Greek Archaic Period Statuary Evolution Towards Naturalism

Statuette of Herakles, 6th c. BCE
Metropolitan Museum
A remarkable change took place in Greek art during the Archaic period, as can be seen in this
statue of the Greek hero Herakles

Metropolitan Museum
Although still small in scale, the work marks a significant departure from the stylized
abstraction of the Geometric period
Hero and Centaur (Herakles and Nessos?), from Olympia, c. 750-730 BCE.
Metropolitan Museum

Metropolitan Museum
Influenced by the highly developed art of Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greek artists began to
explore a more naturalistic representation of the nude human figure, with an emphasis on
youthful virility and beauty

Metropolitan Museum
The nude male body was regarded by the Greeks as the epitome of ideal beauty, and
refinements in figural sculpture were driven by this quest to depict “the perfect man.” The
focus on the human (male) body, as the embodiment of all that is beautiful and good,
reflects the Humanist values of Greek society.

Kouros, c. 600 BCE, marble
6’ 1/2” Metropolitan Museum
During the Archaic period life-size sculpture returned

This statue, standing a little over 6 feet tall, is known as the Metropolitan Kouros (or New
York Kouros), named for the museum where it can be seen today (that’s me in the photo,
giving a sense of the scale of the statue)

A Kouros is an idealized representation of a male youth

Kouros statues were used for two purposes:
1. to mark the grave of fallen warriors (generally belonging to an elite class)
2. as votive statues in temples

This statue marked the grave of a young Athenian aristocrat

Carved from stone, traces of paint remain in the hair, indicating that the statue was originally
painted

The statue’s rigid frontal pose, and youthful idealism recalls Egyptian Ka statues (which the
Greeks encountered through trade)

In fact, the statue was probably made using a grid system similar to the Egyptian canon of
proportions: we see the same forward striding pose, with the arms straight at his side, and
the hips and shoulders aligned with the horizontal axes of the grid

Although the statue was derived from Egyptian Ka statues, there are significant differences

The Greek figure is nude, rather than clothed, which focuses our attention on his humanity,
rather than on his status or rank

In ancient art, clothing and other attributes generally indicated who you were, whether it be
a Pharaoh, a king, or a worker – but in Greek art, nudity allowed the focus to be on the
“individual” outside of class or rank

Even more importantly, the Greek kouros is completely free-standing (there is no back pillar
supporting him) – which means that he is literally standing on his own two feet

These differences are meaningful: the Greeks took the clothes off their (male) figures to
celebrate human beauty and individuality (reversing the ancient association of nudity with
low status) – so there is a direct connection between the Greek appreciation of nudity and
Greek Humanism

And the figure’s “liberation from the stone” (i.e. the elimination of the pillar support)
became a potent expression of the Greek Humanist ideal of individual freedom, autonomy,
and self-determination

The figure who can “stand on his own two feet” can literally determine his own future

Lady of Auxerre, c. 625 BCE
Limestone, Louvre
Statues representing young maidens are called Kore

Lady of Auxerre, c. 625 BCE
Limestone, Louvre
This one was found in a necropolis on Crete, and probably served a funerary function

Like all Greek statues, she would have originally been decorated with paint, traces of which
can still be found on her garments

The figure has similar features to the Metropolitan Kouros, including the rigidly frontal pose,
and highly stylized features

They both have flat triangular faces, recalling the highly abstract features of Cycladic
figurines

And both have hair that has been stylized into geometric patterns

Female statues differ from their male counterparts in two significant ways:
1. they are clothed, rather than nude
2. they do not stride boldly forward

This reflects women’s lower status in Greek society: Greek women did not enjoy the
freedom and independence that was available to their brothers, fathers, and
husbands. They were, for the most part, confined to the home where they were expected to
carry out domestic duties such as spinning and weaving
Women spinning and weaving, Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) Greek, Attic, black-figure, Archaic, ca. 550–530 B.C.
Attributed to the Amasis Painter
Metropolitan Museum

