way. As a viewer, the facial lack of facial expressions between the statues allow us to gain

The absolute pinnacle of Greek idealism and realism, the Apollo Belvedere, is incredibly life-like, looking more like an actual human being than a solid, immobile statue. Much like other Greek sculptures of the past, the Apollo Belvedere is meant to represent the ideal form of masculinity, and chooses the Greek god Apollo as the embodiment of these traits. The sculpture depicts Apollo, aiming a bow at an unnamed foe, while still remaining incredibly beautiful, calm, and composed. The figure embodies what the Greek people felt a Greek should be, poised no matter the circumstances, while still maintaining a level of grace unattainable for those unlucky enough to find themselves not being Greek. Whereas the Farnese Hercules represented an almost

Prior to the 1980’s it was believed most Greek sculptures to be porcelain, smooth, white marble material completely void of color. However new advanced technology has uncovered to us bright and complex colors that were once showered on these sculptures. This in many ways changes the entire environment and perspective of the sculpture all together. From color we can generate more theories as to the surrounding context of the piece of art at hand. An example and truthfully the only solid piece of evidence, “Archer” has revealed a plethora of information regarding the history and background of the soldier himself. Before color scheme was added we knew nothing of his social class, rank within the military and whether or not he was involved in real

One last piece of art that shows a significant transformation in the geometric period is the sculpture of Hero and Centaur pictured on the right. It is considered geometric because it is small in scale and the figures have simple stylized shapes. You see again the small torso on the animal-like figure and on the human figure that is shown nude and anatomically correct. The animal figure is actually human in the front and horse in the back with legs on both ends belonging to a different species. This was an animal-human monster the Greek invented called the centaur and the sculpture reveals the scene of a hero battling a centaur depicting an early example of the mythical narrative (Herakles and Nessos). The significance of the earlier mentioned style of painting and this sculpture design is that it marked a turning point from the geometric period into the oriental period because now mythical creatures/monsters are introduced, the natural beauty of the human figure is reintroduced, and the art of storytelling is revived.

Marble, limestone, bronze, terra-cotta, wood and a combination of gold and ivory known as chryselephantine were mediums of ancient Greek sculptures used in the fifth century BCE. Statues were often adorned with pearl, gold, jewels and accessories to give them a more vivid appearance. Most statues were of male men athletes (naked), entities and mythological creatures such as centaurs. Many statues of significant figures were created after their death. Interest in the female nude body (divinity) later became more popular amongst Greek sculptors. In the fourth century, characterization came into play. Characterization focused on creating sculptures that were of no real person.