From Archaic to Hellenistic

Today I decided to look at the transformation that took place between the Archaic and Hellenistic periods by comparing two sculptures, one from each time period.

Cleobis (Kleobis) and Biton by Polymedes of Argon circa 580BC

http://www.travelingsolemates.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/13-Marble-Statues-of-the-Argive-heroes-Cleobis-Biton-Museum-of-Delphi-Greece.jpg

These two statues are often referred to as one. They are usually either called “The Greek Twins” or “Cleobis (Kleobis) and Biton”.

“In the legend, Kleobis and Biton were Argives, the sons of Cydippe, a priestess of Hera. Cydippe was travelling from Argos to a festival in honor of Argive Hera. The oxen which were to pull her cart were overdue and her sons, Kleobis and Biton, pulled the cart the entire way (45 stadia, or 8.3 km/5.1 miles). Cydippe was impressed with their devotion to her and her goddess and she prayed to Hera, asking her to give her children the best gift a god could give to a mortal. Hera ordained that the brothers would die in their sleep, and after the feast the youths lay down in the temple of Hera, slept and never woke. Herodotus, who relates the story, says that the citizens of Argos donated a pair of statues to the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleobis_and_Biton

The Archaic period in Greece came right after the Greek Dark Ages where everything was lost – even the language, so the one could say that the archaic period was somewhat like the Renaissance period later on in history. Like so many Greek statues, the kouroi are naked except for boots which may identify them as travelers. The proportions of the bodies are very well laid out, however the details are very minimal. The face is very triangular, and the hair doesn’t look real at all as the curls are modeled one by one and they are quite large so much so that there are only three on each side of the head. The sides transition into the front so abruptly that there is almost an edge. The ears are somewhat too large for the head as is the head compared to the neck. The torso might be considered too short in proportion to the total length. It is particularly interesting to note the shape of the knees. They are triangular and almost indented into the full leg.

Now let’s take a look at how the style of representing the human body transformed in the space of 550 years:

 

Laocoon and His Sons by Agesander, Athenodorus & Polydorus of Rhodes. 25BC

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Laocoon_Pio-Clementino_Inv1059-1064-1067.jpg

“The most detailed description of Laocoön's grisly fate was provided by Quintus Smyrnaeus in Posthomerica, a later, literary version of events following the Iliad. According to Quintus, Laocoön begged the Trojans to set fire to the horse to ensure it was not a trick. Athena, angry with him and the Trojans, shook the ground around Laocoön's feet and painfully blinded him. The Trojans, watching this unfold, assumed Laocoön was punished for the Trojans' mutilating and doubting Sinon, the undercover Greek soldier sent to convince the Trojans to let him and the horse inside their city walls. Thus, the Trojans wheeled the great wooden Horse in. Laocoön did not give up trying to convince the Trojans to burn the horse, and Athena makes him pay even further. She sends two giant sea serpents to strangle and kill him and his two sons. In another version of the story, it was said that Poseidon sent the sea serpents to strangle and kill Laocoön and his two sons.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laoco%C3%B6n 

The Hellenistic period, as I said before, came roughly 550 years after the Archaic period, it was the age when the sculptors were looking back at the work of the sculptors that came before them and were looking to create the same affect in a better way and developing new techniques. Again the figures are naked, which was the style in the Hellenistic period – but in a way, it was also an almost realistic depiction. In Ancient Greece it was very usual for men to walk around without clothes proudly. Here the proportions are, as much as they can be, perfect, and it is very detailed. In my opinion, it’s so detailed that it’s as if the sculptor(s) carved the whole anatomy and then added a layer of skin to cover it. The faces are much longer in shape, like a real face would be. The hair looks much more realistic as the general shape is carved as one whole thing and the details are added later. As opposed to the kouroi, the sides of the faces transition very smoothly into the front, sharp where they should be and soft where they should be. The ears are placed just right and are to the right proportion. The torso is the right length for the overall length of the body. The biggest difference between this and the first sculpture however is in the knees. Whereas before the knees pulled the focus because they were sculpted so ‘badly’ here they blend in because they are done just right, as if they were real, after all no one really notices anyone’s knees unless they are ‘ugly’.