The cultural heritage of the period of antiquity left an indelible mark in history, sculpture was an integral part of it. Antique statues and bas-reliefs are endowed with unique beauty and grace, each work of sculptors of that time is now of tremendous value. The surviving masterpieces are exhibited in the most famous museums in the world, a special place among the creations of ancient authors is occupied by images of the male body.
Archaic
The era of antiquity is divided into several smaller stages, therefore, in the sculpture of different periods, fundamental differences are observed. The sculptures of the archaic period were depicted mainly young, full of strength and naked. One of the few surviving statues dates back to the 7th century BC. - Cleobis and Beaton. The position of the bodies is devoid of dynamics and resembles the Egyptian sculptures of ancient gods and pharaohs: one leg is slightly extended forward, the look is straight, the torso is devoid of relief. However, even during this period, in the form of statues, priorities were felt in the canons of fashion and beauty of the male body.
Another statue of the archaic period exhibited in the Museum of Munich - Apollo Tineysky. It shows the same gross masculine traits as in previous statues. A feature of the art of that time was the "archaic smile", which looked rather unnatural, but was one of the first stages of the evolution of ancient Greek sculpture. Looking at these statues, we can confidently say that long hair was in fashion, a low forehead and a sporty physique were appreciated. No adornments, hats and other items of clothing are observed on the statues, from which we can conclude that the sculptors wanted to emphasize the beauty of the male naked body and did not attach importance to the small details.
Early classic period
In the period of the early classical period of antiquity (V-VI century BC), detailing of faces, relief and body dynamics are observed, as well as clothes appear on many statues. The statues of the national Greek heroes Garmody and Aristogiton demonstrate the creator's desire to show the energy of the sculptures: arms raised, ready to stab the tyrant, a militant look, tensed muscles, well-drawn veins are visible.
Both sculptures are captured with short haircuts, stern faces without a shadow of a smile, and one of the statues is endowed with a beard. This detail suggests that images of more mature men began to appear in the sculpture.
Male sculptures of the early classics often composed compositions of pediments of temples and palaces. The eastern and western pediments of the temple of Zeus at Olympia are well preserved. Beautiful statues motionlessly froze in motion, the ancient author managed to convey all the fullness, strength and energy of the action. The statue of "Diskobol" looks even more dynamic, if earlier the sculptures were depicted in full growth, then here you can observe a fundamental rejection of the template. It seems that the discus thrower froze in stone, bent over before the throw. The face is courageous, confident and focused. Muscles in action, veins swollen: in a second the disk will be launched.
