Masterpieces of Classical Greek Sculpture: Canon and Contrapposto

Hermes with Infant Dionysus

Author: Praxiteles
Chronology: Fourth century BC (350–330 BC)
Style: Post-Classical Greek
Typology: Free-standing sculpture
Material: Original marble
Topic: Mythological
Location: The original location is unknown and the work is lost. There are several copies of human life. This one is a work in situ.

Laocoön and His Sons

Authors: Agesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus. (The sculpture was created by these three artists.)
Chronology: III–II century BC
Style: Hellenistic Greek (Second Classic, Post-Classical style)
Typology: Free-standing sculpture
Material: Original bronze (lost). Roman copy in marble.
Topic: Mythological
Location: Current: Vatican Museum. The original was found in Rome, in Nero's Domus Aurea. The original location is not preserved. The discovery in 1507 revealed an adaptation to the Domus Aurea.

Formal Analysis: Diadumenos (Polykleitos)

Material and Technique

• The existing work is a Roman copy in marble of an original bronze sculpture created using the lost-wax technique. (This technique was used to save material.)
• Polykleitos worked primarily with metal, especially bronze, but also utilized gold and ivory (chryselephantine technique).
• Because this is a copy in marble, we must imagine the sculpture without the supporting tree trunk. Without the trunk, the sculpture gains dynamism and subtlety.

Significance of the Work

The significance of this work is important for two main reasons:

1. The Polykleitan Canon

   Polykleitos wrote a treatise named Canon, which focused on anatomical rationality. This meant the artist worked not only with their hands but also on an intellectual level. This idea was adopted during the Renaissance. The Canon linked beauty with perfect number and proportion. The Canon stated:

   • The height of the body was seven heads.
   • The face must be divided into three equal parts (forehead, nose, and chin).
   • Beauty should be found in the harmonious proportion of body parts: a finger should be based on the proportion of a hand, the hand of the arm, the arm of the torso, etc.

   Polykleitos demonstrated this ratio in many works, especially in the Doryphoros (The Spear Bearer), which is now lost.

2. Contrapposto

   Contrapposto is the contrast between tense and relaxed areas of the body. The distribution of strength changes from one side to the other as the body rises. This interplay ensures that the shoulders are on the opposite side of the hips in terms of tension.

   It breaks the symmetry and hierarchical stiffness, creating a very stylish curve in the torso and the back.

Naturalism (Mimesis)

The word comes from the Greek mimesis: imitation. This work attempts to mimic nature. It is naturalistic in the position of the body and the muscle definition.

However, the face is not entirely naturalistic, as realism was considered somewhat archaic at the time. The work projects an idealized idea of the human body.

Details of Naturalism

• Head and Expression: The hair is well-defined, and the face is that of a serene and victorious person. The hands are broken, but the figure is supposedly putting a ribbon on his head (the action of the Diadumenos).
• Pose: The position of the body was so naturalistic that it gave the impression of walking. The pose conveys serenity.
• Lines: The sculpture attempts to break symmetry with a diagonal interplay: the hips move in one direction (right) and the shoulder in another (left).