#anavyssos kouros

[casskeeps]

anavyssos kouros

basic information

name: anavyssos kouros (kroisos kouros)

date: 530-520 bce

artist: unknown

function: grave marker

size: just under 2m tall

original, reconstructed or copy: original naxian marble

subject

another kouros ! this lovely lad is not a likeness of the person whose grave he is marking (dead kroisos, whom raging ares destroyed while he was on the front ranks), but is instead a representation of idealised male youth and vitality.

context

i haven't been able to find any specific information to find on which front ranks dead kroisos was fighting, but in the high archaic period, sculptors were becoming much more interested in portraying naturalistic musculature and anatomy, instead of the highly idealised and geometric

composition

the anavyssos kouros' pose is very typical for statues of the period - the left leg forward, with the right just behind. this is also known as the archaic "walking pose", and serves to balance the statue and distribute the weight more evenly - good for a material like marble, which has a low tensile strength. the arms are by the sides with the fists clenched, another typical feature of archaic kouroi.

however, there is a key difference between the anatomy of previous typical archaic kouroi and the anavyssos kouros: the forearms are distorted in order to make the shape follow the curvature of the thighs. this is interesting for a few reaons - some earlier kouroi used a full, distinct bridge between the wrists and the thighs, but the sculptor of this kouros has chosen to only bridge the gap between the arms and the thighs at the medial phalanges - this makes the support much less obvious, enabling the statue to appear much more realistic and lifelike. the musculature of the kouros is also notably more naturalistic than previous sculptures, with its muscular tone being demonstrated by curves and rounded planes, such as the calves and iliac crest. these rounded planes demonstrate a significant step away from the geometricism of earlier sculpture, and the sculptor has paid attention to fine anatomical detail such as the nipples, tear ducts, and navel.

there has been very little development in the content of these statues; even throughout the later periods, nude and idealised men remain a prevalent subject in greek art, particularly in free-standing sculpture. this may be due to the difficulties in portraying narratives in isolated free standing sculpture.

the anavyssos kouros has quite an enigmatic expression; the archaic smile remains a staple of archaic art, but the mouth does not curve upwards as would be properly expected in a smile. instead, the anavyssos kouros' mouth has pronounced mesolabial folds - expected from manipulation of the muscles surrounding the mouth, but the lips of the kouros remain straight. the eyes are wide, large, and open, with similar large painted irises to the peplos kore, but do not protrude from the head markedly.

the sculpture is well-proportioned; while the musculature is clearly idealised, the overall proportions remain clearly balanced.

stylistic features

there is more distinct stylised depiction of human forms in his hair - he has typical hair for a kouros, a symmetrical arrangement of beaded braids with volute curls around the hairline.

the archaic smile makes yet another appearance, and the large eyes continue from earlier statues, however there has been significant development in the presentation of the face. the features are less over-emphasised, which makes the overall balance of the features much more naturalistic and aesthetically pleasing.

scholars

woodford: "curved masses suggestive of soft flesh rather than hard stone"

boardman: "life was beginning to be as important a factor as geometry"

osborne: "the male body has been enriched by moulding, rather than simply inscribing, anatomical features"

extra sources

smarthistory (dr bulger)

online reading

[eddy25960]

Tres Kouroi ático

La imagen humana de tamaño real entró en el arte griego con estatuas de mujeres jóvenes (korai) y hombres (kouroi) entre los siglos VII y VI antes de Cristo.

