Bronze Statue Of A Man

In the Greek section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art stands a Bronze Statue of a Man. The statue is from Greece and was made in the mid 2nd to 1st century BC. This date categorizes the piece as Hellenistic Greek in style. The man is seventy-three inches tall and his artist is unknown. The Bronze Statue of a Man depicts a man standing with one arm stretched forward. He is standing in elegant contrapposto; he is placing more weight into his back, left leg and slightly bending his right leg. His feet are angled differently–his right foot turned out and his left foot facing forward–in order to convey motion in the man’s stillness. This stance suggests a balanced, lifelike position. Above the man’s legs his arms also lay in a similar, naturalistic

Movement in art is defined by the implied actions of the piece and the way the lines of the piece work to evoke the idea of motion despite being stagnant. The Bronze Statue of a Man is displaying vast amounts of movement not only through his contrapposto stance, but also through the way his himation flows. The curving lines of the man’s drapes increase this by framing and emphasizing the dynamic stance his body is already in. Though these are characteristics of Hellenistic art, heightened motion and the use of contrapposto were also ideals in Classical Greek art. This piece is not Classical, however, because the rules of how to properly represent motion and how to use contrapposto were not strictly followed. Classical art greatly focused on perfection and idealized figures, this was reflected in the use of movement and contrapposto in their pieces. In contrast, Hellenistic art and the Bronze Statue of a Man both displayed more freedom in the use of contrapposto and the display of movement. The Bronze Statue of a Man differs from these conventions by dramatizing the balance of weight between each of his feet. Additionally, this piece displayed a more Hellenistic stance because the man’s position is naturalistic as opposed to the idealistic stances of Classical art. In the move from the Classical Greek period to Hellenistic Greece, there was a shift in focus from beauty and

The sculpture was an honorific piece–it was intended to be “awarded by the city-state or ruler” and was the “highest honor that a city could offer." This significant purpose of the sculpture is shown clearly through the piece and proves to explain many of its features. The man is standing strongly and eloquently in order to portray that he is important and respected. This intent suggests that one reason the man lacks the intense emotion of Hellenistic art is because he was not meant to be depicted as dramatic in the way of feelings, but instead he was instead meant to be seen as dramatically esteemed. The desire to honor the man being portrayed also serves to explain the fact that the man is not nude, unlike many other Hellenistic sculptures. By being wrapped in a himation the man’s physical body is not the focus of the piece and is not required to be ideal. Instead, the man’s actions are the primary concern of the statue. Hellenistic art flourished during a Greek period of time in which history and theater were prominent aspects of society. This presence allowed new depictions of gods like Aphrodite to emerge and also for new, diverse subject matter to be represented in Greek art. Though this specific piece was made for honorary purposes, it displays this concept of Hellenistic art. The sculpture of the man is not presenting an idealized figure, but is instead showing a new,