The cultural heritage of the period of antiquity left an indelible mark on history, sculpture was an integral part of it. Antique statues and bas-reliefs are endowed with unique beauty and grace, each work of the sculptors of that time is now of colossal value. The surviving masterpieces are exhibited in the most famous museums in the world; images of the male body occupy a special place among the creations of ancient authors.
Archaic
The era of antiquity is divided into several smaller stages, so there are fundamental differences in the sculpture of different periods. The sculptures of the archaic period were depicted mostly young, full of strength and naked. One of the few surviving statues dates back to the 7th century BC. - Cleobis and Beaton. The position of the bodies is devoid of dynamics and resembles Egyptian sculptures of ancient gods and pharaohs: one leg is slightly extended forward, the gaze is straight, the torso is devoid of relief. However, even during this period, in the appearance of the statues, the priorities in the canons of fashion and the beauty of the male body were felt.
Another statue of the Archaic period is exhibited in the Munich Museum - Apollo of Tineus. It shows the same rough, masculine features as the previous statues. A feature of the art of that time was the "archaic smile", which looked rather unnatural, but was one of the first stages in the evolution of ancient Greek sculpture. Looking at these statues, it is safe to say that long hair was in fashion, a low forehead and an athletic physique were appreciated. There are no adornments, hats and other elements of clothing on the statues, from which we can conclude that the sculptors wanted to emphasize the beauty of the male nude body and did not attach importance to small details.
Early classical period
During the early classical period of antiquity (V-VI centuries BC), facial detailing, relief and body dynamics are observed, and clothing appears on many statues. The statues of the national Greek heroes Harmodius and Aristogiton demonstrate the creator's desire to show the vigor of the sculptures: hands are raised ready to stab the tyrant, a militant look, tense muscles are visible, well-drawn veins.
Both sculptures are depicted with short haircuts, stern faces without a shadow of a smile, and one of the statues is endowed with a beard. This detail suggests that images of more mature men began to appear in sculpture.
Male sculptures of the early classics often formed the compositions of the pediments of temples and palaces. The eastern and western pediments of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia are well preserved. The beautiful statues froze motionlessly in motion, the ancient author managed to convey the fullness, strength and energy of action. The "Discobolus" statue looks even more dynamic, if earlier sculptures were depicted in full growth, then here you can observe a fundamental rejection of the template. It seems that the discus thrower is frozen in stone, bent over before throwing. The face is courageous, confident and focused. Muscles in action, veins swollen: in a second, the disk will be running.
High and late classics
The climax of the sculptures of the ancient era was the period of high and late classics. Proportionality, external or internal dynamics, plasticity of the statues has been brought to perfection. In the copies of ancient works that have come down to the present, special attention is paid to the beauty of the male body. Abstract young men, ancient Greek heroes, gods and mythical humanoid male beings corresponded to the canons of ancient beauty: an athletic physique without excesses, perfection of muscles, external calmness and sublimity of the image.
The genitals of the statues have become smaller in comparison with the works of the previous periods. It was only necessary to schematically indicate the sex of the sculpture, without paying special attention to this part of the body.
The most famous sculptures of high classics include the Parthenon metopes, the works of Polycletus "Dorifor" and "Diadumenus". The late classical period is well represented in various museums around the world: "Apollo Kifared", "Apoxyomenus", "Apollo Saurocton", "Ares Ludovisi", "Hermes with Dionysus", Eros, Hercules, satyr and many others.
