EARLY CLASSICAL SCULPTURE

When Persians invaded Athens in 480-479 B.C., the Athenians withdrew to the Island of Salamis. The Persians destroyed their homes and their art, including many dedicated statues. This was very difficult for the Greeks.

Afterwards, the Athenians returned to the Acropolis and buried the destroyed sculpture. Because the Kritios Boy was excavated by archeologists in an area filled with the debris from the Persian invasion, it has been assumed that this pieces dates to ca. 480 B.C., when the Persian destruction began.

Kritios Boy, Athens, ca. 480 B.C.  

The Kritios Boy is a small statue represents a transition between the Archaic and the Classical periods, ca. 490-480 B.C.  Many art historians consider this to be the first identified piece of Classical Greek art.

Note the contrapposto pose, with one weight-bearing leg and one leg free. Whereas previous kouros figures emphasized vertical and horizontal lines, now there are diagonal lines within the body that suggest motion. Likewise, the head turns toward the free swinging leg.

Originally, the eyes were inlaid with colored glass and the Kritios Boy probably had bronze lashes, but these were probably destroyed by the Persians

Delphi Charioteer, 474 or 478 B.C.

Chariot races were held in Delphi and we know that Polyzalos of Gela (now Sicily) was owned by the chariot that won in 474 B.C. and 478 B.C.  So this bronze was commissioned as a commemorative gift by Polyzalos after one of those races. 

It is a large, hollow-cast bronze.  Originally, the monument also included the chariot and horses.  Note the extreme simplicity of the charioteer's position.  He is very static; his body almost recalls an Ionic column.  At the same time, he is very lifelike.  We see a focused expression, although the  the emotion of the expression is hard to read.  Presumably, the winning of the chariot race was a moment of great celebration — but really we see emotional reticence.  This approach is termed "the Severe Style."

On the one hand, this can be viewed as an example of Apollonian restraint (that is, a godlike ability to withhold of emotions).  However, this "Severe Style" may have been a way of dealing with difficulty in the Greek War. The Oracle said Athens was to be destroyed in the 470s, and in fact it was — by the Persians. Thus, the Greeks may have wanted their art to emphasize Greek rationalism and democracy as a reaction/counterpoint to the strong emotions raised by the Persian threats.

Riace Warrior, ca. 460-450 B.C.

In certain respects the Riace Warrior is akin to a kouros, but we see much more turning in space more. Overall, there is a much stronger sense of movement and a more dynamic contrapposto pose.  We continue to see heroic nudity.  The Riace Warrior once held a shield in his right hand and a spear in left hand. He is also heroic in size - he's over 6 feet tall.  There is enormous detail in hair and beard (it is very difficult to achieve this same degree of detail in stone).  

The Riace Warrior is another example of a hollow cast bronze; in this piece, the bronze is no greater than 1/8 in. thick. The lips and nipples are copper. The teeth are silver. The statue was cast in several pieces and then welded.

Although the Ancient Greeks excelled in the creation of these life-size, bronze figures, very few bronzes exist today because they were melted down and the bronze was reused by others during other periods (for example, when you take Art History After 1450, you'll see that a lot of Ancient bronze was used by the Catholic church for the embellishment of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome).

Poseidon or Zeus, ca. 460-450 B.C.

Poseidon was the god of the ocean and Zeus was the father of all the gods.  We are not certain *who* this bronze sculpture was meant to represent, but his pose suggests that he was throwing a trident (an attribute of Poseidon) or a lightening bolt (an attribute of Zeus).  The beard and hair are a bit more patterned — hence is a bit more archaic — although some art historians have suggested that his hair is wet (and that would be appropriate for a god associated with the seas).  Although he is in the middle of an action, he appears calm.

It is very difficult to see, but my notes indicate that he has a cricket in hair.  Irrespective of whether he does or does not, this is something that you will see from time to time.  The Athenians believed that they were “born from the earth” like crickets and grasshoppers, and they used gold crickets to hold back their hair.

Overall, this piece display excellent balance of the feet. Also note that even though this is an example of sculpture in the round, there really a single point of view.  Thus, this piece has a two-dimensional, planar quality.  

Myron, Discobolos, ca. 450 B.C.  

This is a Roman marble copy of a Greek bronze sculpture by Myron.  It is of an athlete throwing a discus and is known as the Discobolos.

I've emphasized the point that the Greeks excelled at hollow cast bronze.  However, many of these bronzes were destroyed.  Fortunately, the Romans were huge fans of ancient Greek culture.  Around 100 B.C., the Romans began to made marble copies of Greek bronzes. The Romans did this as a business. So, today, we can appreciate some of the lost bronze sculpture from the ancient Greeks by studying the marble copies made by the ancient Romans. Also, note that marble is a VERY different medium than bronze.  Many times, the marble required additional support in the form of odd struts and large tree trunks.

Clearly, Myron has begun to experiment with movement of the human figure. Still, his composition remains relatively two-dimensional, relatively planar.  Again, it is only meant to be seen from one perspective, and the "front" of this piece is obvious.

Polykleitos, Doryphoros, ca. 450-440 B.C.  

Again, this a Roman marble copy of a Greek bronze original (which has been destroyed).

The Doryphoros was a spear-bearer (he once had a spear in his left hand).  We see the now familiar contrapposto pose — the balance between movement and rest. Note that withdrawn free-swinging leg. The flexing leg and flexed arm are working.  As s result, the figure appears in mid action.

What is particularly new and different in the figural piece is the use of a specific system of proportion.  In fact,  Polykleitos named this piece “Canon” and a canon is a law, bodies of laws, or a rule that must be followed.  In Polykletos' view, this was the perfect male body based on a system of proportion. This unit used by Polykleitos was based on the length of pinky. This was supposed to be naturalism approached from a rational,  intellectual point of view.