Tres Kouroi ático desde 540-530 BC

Figura 1 - el llamado Apolo de Mónaco en mármol pario - h 2.08 m - Glyptothèque de Munich, D

Figura 2 - Kouros Volomandra - mármol parisino - h 180 cm - Museo Arqueológico Nacional de Atenas

Figura 3 - Kouros Anavyssos en mármol parisino - 194 cm - Museo Arqueológico Nacional de Atenas - Desde la Antigua Grecia por Furio Durando

[deathlessathanasia]

“But this is the very meaning of the name Ares, the "Destroyer," a name derived from an ancient abstract noun denoting the throng of battle. The god Ares is the god War, rather than the god of war, a dark personification of manslaughter and murderous battle whose companions are Φοβος and Δειμος, "Fear" and "Terror." Fierce and insatiable, Ares was unloved by his own father, by most other gods, as well as by most ancient Greeks, who rarely honored him with a temple cult or sacrificed to him except while waging war. In fact, one of the only places where Ares is often referred to with respect, as well as fear, is in the numerous inscriptions that accompanied the grave markers of those who fell in battle, as in the eloquent epigram of the famous funerary kouros found in Attica at Anavyssos: "Stay and mourn at the monument for the dead Kroisos whom violent Ares destroyed, fighting in the front rank."

Ares' status as one of the twelve Olympian gods is owed almost entirely to Homer, who is also responsible for most of what little mythology we have concerning the god War. The poet, however, was no friend to Ares. In the Iliad, for example, he repeatedly presents the war god to great disadvantage, in contrast to the beloved Athena. In the Theomachy (II. 20.48-53), when the goddess lets forth a great battle cry on the Greek side, she is answered by Ares in the form of a dark storm cloud bellowing forth from the Trojan citadel and from the banks of the river Simoeis. In Iliad 15.110-142, the god Ares, sworn to avenge his dead son Askalaphos, is rebuked by Athena, who takes away his armor and forces him to sit quietly in a chair. Later, in Iliad 21.391-433, Athena and Ares clash in the battle of the gods. Ares hurls his spear in vain against Athena's aegis, which yields not even to the thunderbolt of Zeus, and the goddess answers with a stone to his neck, causing him to measure seven hundred (Greek) feet in the dust. For Homer, Ares embodies all that is most hateful in war, while the glory of victory is reserved instead for the mighty Athena Areia. This Homeric polarity between Ares and Athena is also reflected on an unusual black-figured amphora in Richmond, dated ca. 500 B.C. and attributed to the Diosphos Painter, that highlights only the two fiully armed, warlike deities in a powerful centrifugal composition. Here the viewer is invited to compare Ares and Athena and to contemplate their different emphases. Violent Ares surely strikes an aggressive pose with spear raised. He moves energetically to the left, but his face is obscured by his shield and is therefore left to the viewer's imagination. Athena also assumes a combative posture with her protective aegis fully extended and her spear raised. An impressive figure wearing an Attic helmet that reveals her face, she strides confidently to the right-the direction of movement in Greek battle scenes that is usually associated with the victorious..”

- Interlaced Fingers and Knotted Limbs: The Hostile Posture of Quarrelsome Ares on the Parthenon Frieze, Ann M. Nicgorski

[historyandmysteries1]

This is kouros statue was made from Parian marble and is dated around 530 BC. Originally found in Anavyssos in Athens, it was stolen and taken to France before being returned to Greece in 1937. The kouros was a funerary statue which stood on top of the grave of Kroisos that bore the inscription: ‘Stop and mourn at the grave of dead Kroisos, whom the raging Ares destroyed when he fought among the defenders.’ The kouros stands with one leg forward and his body is powerful and articulate with an emphasis on the musculature. Traces of red paint are visible on his hair. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgwiSqN7-M/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[theladyfae]

someone needs to stop me before I start making memes of the statues on my greek art syllabus

[lionofchaeronea]

The "Kroisos kouros" (Parian marble), so named because, according to the inscription on its base, it stood atop the grave of one Kroisos, who was destroyed by "raging Ares". Artist unknown; ca. 530 BCE. Found at Anavyssos, Attica; stolen and taken to France, then subsequently repatriated (1937); now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Photo credit: Jerónimo Roure Pérez (Dorieo), Wikimedia Commons (License CC-BY-SA 4.0).

[diefarbendeslebens]

07/08/2020

—Por favor, semejante dios heleno moderno es mío.

—Dios heleno moderno. Y con tatuajes.

