Early+Classical

=Early Classical Greece=

//from Mr. Bowers AP Art History Courses at East Chapel Hill High School//

//this article is about the art and culture of// "Early Classical Greece"


 * Culture Studied: The Early Classical period went from 480-450 BCE. After the Persian Wars, there was an emergence of a new stylistic direction where elegant stylizations went away and a sense of a greater faithfulness to the natural appearance of human beings and their world.**

=**Canon of Proportions**=

The Canon of Proportions was created by the great sculptor Polykleitos of Argos. Polykleitos created a larger-than-life bronze statue of a standing man carrying a spear (the spear eventually came off) that was called Doryphoros. This statue carried out Polykleitos's theory of the ideal human figure. The canon (set of rules) included a basic set of ratios between a basic unit and the length of different body parts. The basic unit that Polykleitos says in his Canon has been widely discussed of what the actual basic unit is. Some people believe it was the length of the figure's index figure, while others say it was the height of the head from the chin to the hairline. Included in the Canon was the concept and guidelines of symmetria which was the relationship of body parts to one another.

=**Early Classical Artworks**=


 * Kritios Boy-** This sculture is one of the first examples of the Early Classical Period. Kritios Boy is a more relaxed and life-like sculpture then the Archaic kouroi. This sculpture has softly rounded body forms, broad facial features and a calmer expression. As you can see in the picture on the left, his weight is all on his left leg, and he has a simpler smile, compared to the artwork in the Archaic Period. From the side view of Kritios Boy you see very enhanced hips. Overall, Kritios Boy is an example of a much more realistic person from this time period. This sculpture is the beginning of contrapposto, which is the convention of presenting standing figures with opposing alternations of tension and relaxation around a central axis. As you can see there is a slight tilt in his head which makes the person viewing this sculpture follow the gaze of Kritios Boy and view the sculture from all angles.


 * Charioteer-** This life size bronze statue, cast around 470 BCE is called the Charioteer and was found in Apollo's sanctuary in Delphi. The face of the Charioteer is very much idealized, but the face preserves the likeness of an individual. This is like Kritios Boy because of the way that the head is slightly turned to the right. His eyes makes the person viewing the statue feel very intense and it almost looks as if the Charioteer can see through your eyes. He is dressed in a long robe which is highly idealized, and makes him look more three-dimensional.


 * Riace Warrior-** The warrior to the left has a balance between idealized smoothness and the reproduction of details observed from nature, for example the swelling vains on the back of his hands. The use of contrapposto is used in the sculture even more then Kritios Boy. This sculture looks very life-like and is very detailed, particulary the face where his eyes stand out. Another interesting aspect of this artwork is how the youthfulness of his body blends with the masculine features such as his beard.

=Sources=

Stokstad, Marilyn. //Art History//. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2008. Print.

[]

"Greek Sculpture Early Classical Period: History, Reliefs, Pedimental." //Art Encyclopedia: Visual Arts Guide To European, Irish, American Painting & Sculpture: Greatest Artists, Best Museums, History of Art Movements, Renaissance//. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. .