Classical Greek Sculptures example essay topic

A Comparison of Archaic Kouros with a Classical Greek sculpture is to compare the artistic influences and development over time in this region of the World. Archaic Kouros, as used by modern art historians, refers to a specific type of sculpture depicting a young nude male standing with fists to its sides and left foot forward. Historians believe that the Kouros evolved from Egyptian sculptures. The sculptures were built between 650 BCE and 500 BCE (Archaic period), hence the term Archaic. Classical Greek sculpture on the other hand refers to the time period between 490 BCE and 300 BCE.

The archaic Kouros, is characterized by its free standing form (carved on all sides), forward stance (one foot slightly forward than the other), a slight smile, nudity, arms on the sides with clenched fists, vertical symmetry in the upper body (the forward stance results in the entire sculpture not being symmetric), stylized hair, and emphasis of the frontal view (statue's head, feet and hands all point rigidly straight forward). The Met Kouros was sculptured using a mathematical formula called the Egyptian Canon. The Egyptian Canon consists of establishing a grid based on a division of the standing human figure in twenty-one and one-fourth parts, with twenty-one squares from the soles of the feet to a line through the eyes. Major anatomical points were located on the grid lines, and the grid itself was applied to the surface of the block which was to be carved, so that the size of the unit forming the squares was a variable determined by the size of the block. The grid represented a true canon of proportions because the number of units of height remained constant, and the lines invariably crossed the body at specified places. Such grids have been preserved on unfinished statues in the round, on reliefs, and even in papyrus drawings and plans (Ridgway, Brunnhilde S., The Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture, 1977).

The Archaic Kouros does not treat all parts of the human body equally. Some anatomical features like the collarbone, kneecap, and chest are shown clearly, while others like the rib cage are not. Also, the eyes and toes appear to be bold and out of proportion (larger). At first glance the Met Kouros appears to be a modular sculpture with various body parts put together. This may be due to the fact that the sculptor uses various sizes of vs. and inverted vs. to distinguish different parts of the body (like the pronounced V in the torso area). Classical Greek sculptures used the Archaic Kourai as a foundation and advanced into creating sculptures that were more fluid.

They depicted sculptures in motion, and also minimized the emphasis on frontal view and rigid formality. The classical Greek sculptures also show the head turned on a different plane than the body. The pronounced vs. in Kourai gave way to more fluid representation of the anatomical body parts. The eyes look more realistic and the body looks more in proportion. Unlike the Kourai, the classical Greek Sculptures represented characters other than young males. Along with the hair on the head, they show other facial hair (beard and mustache) and pubic hair but not other body hair (like hair on chests or legs).

Classical Greek sculptures were created using a different canon than the one used for creating Archaic Kouros. This canon was first utilized by Polyklietos to create Doryphoros. Among the ideas of this canon are the ideal ratio and proportions of the body parts, which are representative of the ideal human that is exemplified in other ancient Greek philosophy. One of the most important developments from this canon is the enhancement of the use of contrapposto, a shift of body weight, which gives the Doryphoros a striking realism and sense of motion in the line that leans to the viewer's right.

This counter-balanced posture shows the unique working of the human body's muscular and skeletal system, as some muscles contract while others relax, which is shown with great detail in the sculpture. This is symbolic of the ancient Greeks' flourishing interest in science, biology, and even mathematics in the attention to proportion. In short, the beauty and order of all things as viewed by ancient Greeks is exemplified in the Doryphoros which is considered the "standard embodiment of the Classical ideal of beauty". (Janson, H.W. History of Art. 3rd ed., 1986). In conclusion, a study of the two styles of sculptures indicates the advancement in both thought and technique from the Archaic Kouros to the Classical sculptures. The material used is also different.

While stone was used for the Archaic Kouros, the medium of choice seems to be metal (bronze) for the classical sculptures. Metal being more malleable may be the reason why classical sculptures were able to show the human body in more realistic, natural, and relaxed manner.