—De ahí el moderno, cariño. ¿Por qué me boicoteas los piropos?

— Porque eres una exagerada y no soy para tanto.

— Tú no entiendes de arte, tienes que dejar a los expertos en la materia y fiarte de ellos. Que para eso son expertos.

— ¿Sí? Pues a ver. Cuéntame como si fuera una obra de arte.

—Como si fueras no; eres, vamos a matizar. Lo mejor de todo es que tú no eres estático, porque ahí es donde está la magia. Porque cuando normalmente miras una obra de arte, ves las diferentes perspectivas de algo quieto, pero evidentemente tú no. Así que, vas cambiando las muecas y las expresiones como es lo más lógico del mundo, pero que a mí me encanta. Bueno, las tristes no me gustan, pero es normal. Aun así, hay que aceptarlas igual que hay obras que son más tristes que otras según los colores, por ejemplo. Y lo bueno del dinamismo que tú tienes no es solo a mi alrededor o alrededor de mi cuerpo cuando me abrazas o me acaricias, sino cuando estás en tu propio mundo con la guitarra o el piano y tienes una dimensión nueva. ¿Qué pasa si juntamos arte con otras expresiones artísticas? Hay dos resultados. O bien la combinación es un puto desastre y un caos que nadie entiende, o bien es la combinación perfecta. Ponte: música y escritura. Es una combinación que queda tremendamente maravillosa y que se influyen entre ellas. Pues lo mismo tú cuando estás con tu mundo o universo, ya no sabría cómo decirlo. Ahora bien: la gran ventaja que tú tienes frente a otras obras de arte es precisamente lo que no se ve. Se te podrá comparar con una escultura, con una figura de un cuadro, y quizás por una estúpida regla de medidas no salgas ganando. Pero ahí es donde entra lo que llevas por dentro, que no es poco precisamente. Y bien se pueden ir retirando todas las representaciones de dioses y héroes mitológicos por muy perfectos que puedan ser. Tú eres real, eso gana por goleada.

02/11/2021

🎧 More – Sam Ryder

«𝙰𝚛𝚝𝚎

𝙳𝚎𝚕 𝚕𝚊𝚝. 𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜, 𝚢 𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚌𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚕 𝚐𝚛. τέχνη 𝚝é𝚌𝚑𝚗ē.

𝚖. 𝚘 𝚏. 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚒ó𝚗 𝚍𝚎 𝚕𝚊 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎 𝚕𝚊 𝚌𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊 𝚕𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚘 𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚖𝚊 𝚕𝚘 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚍𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚜 𝚙𝚕á𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚜, 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐üí𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚜 𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚘𝚜.»

Existen tantas interpretaciones del arte como personas pensantes hay en este mundo. Desde la más culta en la materia hasta la más ignorante en este mundo. Para algunos, Picasso es un genio con todos sus periodos de cubismo; para otros, sus obras no tienen ningún sentido. Kandinsky se puede considerar demasiado estrambótico; el Kouros de Anavyssos puede ser una escultura demasiado simple; la esfinge de Giza quizás solo sea un animal fantástico. Sin embargo, todos tienen algo en común: son representaciones de lo que para sus autores y la cultura en la que se encuentran se considera arte. Podremos entenderlo o no, pero eso no le quita que en todo el mundo se le haya considerado como algo artístico y representativo.

El arte ha ido renovándose y evolucionando desde que existe el tiempo. Desde las primeras pinturas rupestres, que aún siguen siendo cierto misterio para los expertos, hasta los murales artísticos que decoran cualquier rincón de una ciudad. Busca siempre ser diferente a lo que ya ha sido, busca nuevas figuras y formas de expresión; busca conmover cada vez de formas más diversas y que supongan una sorpresa para quienes lo observan. Es cambiante, dinámico, nunca es lo mismo y no deja a nadie indiferente.

En la antigua Grecia, el arte tenía nueve musas como divinidades inspiradoras para cada especialidad. A mí solo me hace falta una sola persona para recoger todo el arte que puede brotar de mí.

