New York Kouros

Smarthistory

4 Sept 201405:53

Summary

TLDRThe video explores a room in The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to archaic Greek sculpture, focusing on the kouros, a life-size marble figure of a young man. The narrators discuss the sensuality and timelessness of Greek art, noting its Egyptian influences and symbolic nature. The kouros is described as both idealized and human, with its free-standing form representing movement and autonomy. The dialogue contrasts archaic symmetry with later classical contrapposto, highlighting how Greek sculpture evolved while preserving a deep connection to the past.

Takeaways

🪨 The video takes place in a room at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, dedicated to archaic Greek sculptures, primarily funerary in nature.
👋 A man in the museum touches a 2,600-year-old sculpture, collapsing the time between the modern viewer and ancient Greece, evoking the sensuality the Greeks once saw in such works.
🗿 The kouros sculpture being discussed is a life-sized nude male figure made of marble, symbolizing an idealized form of manhood and perfection.
👗 In ancient Greek sculpture, female figures were typically clothed while male figures were nude, but both were equally sensual in design.
🛠 The kouros sculpture was created not as a portrait but as a symbolic figure, representing the connection between an individual, their family, and lineage.
🏛 This archaic sculpture style was influenced by Egyptian art, yet it shows a significant departure, with the figure cut away from the stone, unlike the embedded Egyptian statues.
🚶 The sculpture has an autonomy and appears to stand and move on its own, with a forward-striding stance, though the limbs are locked in place.
🏋️‍♂️ The 2,000-pound sculpture is a technical marvel, balanced on narrow points with subtle support from stone bridges between the arms and torso.
🌀 The lack of contrapposto (weight shift) in the figure, combined with its symmetry and distant gaze, places it in an idealized, almost otherworldly realm.
🔲 The kouros retains a geometric, block-like quality, reminding viewers of the stone it was carved from, blending flat and intricate details, especially in the face and hair.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of the sculptures discussed in the script?
-The sculptures discussed are primarily funerary, meaning they were meant to mark graves.
How does the man's action of caressing the sculpture reflect the intended sensuality of the piece?
-The man's action of caressing the sculpture shows that despite the passage of 2,600 years, the sculpture still evokes a sensual response, similar to what the Ancient Greeks felt when they made it.
What is a kouros and why was it created?
-A kouros is a funerary sculpture of a young man, often nude, meant to represent an ideal of manhood and perfection. It was created to exist longer than any individual, marking a tomb and serving as a reminder of the deceased's life and family lineage.
How does the kouros differ from the female figures in terms of clothing?
-While female figures in the sculptures were clothed, the kouros, representing a young male figure, was nude, yet both were considered equally sensual.
What is the significance of the kouros being carved free from the stone?
-The kouros being carved free from the stone gives it a sense of autonomy and makes it more relatable and human, as opposed to the Ancient Egyptian figures which were often embedded in the stone, giving them a sense of transcendence.
How does the kouros' stance reflect a sense of movement?
-The kouros' stance, with squared shoulders and hips and one leg forward, gives a sense of movement despite the limbs being locked in place, symbolizing the forward movement of the figure.
What changes in sculpture style occurred as Greek society moved towards democracy?
-As Greek society moved towards democracy in the fifth century, sculptures were made and commissioned for the state, becoming very different from those made for aristocratic families during the archaic period.
How does the kouros' posture differ from the contrapposto stance seen in later classical Greek sculptures?
-The kouros has a symmetrical posture with one foot forward but no weight shift, unlike the contrapposto stance where figures stand with their weight on one leg and one knee bent, creating asymmetry.
What is the significance of the geometric shapes used in the kouros' features and body parts?
-The use of geometric shapes in the kouros' features and body parts isolates them from each other, creating a sense of formality and referencing the stone block from which it was carved.
How was the kouros sculpture balanced and supported given its weight?
-The kouros sculpture was balanced and supported on two narrow angles, with a little bit of a bridge left between the clenched fists and hips to support the arms, as free-hanging arms would be too fragile.
What can be inferred about the kouros sculpture's condition and history from the script?
-The kouros sculpture is 2,600 years old and has been reconstructed by the museum, indicating that it has broken over time and has undergone restoration.

Outlines

00:00

🗿 Ancient Greek Sculpture and Sensuality

The script describes a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's room dedicated to archaic Greek sculpture, primarily funerary in nature. It discusses the inappropriate interaction of a visitor touching a 2,600-year-old sculpture, highlighting the sensuality intended in the creation of these ancient works. The kouros, a life-size marble sculpture of a young man, is examined as an example of art transcending time, symbolizing aristocratic ideals and family lineage. The sculpture's nudity and stylized features are noted as both sensual and symbolic, contrasting with the clothed female figures of the era. The influence of Ancient Egyptian art on these early Greek sculptures is also mentioned, with a focus on the kouros's autonomy and human-like qualities, as opposed to the transcendent figures of Egyptian art.

