Discus-Thrower: The Idea Behind The Man Analysis

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Recommended: Greek culture olympics

Brandon Shaffer
Professor Backer
ARTS-1303
Research Project

Discus-thrower: The Idea behind the Man.

Perfection is a much sought-after quality, yet is completely impossible to obtain. So why does man strive for it everyday? Even during the times of ancient Greece, people wondered what it was like to be perfect being. This “perfection” that they strived for was reflected in their art. The piece that is in question is Discobolus of Myron also know as the “discus thrower” (fig. 1). The “discus-thrower” by Myron, is a representation of the ideal greeks of the time, and has all the attributes that they looked for in perfection.The Discobolus image lives-on today as one of the most famous sculptures from ancient times.
Discobolus (fig. 1), is …show more content…

Instead of movie stars and singers, the greeks role models were Warriors with battle stories against mythical monsters and Athletes, who appeared to be straight from the gods. While athletics was easier to become from the two. Through athletics, it was believed, perfection could be achieved. The ancient Greeks valued physical conditioning as greatly as they did mental exercises, and viewed the two as equally important in a person’s life. Ancient Greeks would compete in various sporting events for individual honor, community respect, and reverence to the gods. From this tradition grew the modern day Olympics, where athletes compete with one another in order to bring victory to their nation, honor to themselves, and strive for the classical ideal of perfection through sport. Discobolus, is a good representation of the perfect athlete with his form and strength, most obviously in the Grecian profile which unites forehead and nose in a continuous straight line and in the inguinal ligament which supports the belly and marks the trunk off from the legs. Even though in modern times his stance would be ineffective, but we do not know how the rules were set up way back. With an epigram celebrating a throw of 30 metres comes as a surprise in the modern world, where the current world record is just over 70 …show more content…

When Myron decided to make Discobolus, he wanted to create not just a statue but a following. Myron mastered his craft and was gifted in his ability to create movement, harmony and naturalism. With his life-like features and small but powerful details of the one his greatest Early Classical piece, Discobolus changes the way realism and perfection appears in art. The “discus-thrower” by Myron, is a representation of the ideal greeks of the time, and has all the attributes that they looked for in perfection.

Figures

Figure 1. ( Discobolus, Myron, 460-450 BC)

Works Cited

Charles M. Edwards. "Myron of Eleutherai." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 Jun. 2015. .

Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World. New York: Viking, 1999. Print.

Foat, F. W. G. "Anthropometry of Greek Statues." The Journal of Hellenic Studies 35 (1915): 225-59. JSTOR. Web. 25 June 2015.

Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. "Chapter 5: Ancient Greece."Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. N. pag. Print.

Miller, Stella G. "Book Review." The Art Bulletin 71.3 (1989): 510-15. Web.

Strahan, Edward. “Some Masterpieces of Art.” The Art Amateur 1.4 (1879): 72-73. JSTOR. Web. 25 June

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