Hace un año lo definí como una obra de arte a mis ojos y pude encontrar las plabras para hacerlo. Sin embargo, después de dos años conociéndole, estoy intentando determinar cómo es capaz de hacerlo. Cómo es capaz de cambiar y de sorprenderme con el paso del tiempo, de renovarse y evolucionar, de mejorar en todo lo que hace; de no someterse a lo que está establecido y seguir buscando nuevas formas de expresarse; de revelarse contra cualquier convencionalidad que pueda existir porque no quiere seguir la corriente. Y aún estoy intentando determinar cómo es que solo él puede hacer que quiera pintarle con todos los colores que existen o inventarme los míos propios para hacerle justicia; cómo es que solo él consigue que me salgan las palabras exactas de cada poema que escribo y de los que él es la inspiración; cómo es que solo él me haga cantar e ir en busca de su música; cómo es que solo él hace que de mí salgan más y más fotografías en las que el protagonista sea él. Pero solo me queda seguir observándole de cerca, dejando que me revuelva la vida y la llene de melodías, palabras y colores que jamás pensé encontrar, y haciéndolo cada vez más y más. Dándome más días, más risas, más vida, más amor del que nunca pensé que llegaría a sentir.

Igual que los más sabios estudiosos del arte quizás nunca hallen respuesta a cuál fue el origen del arte, o qué nos mueve a expresarnos de diversas maneras más allá de lo que la expresión lingüística puede hacerlo, sé que nunca podré hallar respuesta a todas mis preguntas. Sé que por mucho que me lo estudie, por mucho que sepa de memoria cada detalle de lo que supone, jamás podré conocerlo al completo porque siempre me sorprenderá de una manera u otra. Sé que siempre me llevará por caminos que no conozca y descubra nuevos detalles en él, pequeños matices que solo los mejores observadores son capaces de captar en cada obra de arte.

Claro que a mí también me gusta sorprenderle. Incluso aunque solo sea exponiendo mis fotografías de él delante de un centenar de personas para que el mundo pueda ver el mismo arte que veo yo cada día.

Tan real, ganando por goleada a cualquier idealización artística.

2/2. Ealain. 2021. London.

[enchiridion-panos]

Anavyssos

The Anavyssos Kouros, marker of the grave of Kroisos; c. 530. Athens, National Museum 3851.

Stop and mourn beside

the tomb of dead Kroisos, whom,

fighting in the forefront,

furious Ares destroyed.9

CEG 27; Kaltsas 2002, 58 (no. 69); Kissas 2000, 54–55 (A 20);  Boardman 1991b, fig. 107. The statue stood on a three-stepped base, of which only the middle step (the one engraved with the epitaph) survives.

[katieedwardsfmp]

Free standing sculpture - men during the Archaic period

Kleobids and Biton

 Aristodikos kouros

Anavyssos kouros

New York Kouros

[biosplease-blog]

Kouros of Kroisos (Anavyssos), 530-520 aC 

[casskeeps]

aristodikos kouros

basic information

name: aristodikos kouros

date: 510-500 bce (very late archaic)

artist: unknown

function: grave marker

size: just under 2m

original, reconstructed, or copy: original, parian marble

subject matter

as per most archaic kouroi, we assume that the aristodikos kouros is not a likeness of the person whose grave he marked. as typical for kouroi, he is a nude male fiugre, likely a young adult; the kouros appears to depict an idealised athletic male figure.

context

we are at the end of the archaic period here !! this kouros represents one of the major shifts in the attitudes in greek art - this is where sculptors started to realise that highly rigid poses and more naturalistic forms don't mix particularly well.

composition

the pose of this statue is still very much typical of a kouros; the archaic "walking pose" prevails, and the arms are still firmly at the sides. this pose looks uncomfortably stiff - much more so than it seems for earlier, more abstractly represented sculpture. this detracts from the naturalism of the statue as there is a disconnect between the less naturalistic pose and the more realistic anatomy.