And so kore statues are more passive than their male counterparts (standing with their feet
together), and they are clothed because the female body was not considered to be the
pinnacle of human potential, the way the male body was

Kroisos, from Anavysos, c. 530 BCE
Marble, 6’ 4” Nat’l Archaeological
Museum, Athens
Greek sculptures evolved rapidly

Kroisos, from Anavysos, c. 530 BCE
Marble, 6’ 4” Nat’l Archaeological
Museum, Athens
This statue, dating from just 70 years after the Metropolitan Kouros, stands at 6’ 4” tall, and
it marked the grave of a fallen warrior named Kroisos

When compared to the Metropolitan kouros, we can see that there has been a significant
advancement in the naturalistic rendering of the human body

The pose has not really changed: both figures are in rigidly frontal poses, with their arms
stiff at their sides

And both are idealized: they are youthful, and physically fit

But the proportions and the anatomy have become much more accurate, and
convincingly life like

Let’s start with the proportions: when we look closely at the Metropolitan kouros, we notice
that his head is impossibly large, and his hips are unnaturally narrow

The sculptor of the Kroisos of Anavyssos has come closer to approximating the normal
proportions of the human body

And then, there is the treatment of the anatomy – or the musculature

The Metropolitan kouros has a triangular torso – recalling the stick-like figure cartoons of the
Geometric period

And his musculature is indicated by incised lines, rather than resembling the way muscles
naturally swell

In the Kroisos of Anyvyssos, those stylized lines have been replaced by softly swelling
muscles

We see the swelling muscles of the pelvic girdle as they transcend to the hips and thighs, and
we can make out the swelling muscles of his quads and calfs

Even the feet have become less boxy, and more like real human feet

Similarly, the facial plane has more relief, rather than being a flat triangle — and he even
wears a smile, called the “Archaic smile,” which was the artist’s way of communicating the
figure’s vitality

So over time, Greek statues became more lifelike – and the question is, why? Why were the
Greeks so preoccupied with representing people as if they were alive?

The answer to this question has partly to do with the function of the statues, and partly to
do with Greek Humanism

Ka statues served a very specific purpose in Egyptian society

They were placed in tombs, and they were designed to provide an eternal resting place for
the Ka

This shaped their appearance: their rigid, geometrical qualities were intended to embody
the idea of an unchanging eternity

This shaped their appearance: their rigid, “frozen” quality was intended to embody the idea
of an unchanging eternity

Kouros statues served a very different function

Although both of these statues were made to mark graves, the Greeks did not believe in life
after death

instead, they believed that immortality could be achieved by being remembered for heroic
deeds, and a virtuous life

These statues were therefore commemorative: they were designed to help us remember the
individual the way he wanted to be remembered: young, strong, heroic, individual, and free

Peplos Kore, c. 530 BCE
Acropolis Museum, Athens
A similar evolution took place in female statues

This statue, called The Peplos Kore, is roughly contemporary with the Kroisos from Anavyssos

She is named after the belted garment that she wears, which is called a “peplos” (though the
exact type of garment she is wearing is currently a topic of debate)

Like the Lady of Auxerre, she remains clothed, rather than nude; but there is a slight
suggestion of naturalism nonetheless: the forms of her body begin to swell underneath the
drapery, and her hair falls naturally on her shoulders

The forms of her body begin to swell underneath the drapery, and her hair falls naturally on
her shoulders

Her face, also, has more relief, rather than being a flat triangular plane, and like the Kroisos,
she wears the “Archaic smile

While most Kore figures represented offerings to the gods in temple settings, recent scholars
have proposed that she may represent a goddess – depending upon what she was holding in
her left hand (now broken)

This image shows three versions of a possible reconstruction of the statue, with its original
coloring

Greek Archaic Period Statuary Evolution Towards Naturalism

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (9)

Ähnlich wie Greek Archaic Period Statuary Evolution Towards Naturalism

Ähnlich wie Greek Archaic Period Statuary Evolution Towards Naturalism (19)

Mehr von Westchester Community College

Mehr von Westchester Community College (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Greek Archaic Period Statuary Evolution Towards Naturalism