05:02

💪 The Engineering Marvel of Kouros Sculpture

This section of the script delves into the technical aspects of the kouros sculpture, emphasizing the remarkable feat of balancing such a massive, approximately 2,000-pound, piece of stone on two narrow points. The sculptor's ingenuity in leaving a 'bridge' of stone for stability during the carving process is also discussed.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Archaic Greek sculpture

Archaic Greek sculpture refers to the early Greek art forms, typically from the 7th to the 5th century BC, characterized by a simple, almost rigid style. In the video, this term is used to describe the sculptures found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's room, which were often used to mark graves and had a sensual quality to them.

💡Funerary sculpture

Funerary sculpture is a type of artwork created to commemorate the dead, often placed at or near graves. The video discusses how most of the archaic Greek sculptures in the museum were funerary, serving as a lasting reminder of the deceased's life and lineage.

💡Sensual

Sensual in the context of the video refers to the evocative and appealing quality of the ancient Greek sculptures, which were designed to stir emotions and convey a sense of physical beauty. The video mentions that both male and female figures, despite their nudity or clothing, were depicted in a deeply sensual manner.

💡Kouros

A kouros is a type of funerary sculpture representing a nude, youthful male figure. The video describes a kouros as a life-size marble sculpture meant to outlast individual lifetimes and symbolize aristocratic ideals of manhood and perfection.

💡Aristocratic

Aristocratic refers to the social class of nobility or those with high social status. The video explains that the kouros sculptures were typically commissioned by aristocratic families to symbolize their lineage and ideals.

💡Contrapposto

Contrapposto is a sculptural technique where figures are depicted with their weight shifted onto one leg, creating a sense of natural balance and movement. The video contrasts the rigid, symmetrical stance of the kouros with the more dynamic contrapposto stance that would be developed in later periods.

💡Autonomy

Autonomy in the video refers to the independence and self-sufficiency of the kouros figure, which stands unaided by any support, symbolizing a sense of freedom and individuality. This is in contrast to Egyptian sculptures that were often embedded in stone, giving them a sense of timelessness.

💡Symmetry

Symmetry in the context of the video describes the balanced and mirror-image quality of the kouros sculpture, which contrasts with the more natural and asymmetrical contrapposto stance of later periods. The kouros's symmetry places it in an ideal, perfect world, separate from the viewer.

💡Geometric shapes

Geometric shapes are used in the video to describe the simplified and stylized features of the kouros sculpture, where body parts and facial features are reduced to basic forms like cubes or squares. This contributes to the abstract and idealized representation of the figure.

💡Proportions

Proportions refer to the systematic use of ratios to determine the size of different parts of the sculpture in relation to the whole. The video suggests that Greek sculptors, like the Egyptians, used a system of proportions to create harmonious and balanced figures.

💡Reconstruction

Reconstruction in the video pertains to the process of piecing together broken fragments of ancient sculptures. The script mentions that the kouros sculpture, being 2,600 years old, was likely put back together by the museum, indicating that not all parts may be original.

Highlights

The Met room is devoted to archaic Greek sculpture, much of which is funerary in nature.

A man touches a 2,600-year-old sculpture, collapsing the time between ancient and modern appreciation of its sensuality.

Archaic Greek sculptures, though funerary, also carry a deep sensuality, resonating with ancient and modern audiences.

The kouros, a life-size marble sculpture of a young man, symbolizes perfection and an ideal of manhood.

Male figures were sculpted nude, while female figures were clothed, but both were intended to be equally sensual.

The kouros sculpture, although symbolic of an aristocratic family, is not a portrait but a symbol of idealized manhood.

The transition from the sixth-century aristocratic sculptures to the fifth-century democratic commissions marks a significant cultural shift.

Greek kouros figures were heavily influenced by Egyptian sculptures but differed in the removal of stone, allowing the figure to stand independently.

The kouros is cut away from the stone completely, creating a sense of autonomy and making the figure more human and less transcendent.

This kouros stands as a bridge between the symbolic and the human, moving toward but not quite entering human space.

The kouros' stance, with squared shoulders and one leg forward, suggests movement but lacks the full dynamic energy seen in later classical sculptures.

Unlike later classical sculptures with contrapposto, the kouros maintains a symmetrical and static posture.

The gaze of the kouros looks past the viewer, placing it in a world of idealism, disconnected from the present.

The kouros features geometric shapes and body parts that are isolated from one another, reflecting the influence of the stone block it was carved from.

The sculptor alternates between flat and deeply carved areas, particularly evident in the contrast between the face and the braided hair.

Despite the weight of the marble, the sculpture is supported on two narrow angles, demonstrating the artist's technical skill.