Greek/Roman Art Doryphoros and Augustus

Greek/Roman Art

Doryphoros And Augustus Of Primiaporta:

comparison/contrast

As a representative of the Argive School of southern ancient Greece, the Doryphoros (original created circa 450 to 440 B.C.E.), was once described by Aristotle as being much more than a statue, for it had "manifested sculpture itself and stands as the embodiment of proportional rationality" for all Greek sculpture of the period (Chase, 1987, 156). As an artist, Polykleitos worked according to a canon of proportions in which he formulated the principles that gave rise to unity in the human form in Greek sculpture. The statue itself is composed of a mighty body with thick, broad shoulders, a thick torso and very muscular limbs which overall reminds one of the Spartan ideal of the warrior physique. Technically, the Doryphoros stresses the principle of weight-shift, for what at first appears to be a casual and natural pose is in fact the result of "an extremely complex and subtle organization of the various parts" of the human male body (Chase, 1987, 157). Overall, Polykleitos has created a work of Greek art which combines realism and physical diversity in a unified design, something which was unheard of during the days of Polykleitos.

In contrast to the Doryphoros, the Augustus of Primaporte, circa 20 B.C.E., is an outstanding example of "the sedate, idealized manner now recognized as Augustan," a reference to the Roman emperor Augustus of the early Roman Empire period. Thus, this marble statue symbolizes Augustus "proclaiming a diplomatic victory to the citizens of Rome" (Kjellberg, 1968, 245).