the aristodikos kouros demonstrates much more anatomical accuracy and understanding than earlier kouroi; the muscles are more accurately placed, and complex forms are created using rounded and curved planes instead of incisions. this is particularly evident in the depiction of the shins; the sculptor has precisely carved out the shin bone, allowing it to appear as an independent anatomical form from the calf. the facial anatomy, although damaged, also demonstrates a much more developed understanding of the human body, especially in the soft curve of the jaw, which appears closer to early classical statues than earlier archaic kouroi. there is one point of interest that is particularly unique, however, and that is the star-shaped figure on his groin. it adds a little bit of visual interest and flair to the statue without distracting significantly from the rest of the anatomy.

again, the nude male figure prevails! aristodikos is again an athletic male figure, although slightly less curvacious than the anavyssos kouros.

we can't make out much of his facial expression due to him being run over by a plough, but the amount that we can see appears serene and relaxed - the archaic smile is starting to lose its chokehold on sculpture.

the proportions of this statue are mostly well balanced, which realistic musculature and width of limbs. the head is undersized slightly, but this does not detract massively from the statue.

stylistic features

we are leaving behind the traditions of the archaic period and starting to give way to the early classical schools of art; aristodikos displays very few abstract shapes that are not clearly intended, and his anatomy is largely realistic, without the common struggles of insectoid and oversized eyes.

scholars

osborne, re: grave markers: "those who pass by ... find in the smiling but stony gaze an image of theiir own mortality".

woodford: "looks so much like a living man that the way he stands now appears unnaturally stiff"

extra information

runshaw classics

[kondavanelos]

"Το να είσαι ικανός να γεμίσεις τον ελεύθερο χρόνο σου ευφυώς είναι το τελευταίο προϊόν του πολιτισμού και, προς το παρόν, ελάχιστοι άνθρωποι έχουν φτάσει σ’ αυτό το επίπεδο." 🌐🌐🌐 Μπέρτραντ Ράσελ. (στην τοποθεσία Kouros surf club Anavyssos) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzC7MdnC2fW/?igshid=ebjdnehk3psb

[evilpenguinrika]

Final - Art + Archaeology ; COMPARE/CONTRAST: Greek Edition

Sarcophagus, Haiga Triada, Crete

1400 BCE / Post-Palatial

Limestone

Near-Eastern / Egyptian influence

Offering to the Gods on a safe passage to life after death / underworld

Funerary procession

Geometric shapes

Filling in the spaces

Anavyssos Kouros, Anavyssos

530 BCE

Marble

Stil has that stiff / awkward posture

Ringlet bangs

Bead-like hair

Wearing a cap

Very naked

Archaic smile / arete

Emphasis on the smile

Dedication

Phrasiklea, Athens

540 BCE

Created by Artisan of Paros

Marble

Natural-esque post

Hair still bead-like

Emphasis on the eyes

Funeral dedication from the woman’s family -> she was unmarried, but will maybe marry after death ?

Possibly painted

Aphrodite of Knidos, Kos

350 BCE

By Praxiteles

First sculpture to showcase the naked woman form -> though first sculpture of a Goddess

Aphrodite was the Goddess of sex, love, beauty ; very fitting that she is shown like this

Aphrodite is naked in a modest way

This sculpture was the first to continue the chain of other future naked sculptures of Aphrodite

Was also meant to be seen from all around

Apoxyomenos (the scraper)

330 BCE

By Lysippos

An athlete in his natural habitat -> bathing + getting the nasty gunk off of him

Not showcasing an athlete doing athletic stuff

Normalizing everyday life for people, even athletes

Great Altar, Pergamon

175 ~ 150 BCE

Pergamon considers themselves to be “New Athens” so they built an altar to show that

Altar to Zeus

Decorative enclosure -> sculpture of frieze out / inside ; out: Titans vs Olympian ; in: Telephus (founder of the Attalid Dynasty)

Telephus frieze has the different stages in his life and what he’s doing