The kouros was a Greek figure representative of an upright young man, emphasizing the sculpture as lifelike and naturalistic. The sculpture appeared in the ancient Greek period between 450 AD and 480 AD; the figures were largely reminiscent of the Egyptian figurines in terms of rigidity; they had bulging eyes and a smile from the archaic era (Rodgers 59). Having closely trailed the norm of Egyptian geometry, the figurine of the kouros statues was narrow-waisted, broad-shouldered, blatantly fore, and cubic (Garland 19). The shape of the hands was sculptured to be held close to the sides of the statue; their fists were clenched, their knees were rigid, and their hair was stylized. Moreover, the bases of the kouros were inflexibly established on the ground, and slight advancements were evident in the left base, making their pose unnatural (Garland 21). As the kouros was more lifelike, the Greek comprehension of the human structure improved. However, towards the end of this period, the legs and arms of the sculpture were no more rigid or frontal.
With mastery of the human anatomy and the balance problem came the kritios boy. Appearing between 500 AD and 600 AD, the kritios boy had a more considerate appearance compared to the kouros and, therefore, lacked the archaic grin (Garland 22). Despite having curtailed limbs, the kritios youngster was sculptured to stand in a contrapposto posture, and the sculptors made sure that the effigy’s mass was affianced in the leftward limb (Rodgers 67). The right leg was unengaged, and the sculptures ensured they bent at the knee. Through rationalism, the statues were made in a manner that was possible to figure out the world where everything was sculptured in order, the hair was more natural, and the facial expression was that of a person in deep thought (Sansone 34). Emphasizing self-control, balance, moderation, confidence, proper proportion, calm, and symmetry, the statues embraced idealism and portrayed what they ought to look instead of how they looked (Garland 23).
As the Greeks improved their comprehension of hominoid structure came the Doryphoros of Polycleitus, sculptures that were best known for their classical antiquity. Compared to the kouros and the kritios youngster, the Doryphoros were effigies that depicted a fighter with extra masculinity, solidly built and upright (Rodgers 75). Originally, these statues were made with the warriors bearing a well-adjusted spike on their leftward bear since their name Doryphoros meant spear-carrier. The Doryphoros represented an ideal achievement where the warrior’s body was lightly exaggerated to enable conformity with the new perfection standards (Rodgers 76). The figures formed a primary critical specimen of the traditional Greek acknowledgment of freethinking, practicality, and contrapposto and were verified to be extremely persuasive in primeval sculpture.
The Riace warriors marked an even evolution to the high classical period in Greece. The figures represented a difference in sculpture style, with their texture appearing smooth compared to the previous three described styles. The warriors were lifelike, with smooth skin contrasting the dynamic in-size brows and hair (Garland 25). Their heads had intricate strands and curls that gave them a sense of dynamism to the sculptures. The sculptors showed a pace nearer to the contrapposto posture with a constant swooping line in most of the figures, to their hip, their knee, through to their feet (Sansone 42). The representation showed a severe style but was more advanced in anatomy treatment. The statues appeared between 460 and 450 BCE; the figures formed part of the Athenian group of warriors exemplified by the heroes at Olympia.
Works Cited
Garland, Robert. The Greek World: A Study of History and Culture. The Great Courses. 2020.
Rodgers, Nigel. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece: An Authoritative Account of Greek Military and Political Power, Architecture, Sculpture, Art, Drama, and Philosophy. Hermes House. 2017.
Sansone, David. Ancient Greek Civilization. 3rd edition. Wiley/Blackwell. 2017.