Idealism and Naturalism Art in Ancient Greece Essay

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Idealism and Naturalism

Art in ancient Greece approached beauty through the concepts of naturalism, idealism, and a combination of the two. In the case of the diskobolos (also spelled discobolos), it is viewed as naturalistic because it accurately represents the way a human male body looks. The discus in hand indicates that diskobolos does human things, and the way in which his muscles are poised - realistically -- adds to the naturalistic theme. An argument can also be made that the sculpture is idealistic because it has a pose that is so perfect it idealizes the act of throwing a discus (and because the man's body is idealized). This paper points to the literature that identifies diskobolos as naturalism and idealism -- and a blend of both.

Diskobolos -- The Literature

It is apparent that Myron has caught the discus thrower in mid-swing; the thrower has gone as far back as he can and is poised (given the position of his feet and his left arm) to follow through and release the discus for a (hoped for) long throw. Part of the argument vis-a-vis a naturalist response to diskobolos is simply because of the precise moment that Myron has chosen to capture.

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In the real world of discus throwing, there is a very brief, split second pause when the arm holding the discus is as far back as it can physically go; and Myron has "…managed to capture two separate and opposite movements, as well as create a sense of potential motion in the tensed body" (Hooper, 2010). This is a reflection of the natural moment that occurs when an athlete is engaged in the discus throw.

The arms and the left food create a "neat curve down one side," Hooper explains, and that curve is broken by the "jagged edges and right angles of his back and legs on the other"; this produces artistic balance while at the same time eschews "symmetry." It was in this period of Ancient Greece that some artists and sculptors were breaking away from the "symmetry, repetition and pattern" used by earlier artists (Hooper, p. 2). Myron produced works like diskobolos in order to get away from pure symmetry and indeed more realistically portray motion -- hence, beauty is present in the naturalistic athletic simulation of action. To be sure, there is also the idealistic aspect in the diskobolos because of the….....

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