Greek Statues: The Classic Forms of Kourous, Kritios Boy, and Discobolus

Thousands of years after they were carved and fashioned, careful attention to the figures of ancient Greek statues continue to provide clues about the culture existent during the time period of their creation. Three particular works of art, “Kouros”, “Kritios Boy” and “Discobolos”, believed to have been carved over a time span of approximately 150 years, give an indication of changes in not only the skills of artisans, but also the values of the societies for which the artworks were created.

The earliest known of these three works is “Kouros”, thought to have been created c. 600 before common era (B.C.E.). The statue of a standing male, or Kouros, is a subject that was often repeated in early Greek sculpture, and there is a note of Egyptian influence in the positioning of the figure. The male figure was positioned so that “one foot (usually the left) is forward, the arms are by the sides, and the hands are clenched” (Cunningham, 2006. p.43.). This statue, in the possession of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while displaying a more human form than earlier Egyptian depictions ordinarily portrayed, remains rather stiff and lifeless. Measuring 6’ ½” in height, in spite of the stance indicating the potential for being mid-stride, lacks any sense of movement.

The chest and waist ratios appear slightly off, and there is a lack of muscular definition to indicate the actual human form. “Most kouroi were made in the Archaic period, between the late seventh and early fifth centuries B.C., and are believed to have served as grave markers or as dedications in the sanctuary of a god” (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006). The rigid pose of this statue does bring to mind the guardian of a grave, poised to protect. In addition to the slightly less than realistic human form shown in the musculature and stance, alternate images of the statue from different perspectives show an unnatural perfect line across the back in the hair, again showing a lack of movement or realism. There is, however, a noted progression from the previous Egyptian sculptures which portrayed more stylized and less-humanistic forms, and although the “wig-like hair is also Egyptian in inspiration’ (Cunningham, 2006.p.43.) the depiction of the human nude form indicates the change to recording life-like figures, rather than those of the Gods or other beings.