The Greek classical age of art portrayed the first statues where human anatomy was considered significant enough to intricately celebrate in stone and bronze. Exemplifying this principle, Myron sculpted the ancient Greek statue Discobolus, “The Discus Thrower”. This three-dimensional figure caught in action emerged as a modern thought of the time, contrasting with the fixed, rigid positions of previous sculptures. Preceding art works glorified the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece; yet this statue was one of the first sculptures that portrayed human achievement and appearance as admirable. This new-found appreciation triggered studies of the human body to be developed for the first time, later leading to revelations in scientific studies. Statues also focused on the importance of religion and faith by bringing gods to life through the construction of vast and elaborate depictions of significant motifs. Society during this era exhibited the rise of democracy and philosophy which influenced much of the art. Take for example the faces of classic Greek statues that deliver a constant lack of expression. These stoic facial expressions were the result of a societal belief: noble and civilized men suppressed their emotions while barbarians openly displayed their own. During this era, Aristotle’s philosophical ideals contributed the importance of logic and reason, which mirrored in art and societal life. The prominent, bold sculptures of ancient Greece display the freedom of artistic expression and the development of a society based on every man's dignity and determination.
The concept of merging together the concepts of man and sculpture within this response are quite intriguing,however, it appears that they fall flat and almost paradoxical at some points due to, ironically, overall ambiguity. Such ambiguity can be linked to the connection of the stoic, expressionless faces of ancient sculptures, and the concept of freedom of expression. Was it really a show of freedom of expression if there was no expression to be found? Other such ambiguity can be found in your statement of philosophic ideals, which due to some grammatical mishaps seems to suggest that art and societal life equal logic and reason, versus containing such human characteristics. Your comparison between the Greek enlightened citizen and barbarian is thought provoking due to the similarities that can be found with other such large, educated cultures, such as the Ancient Chinese. However another logical jump, dealing with democracy's overall effect in the arts, is not expanded on at all by the example. This concept of democracy you present seems reminiscent of simple education and aristocracy, and would have made this piece amazing if it was expanded upon. Overall a very fine piece, with a well strung, yet objective assisting commentary, that makes it (mostly) easy to follow, and allow for incredible insight into Greek sculpture that the layman may otherwise be deficient of.
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