Late Classical Art: Praxiteles

Restored view of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece (John Burge)
As the final buildings of the Athenian acropolis were being completed, Athens
was in crisis

Pitcher (oinochoe) with Greek warrior attacking Persian archer, Greek Classical, c. 450 BCE
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The spirit that had united the Greek city states in their battle against a common
foe was gone

King Leonidas of Sparta had led decisive battles in the Greek war against the
Persians

Replica of Phidias’ Athena, Centennial Park, Nashville
Wikipedia
But Athens was now proclaiming victory as her own

Sparta and its allies joined forces to oppose Athenian supremacy, and the
Greeks fell to fighting amongst one another again

The Peloponesian War (431-404 BCE) was a bloody conflict

And in this epic struggle between good and evil, democracy did not prevail;
Athens lost, and Greek democracy came to an end

Meanwhile, a plague in 430 BCE devastated Athens and took the life of Pericles
and his sons
Marble Portrait Bust of Pericles, Roman, 2nd century AD
British Museum

And in 338 BCE much of the Greek world fell to Phillip II, King of Macedon; The
Golden Age of Classical Greece was over

The Marathon Boy (Ephebe of
Marathon), c. 340-330 BCE
National Archaeological Museum,
Athens
The changes in art are subtle, but they can be seen in this bronze statue known
as The Marathon Boy, which dates from the 4th century, or the Late Classical
period

Athens
The statue represents the winner of an athletic competition, who leans casually
against a vertical support that is now missing (perhaps a column or a tree), while
gazing at something that he held in his left hand

Athens
The statue is attributed to the workshop of Praxitelese, one of the leading
sculptors in Athens in the 4th century

If we compare the statue to Polykleitos’ statue of the Doryphoros, dating from the
5th century, it would appear that very little has changed

Both represent Olympic athletes; both are nude and highly idealized, and both
are standing in the contraposto pose, with the weight shifted to one leg

True, the Marathon Boy is made out of bronze, and this statue of the Doryphoros
is a Roman copy – but remember that Polykleitos’s original canon was also
bronze

Let’s start with the proportions: remember that Polykleitos had come up with an
ideal set of proportions for creating the “perfect” man

Marble Statue of Hermes. Roman copy of an original attributed to Polykleitos.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fragments of a marble statue of the Diadoumenos, attributed to
Polykleitos; Roman copy of a Greek orginal, c. 69-96 CE
Metropolitan Museum
These proportions were copied over and over again during the Classical period

But Praxiteles introduced a new set of proportions in the Late Classical period

His figures are taller, and more slender, making them appear more “graceful”
than “heroic” – and the anatomy is also less “buff”

While the Doryphoros looks like a bodybuilder pumped for action, Praxiteles’
athlete has a boyish physique, more sensuous than “heroic”

The contraposto pose has been replaced by an exaggerated S-curve pose that is
more relaxed and graceful

And there is a moody expression that was absent from the more aloof athletes of
the Classical period

So although the changes are subtle, there is an evident shift in the Late Classical
period towards a more humanized representation of the human figure

Classical statues of athletes, warriors, and gods were “lifelike” and human in
appearance – but they were like cartoon figures, too “perfect” to be real

Praxiteles introduced a softer, more sensuous element that humanized his
figures, and brought them more vividly to life

Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, traditionally
attributed to Praxiteles and dated to the 4th century
BCE, Archaeological Museum of Olympia
This is another statue attributed to Praxiteles, and is a Roman copy of an original
that was probably made of marble rather than bronze

Praxiteles actually preferred marble to bronze because the surface could be
polished to imitate soft radiant flesh

Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, traditionally
attributed to Praxiteles and dated to the 4th century
BCE, Archaeological Museum of Olympia
The statue represents the God Hermes resting on a draped support with the
infant god Dionysos on his arm

There is a playful mood as Hermes teases the infant with a bunch of grapes
(now missing), and the future god of wine reaches greedily for them

If we compare the statue to Polykleitos’ Doryphoros, we can identify the unique
characteristics of Praxiteles’ style once again

The proportions are
taller, and more slender,
and the anatomy is
considerably less “buff”

And the contraposto
pose has been replaced
by a swooning S-curve
pose that is more
sensual and relaxed

Praxiteles, Aphrodite of Knidos,
(Colonna Venus) Roman copy of an original dating to 350-340
BCE Vatican Museum
Praxiteles is most famous for his Aphrodite of Knidos -- known only to us from Roman
copies

BCE Vatican Museum
The statue was commissioned by the Island of Knidos, and it became famous in
antiquity because it was the first time that the goddess was represented in the nude

Aphrodite in the Doria Pamphili Style
Copy of a late 5th century original, possibly by Phidias
Louvre
While male figures were commonly portrayed in the nude during the Classical period,
statues of goddesses were typically clothed, and invested with a grandeur suitable to
their divine status

BCE Vatican Museum
But Praxiteles chose to show the goddess in a more down-to-earth way, by showing her
in a private moment as she prepares for her bath

BCE Vatican Museum
As the goddess drapes her robes onto a hydria (a clever way of incorporating the
support into the scene), she seems almost vulnerable, as she modestly covers her pubic
region in what is called the “pudica” pose (or the “pose of modesty”), and she turns her
head slightly, as if surprised by our presence

BCE Vatican Museum
Praxiteles’ goddess stands in his signature S-curve pose. Although made of marble, her
flesh appears soft and radiant (accentuated by the arm bracelet she wears on her left
arm)

Most distinctive is her face, which has a soft dewy radiance and wistful sense of mood

Statue of the Aphrodite of Knidos, 2nd century A.D.
Roman copy of a fourth century B.C. Greek original by Praxiteles
Art Institute of Chicago
Hellenistic copy (1st C. B.C.) of
Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos (ca.
364 B.C.), Walters Art Museum,
Baltimore Maryland
Praxiteles’s Aphrodite became famous in antiquity, and inspired many copies and
variations

Aphrodite of Menophantos (Museo Nazionale
Romano)
Aphrodite of Knidos, Roman copy from the end of 1st century BC
of a 4th century BC Greek original by Praxiteles, Glyptothek
Munich
These are just a few examples that can be found in museums throughout the world

Copy of the Aphrodite of Cnidus, Roman, Walters Art
Museum
Statuette of Aphrodite, ca. 150–100 B.C.Greek, late Hellenistic;
variant of the 4th century B.C. Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles
Metropolitan Museum

Statue of Aphrodite, 1st or 2nd
century A.D.Roman copy of a Gree
statue of the 3rd or 2nd century BC
Metropolitan Museum

Late Classical Art: Praxiteles

Late Classical Art: Praxiteles

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Late Classical Art: Praxiteles