Ideals
The statues radiate imperishable beauty through time, owing not only to the perfection of their proportions, but also to the sophistication captured in their figure.
The statues radiate imperishable beauty through time, owing not only to the perfection of their proportions, but also to the sophistication captured in their figure.
Votive statue of a kouros. The legs, from the knees down are missing. The kouros stands on his right leg and thrusts the left leg slightly forward. The volumes of the body and muscles are well modelled, while the arms, which move forward, free from the body, are attached to the thighs by small supports.
The statue was dubbed the "Kritios Boy", after the name of the sculptor believed to have created it. It depicts a standing naked boy with a solemn expression and hair tightly gathered around a ring. The bodyweight is carried on his left leg, while the right one remains relaxed, in the characteristic posture of the so-called “Severe Style”, a sculptural development that emerged after the Persian Wars of 480 BC.
The young athlete is depicted naked, standing frontally. His weight is on his right leg, while the relaxed left leg is drawn behind and to the side. On his head, he wears a broad ribbon that he was tying with his now missing hands.
The young, nude male figure is standing in a “contraposto” pose, bearing his weight on his left leg, while the right one is posed relaxed to the right and behind. He would held in his right hand a round object and in the left one something oblong.
The statue probably depicts an ephebe victor in a contest, as suggested by the band on his head with the leaf-shaped ornament in the centre.
