SmithKali - Depictions of the Human Body
Depictions of the human body can tell an immense amount of information about a time period, culture, or even about a specific person in history. Sometimes artist often use size, posture and placing of a figure to emphasize the status of the individual. When it comes to hierarchal scale, the proportions usually were exaggerated to portray where one stood. In the earlier days, ancient sculptors would use canons which was known to be a set of mathematical ratios and proportions to illustrate the human form. In this digital exhibit, several items were chosen to show the depiction of the human body in ancient history.
Archaic Smile
The Archaic Smile had appeared on many sculptures in ancient history. When you look closely, you can see the smile almost appears as a smirk or a relatively small smile. It was suggested that the smile meant the sculptor was alive and in a healthy state. However, other people thought that the smile meant that there were technical difficulties that the early sculptors were experiencing when trying to attempt to fit the curved mouth. Some thought that the smile was almost not very natural looking and many had also thought and interpreted the smile to be “ignorant happiness.” To this day, the significance of the archaic smile is still not exactly known.
Kore (Korai)
The Kore, also known as the Korai, means maiden in Greek. The sculpture has an Egyptian influence that was clearly visible considering the nudity. The Greek sculptors believed in having the human body consist of natural symmetry. Kore refers to a young female figure, that was either as a ritual or memorial statue. The statue was said to be almost always standing, in a forward pose with the leg extended slightly forward, and which one hand pulling their dress as if they did not want somebody to step on it. The statue was the beginning of finding the value of an independent human being as a distinct person.
Kleobis and Biton
Kleobis and Biton are two sculptures that started the beginning of the search to present a realistic depiction of the human body. These two sculptures show us a good demonstration of symmetry, stiff body, and fists clenched into the sides of the torso. Kleobis and Biton have their left foot stepping forward and their hands are bent at the elbows, touching the thighs. Their eyes are large and almond-shaped. Kleobis and Biton are for all intents and purposes nude; they are muscular, conveying the Greek ideal of the male body. It was said that these statues are more naturalistic and less formalized.
Doryphoros
Doryphoros, also known as the 'spear-bearer'. Polykleitos sought to capture what was known as the “ideal proportion” of the human body and pretty much wanted it to be perfected. The body language displayed in this statue can be referred to as contrapposto which ultimately mean that his weight was resting on his right leg while his left leg was bent. This was considered to be the natural way a human would stand when at rest. Polykleitus was trying to create a state of equilibrium.
The Myron Diskobolos
The Myron Diskobolos statue is considered an incredible statue for many reasons. The statue shows an athlete bent over about to toss a disk. This piece presents an image of "geometric perfection" (Macaulay). There was said to be some problems with the statue for that its facial expressions were almost too bland and emotionless for the action that he was doing. You can see that there is a balance throughout the statue based off of the lines of the arms, legs, stomach and more. There is an emphasis on his veins and muscles making him have that athletic look and body.
Citations
"Aphrodite and Her Famous Nudity." HeritageDaily - Heritage & Archaeology News. N.p., 30 Oct. 2013. Web.
Archaic Age. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Greek Sculpture Made Simple (650-27 BCE)." Greek Sculpture: History, Timeline, Characteristics. N.p., n.d. Web.
Harris, Jonathan. Art History: The Key Concepts. N.p.: Routledge, 2008. Print.
"Kleobis and Biton, Kouroi, C580 BC, Archaic Period." Personal Interpretations. N.p., 11 Sept. 2011. Web.
Macaulay, Alastair. "The Body Beautiful: The Classical Ideal in Ancient Greek Art." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 May 2015. Web.
Raci, Ian Jenkins Introduction by. "The Human Body in Greek Art and Thought." Home Interiors and Design Related Publishing. Members-only Online Insider resource for Luxury Living at Insider Prices. N.p., 07 Oct. 2016. Web.
