Transcript the kritios boy

THE KRITIOS BOY
THE BASICS
three-quarter life-sized figure 1.17m tall.
 made from Parian marble.
 dated around 485 BC at the start of the
Early Classical Period.
 ‘he’ was found buried on the Akropolis to
avoid being captured by the Persians
when they invaded Athens in 480BC.
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remains of bird-droppings
on the head show that it
was in the open.
 the sculpture shows what
the athletic ideal would
have been for the youth.
 it may have been an offering from a victorious
Athenian athlete.
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MALE KOUROI
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Kritios Boy very similar to Archaic
male nude figures known as male
kouroi.
these nude youths were used as
funerary monuments.
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stood erect,
their arms by their sides,
with one foot advancing,
their weight evenly disturbed.
early figures very geometrical.
later figures become more natural as
the sculptors acquired a fuller
knowledge of the structure of the
human anatomy.
HAIR
does not hang long
and loose.
 the hair is plaited
and is wound
around the head.
 odd wisps and curls
of hair at the back
of the neck.
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FACE
has lost the earlier smile
and has a serious
expression.
 eyes were inlaid and are
now missing.
 thick nose.
 big chin.
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BODY
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strict frontality has been
abandoned
head is slightly turned to the
right.
the hips and shoulders slant.
the spine has a sideward
curve.
horizontal pectoral muscles.
LEGS
weight is mainly on
the left leg.
 right knee slightly
bent.
 right leg advancing
slightly forward.
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