Riace Warrior Statue Analysis

Title The Athenians greatly admired the human form as perhaps no other people had before them. Their preoccupation with physical beauty can be seen in the standards they placed on themselves. Physical perfection was something to strive towards and was showcased in the Olympic games when warriors in peak condition competed naked. It is not surprising that Athenians also had a preoccupation with trying to capture motion in their statues. Their aim was to create statues as human-like as possible to be examples of perfection. One such statue is the Riace Warrior. Created by an unknown sculptor, the Riace Warrior is the personification of Athenian culture. The Athenians were unique in their preference for humanism over imperialism. Unfortunately this excluded equality of race or sex. For Athenians it could be said their beliefs were mirrored in their statues. These statues represented the perfect human form, but more importantly the

For example, the male statue is displayed in the nude, flawless and powerful. The artist also depicted the statue in motion. As mentioned earlier, Athenian’s “were preoccupied with finding ways to represent motion rather than stability in their sculpted figures” (Kleiner, 2013, p. 112). This is clearly evident by the statue’s relaxed posture and clenched hands ready to grip a spear. The statue not only exudes power, but also celebrates the male form in all its complexity. The statue seems life-like with its asymmetrical body, limbs at differing angles and gently swayed hips. Even the head is turned, as if looking for something. Because the statue is made of bronze, it gives a cool, almost aloof impression. This is also discernable by the exaggeration in the musculature of the body. Clearly the artist wanted the statue to exude confidence and masculinity, and did so by overemphasizing certain body