Analyzing Ancient Grecian and Roman sculpture - AP Art History

Roman sculpture was originally derived from Greek sculpture, which was highly refined and desired a pleasing aesthetic of minute detail. Roman sculptors took this to another level, by focusing on an extreme realism, which showed every imperfection in their subjects. Romans believed a person sitting for a sculpture portrait wished an honest portrayal that could show their full virility and nobility.

The ancient Greeks saw the male nude form as the ultimate perfection in aesthetics, making it one of the most common subjects of Greek art. One of the key examples of this thought process is "The Dying Gaul," which portrays a dying Gaul, a man who was not Greek, laid out in perfect tension to show his body. This affection for the male nude was picked up by Renaissance and neoclassical artists, as demonstrated by works like Michelangelo's "David."

Based on the figural representation, this sculpture is likely a Greek creation from either the high Classical or Hellenistic period. Take careful note of the nudity, the musculature and the expression on his face, all pointing to Greek dramatic sculpture. That, coupled with the green tinge, suggests the sculpture must be bronze, as that was the material of choice for Greek sculptors.

The piece is Hellenistic, for a number of reasons. First note the hyper-realism of the figure's proportions and body. He is figurally representative of a real man, something the Greeks took pride in. Note also the drama in his face, the anguish of his form. This too would have been connotative of the Hellenistic background of the piece, given the strong desire to depict emotional states in that period. The closest answer, therefore, is the fourth century in Greece.

First take note of the form and composition of the piece. The boxer has correct proportions- he is idealized and athletic. All of the answers allude to this. Take special note, though, of his emotional appearance. He is not stoic, and certainly not sultry. And since the use of bronze is not novel for Hellenistic Greece, the answer must be that he is in anguish, though perfectly moulded.

The piece is most definitely Greek in origin, given its bronze make and athletic depiction of man. The man is idealized and muscular, beautiful after the Hellenistic fashion. Like many of the Greek piece of the time, he is an athlete, meant to demonstrate the power of the human form at its finest. He is not, though, the Discobolus, Greek for discus- thrower.

The Greeks have always been fascinated with the human form, but it isn't until the High Classical period that one begins to see true idealism. There is a fascination with the musculature of man and how he looks in motion. There is a particular interest also in the male form depicted at his most beautiful. In fact, the musculature of the Boxer is impossible; he is flexing opposing muscles while at rest, something a human can't do but sculptors took liberty with in order to demonstrate the idealism in the power of the form.

The work depicts not a god but a man, and therefore would not have been in a temple. His form is athletic and he is nude, as male athletes would likely have been, but would not have been appropriate for an open public space. He's made of bronze and therefore likely too expensive for any patron other than the state. This leaves the gymnasium as a likely home, especially given it was a place of learning and fitness where only men could go.

The Greeks, especially Athenian Greeks, were accepting of practicing male homosexuals as it was often seen as a venture of the stronger sexes with no interference from the women. Athletics especially were a medium of this expression. This translates into Greek art wherein male athletes depict the same homoerotic undertones that would have colored the actual event in much the same way.

High classical sculptors in the Greek tradition were more interested in the male form and its depiction in motion than expressing a particular emotional quality. Statues of the classical tradition were known for their muscular frames but a disinterest in the face. The expression was largely blank, meant to direct focus on the body instead.

The boxer is not carved from stone; he is not carved at all. The sculptor used the lost wax process wherein the piece is made from bronze. Note the green tinge, indication of the oxidation of the metal. This is standard for all Greek pieces (it was the Romans who coped classical works using marble instead of metal).

Most figures in the Greek artistic tradition were nude, especially the men. It was meant not only to demonstrate the form in motion (best seen in the nude) but also as a mark of tradition. Athletes competed nude in Greece, even boxers. The sculptor wouldn't have had a reference as to what he would wear, anyway.

The archaic tradition in Greece was the first time Greeks expressed interest in the human form and its musculature; however, those statues originated not in Greece but in Egypt, where the Ka statues represented the dead and were the first recorded instances of upright human figures that were almost anatomically correct.

The development of deep drillwork, which made the "corkscrew" curls of this portrait possible, occurred during the Flavian dynasty (Roman Early Imperial.)

Image: Portrait bust of a young Flavian woman, potentially Julia, daughter of Titus. Marble. c. 80-90 BCE. See page for author \[CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)\], via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matronalivia2.jpg.

Greek and Roman sculpture, especially large-scale monumental works, was usually made out of marble. Needing fine skill and technical ability, marble was also imposing and costly, demonstrating the value of the work carved from the material. While generally perceived as finished when viewed as plain white marble, Roman sculptors finished their works with a brightly colored layer of paint to give fine detail to the sculpture.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue-Augustus.jpg

Contrapposto was the signature pose used in Greek and, through Grecian influence, Roman statuary. Literally the Italian for “counter-pose,” The sculpture of The Augustus of Prima Porta follows contrapposto perfectly. Augustus has one foot in front of the other, with his shoulders turned to face the viewer, creating tension and movement in the overall pose of the figure but a relaxed posture in the subject.

The Etruscan civilization flourished between about 800 and 200 BCE in the northern Italian peninsula. As represented by this work, the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, Etruscans created large scale sculptures in terra cotta that were remarkable images of human figures, especially in funerary monuments such as this piece. Etruscan art was highly influential on Roman art, particularly after the Roman Empire generally overtook the Etruscan lands in Northern Italy.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louvre-Lens\_-\_Les\_Étrusques\_et\_la\_Méditerranée\_-\_191\_-\_Paris,\_musée\_du\_Louvre,\_DAGER,\_Cp\_5194\_(Sarcophage\_des\_Époux)\_(A).JPG

The Etruscan sculpture The Sarcophagus of the Spouses presents a married couple, lounging in an embrace at a dinner or a party. As this is a funerary monument, this pose is supposed to represent the lasting image of the couple, which indicates that this couple and Etruscan society in general greatly valued genuine affection between married couples. This kind of pose stands in stark contrast to Greek and Roman sculpture which often presented subjects in stern poses and also tended to separate men and women.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louvre-Lens\_-\_Les\_Étrusques\_et\_la\_Méditerranée\_-\_191\_-\_Paris,\_musée\_du\_Louvre,\_DAGER,\_Cp\_5194\_(Sarcophage\_des\_Époux)\_(A).JPG

Greek sculpture evolved as the people did, going from a stylized figure with Eastern tendencies and aesthetic qualities to a more natural, highly realistic sculpted figure. Though answers three of the answers have vocabulary related to the Greek aesthetic, they represent a de-evolution of Greek figure studies. The correct answer choice is the only one whose chronology is correct. This question tests a student's ability to recognize large patterns within aesthetic traditions while associating important words with the culture: contrapossto, anthropomorphized, and stylized are all features of Greek sculpture a student needs to recognize. The trick in this question is for the student to frame this vocabulary, and the movements they represent, within the histories they are a part of in a chronologically accurate way.