STATUE OF A YOUTH (KOUROS): THE KRITIOS KOUROS
Classification
Dimensions
136 x 35 x 30 cm
Date
early 20th century
Period
Material
Iconography
Inventory
Ag.367
ID
Hyp-6752
The statue of the youth is separated from Archaic period kouros figures by a significant innovation: the weight of the body is not distributed evenly between the two legs. The boy rests chiefly on the left leg, which completely changes his posture. The hip is not horizontal, and the shoulders turn in the opposite direction. The antagonistic movements derive from one another, resulting in a balanced posture. The head does not look straight ahead anymore, but is turned slightly to the side; the archaic smile is gone. The statue is one of the earliest representatives of sculpture in the early Classical period, the so-called Severe style. It may have been created by Kritios, one of the greatest sculptors of the time.
