The Standing Male Figure At The Los Angeles Art Museum

The Greeks’ increased confidence after defeating Persian invaders in 480 BCE is recognized in the artwork of that time. Sculptures evolved from rigid, less lifelike structures to more relaxed and humanlike works, typically evoking self-confidence. The work “Kritios” Boy exemplifies this shift. Assumed to be the work of the Greek sculptor Kritios, “Kritios” Boy was created at the close of the Persian wars. I love how realistic this piece and others like it appear in comparison to the Kouroi before it. These sculptures are visibly relaxed and confident, perfectly emulation the Greek attitude of that era. The way the statue’s weight appears to be shifted onto one leg is the most significant factor in presenting the “Kritios” Boy as self-confident.

This technique, used by Greek sculptors for the head and other parts of the statue began as early as the Archaic Period. ( The period in Greek history lasting from the eighth century BC to 480 BC, post Greek Dark Ages and succeeded by the Classical period.) The work has many signs of damage and decay, among these are missing body parts such as the capital and the right wing. The surface is worn down, although still shows clear creases and details throughout the texture of the piece. The head, wings, and the drapery were carved separately before the work as a whole was eventually assembled. The wings were attached with no external support and it's a marvel that one is still managing to adhere

The overall all renditions are block-like and sculpted with geometric reduction of details. The anatomy is made up of planes, completely symmetrical. The hair, ears, and eyes have been reduced to simple shapes – again, all identically symmetrical. Kouros is depicted nude, symbolic of Archaic Greece's emphasis on the ideal individual male and autonomous Greek citizen. In contrast, Aphrodite is a considerably large female (7 feet tall and substantially wider than the Kouros). Given the larger than real-life scale, this statue probably served as a cult image in a temple. The statue's excellent state of conservation also suggests that it was kept indoors. It is free standing but also in an anatomical, not just mechanical sense. The pose is full and rounded, not solely frontal. You get a sense of the body being relaxed, with one hand extended in a gesture that gives a sense of it moving forward.

If you drew a line down the center of its body, you would be able to notice that both sides are identical. Meanwhile, in The Spear Bearer these things have changed, here one can see a slight “S” curve through the motions of the upper body, hips, and legs, rather than a straight symmetrical line down the middle (Khan Academy). This is when, for the first time in Western Art we have figures that seem fully alive. Lastly, regarding the statues’ naturalistic qualities, even when both are stylized, The Spear Bearer is clearly much more naturalistic. In contrast, the Metropolitan Kouros has body parts and features that have been reduced to geometrical

This statue seems to have been treated poorly and not with much care. It can be seen that it went through a lot causing such damage. However, because of its massive size, it was able to survive and still be in somewhat good condition. The body around the torso is relatively smooth and in tact with minor scratches. Her body itself was not as damaged but mostly around the edges of the statue were broken off. The texture seems to be of hard, rough limestone but it was smoothed out when being carved.

It is important to first begin with the basics of each piece of artwork. The graywacke statue of Menkaure and a Queen was made between c. 2490-2472 BCE during the Old Kingdom period in Giza, Egypt. Although the artist is unknown, it is understood that the time during which this artwork was made was during the Old Kingdom period, which lasted from c. 2575-2150 BCE. This statue is smaller in height than the average human being, being 51 ½ inches tall, which is a little over four and a quarter feet tall (Stokstad and Cothren: 60). The stone that it is made from is a rocky, rough stone, that took a considerable amount of sanding to get the statue to look as smooth as it is. The second set of statues I will be comparing and contrasting to the Menkaure and Queen are the limestone statues, Anavysos Kouros and the Peplos Kore. Both were made in c. 530 BCE during the Archaic period in Athens, Greece. Similar to Menkaure and a Queen, the Anavysos Kouros and the Peplos Kore do not have a known artist, however it is known that the time period in which the statues were made was during the Archaic Period, which lasted from c. 600-480 BCE. These statues are more life-like in size. The Kouros statue is around the size of a tall male, six feet four inches tall. On the other hand, the Kore statue is smaller in stature, about four foot tall . Both statues were made from carved marble, although some of the other kouros and kore statues that were made were from terra cotta, wood, or limestone

Through further research, I have learned that this vase “depicts the heroes Achilles and Ajax playing a board game” (Two-Handled Jar with Achilles and Ajax).

Not only does the ideal body image vary culture to culture, but, also, by gender. The idealized statues, Heyl Aphrodite, by an unknown artist, from the late Hellenistic period, and Capitoline Gaul, by an unidentified artist, from 100 AD to 199 AD, differ in the sense of gender.

The title of this piece is “Torso of Aphrodite/Venus”. This piece was discovered outside of Rome in 1771. Afterwards, it was purchased by a wealthy English collector, who displayed it in his home. Today, the piece resides at the

Despite this, the Kouros was put on display on October 1986. During the early nineties, a fake marble torso that is similar to the Getty Kouros is discovered. Therefore, the fake torso was purchased for research and the Kouros was removed from the display for reevaluation of the previous studies. In May of 1992, the Kouros was displayed in Athens, Greece, at an international conference on its authenticity. Although the majority of art historians and archeologists condemn it, most of the scientists believe the Kouros to be authentic. Up to this day, the question of the Getty Kouros' authenticity remains a mystery for the statue is still dated as "Greek, 530 B.C. or modern forgery."

The marble statue of Diadoumenos is a copy of the original bronze statue displaying a young man tying a fillet around his head. The original was created in c.a. 430 B.C. by a man called Polykleitos of Argos. Polykleitos was a Greek sculptor who worked during the mid-fifth century B.C. . he was one of the most famous artists of the ancient world. Polykleitos' figures are carefully designed with special attention to bodily proportions and stance. The statue of Diadoumenos has its thorax and pelvis tilt in opposite directions, setting up rythmic contrasts in the torso that create an impression of organic vitality. The position of the feet, (poised between walking and standing), give a sense of potential movement.

It is a very large piece made from Limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock which means it is formed by the accumulation of sediments, and it is very hard. The statue itself is not very detailed and is pretty simplistic. It is a statue of a human body. The statue is 71 in. (180.4 cm) which is

When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of research about the time and art. During the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.

Starting with Bastet, this free-standing statue hails from Late –Ptolemaic Period (664–30 B.C) from Egypt. Medium used was bronze, precious metal and black bronze inlays. The dimensions are H. 5 cm (4 1/8 in.); W. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.). This statuette was donated to the Museum by George and Florence Blumenthal in 1934 and is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134.

The piece is a red-figured, wine bowl that is attributed to the Niobid Painter. It was made in Athens, Greece around 460-450 BC, and found in Altamura. Puglia, Italy (British Museum). There are two scenes on top of one another that occur in the piece. The top scene is the creation of Pandora. She is standing rigid while five of the gods are standing around her. Athena is about to put a wreath on her head. The scene below displays a frieze of dancing and playing satyrs. Because the vase is round it isn’t possible to see all the figures in the piece. But looking at the piece from the front, six gods are portrayed in the top scene. The gods in the scene from left to right are: Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Pandora, Ares, and Hermes. The gods in the piece are identifiable because of distinguishable traits that certain characters