Statuette of a Youth Greek Art History Paper
Statuette of a Youth
Ancient Greek art set the bar for artists around the world for thousands of years and still does today. Its sophistication peaked during the Classical Period which has been called the “Golden Age” of Greek art. The idea of being able to make the world and people around oneself seem flawless was captured through their art. From the usage of geometric shapes to the idea of symmetry helped to give way to the idea of equilibrium, a balance, to which the Greeks held as one idea of perfection. Many sculptures in Greek art took qualities of a person and made them bigger, stronger, and more beautiful. They took nature broke it down and rebuilt it to make it perfect in the eye of the artist. Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, was always pictured as the perfection of a youthful man. He was strong, handsome, and intelligent. The Statuette of a Youth was a cast bronze sculpture supposedly of the god Apollo. It is from the Early Classical Greek period, made around 470 B.C. The statue depicts the young Greek man reaching out towards something.
The Statuette of a Youth is a typical Greek sculpture; he has one foot forward, one arm down by his side, and a solemn look on his face. This pose is much like that of an archaic sculpture but, there is much more detail and realistic qualities to his form which makes him from the Early Classical period in Greek art. It is similar to the archaic Kouras from Attica in the sense that this pose puts off the impression of strength and of an athlete and he has thick ankles which support and stabilize the statue. Since, this sculpture is supposedly of the god Apollo who was used throughout ancient Greek art as the perfect male form; it is understandable that the statuette has a muscular idyllic build. When taking notes on the sculpture one can still see how geometric shapes are used as the building blocks and the basis of his figure. There is a triangle from the shoulders to the abdomen, cylinders are used for his legs and arms and finger, a sphere for his head, triangles for his nose, and rectangles for his feet; however, they are fluid and there are natural curves to his body. Furthermore, his pose is natural, it is realistic. One can...