Doryphoros Polykleitos. Original 450-440 B.C.E. Roman copy (marble) of Greek original (bronze) Pompeii, Greece.
Doryphoros was one of the most famous statues in the ancient world and many known Roman copies exist. The original was created in around 450 BC in bronze and was presumably even more tremendous than the known copies that have been unearthed. Doryphoros is also an early example of contrapposto position, a postion which Polykleitos constructed masterfully (Moon).
Context:
- found in a palestra (a place for athletes to work out in) in Pompeii
- one of the most copied Greek sculptures
- everyone want Greek art because it was representative of a luxurious and leisurely life + they were super high quality and when they raided, they got them for free!
- created at time when the Greeks were in awe of the mathematical perfection of the human body
- Polykleitos created a canon (a set of guidelines) outlining the ideal man based on ratios and measurements
- experts believe the Spear Bearer was made to represent the idealized version of the perfect Greek man (men should aspire to be him even though it's impossible) as outlined in Polykleitos' canon
- extremely significant because of it's relative realism when compared to the Anavysos Kouros
- shows an ever-advancing understanding of the human body
- depicted normal life, a sculpture of a man walking
- shows that human potential was/is hugely important to this society
- manipulated symmetry
Form:
- made of white marble
- subtractive sculpture
- lifesize
- aprox. 84 in. (213 cm.)
Content:
naked = celebrates the nature human body, its beauty, and its strength
marks this as a Greek sculpture
- one of the earliest examples of contrapposto
- includes a strong a sense of harmony and counterbalancing:
- left arm and right leg = relaxed
- right arm and left leg = tensed
- the man has with broad shoulders and thick torso and is just generally muscular
- used to hold an iron spear
- the face isn't individualized
- he's made to depict everyone's ideal self
Function:
- for enjoyment: to showcase the beauty of the human body
Contrapposto - a graceful arrangement of the body based on tilted shoulders and hips and bent kneesCanon - a body of rules or laws; in Greek art, the ideal mathematical proportions of the figure
Doryphoros was created between these two iconic pieces, the Anavysos Kouros and the Kritos Boy.
Cross-Cultural Comparisons: Human Figure
- Female Deity from Nukuoro
- Shiva as Lord of Dance
- Braque, Portuguese '
