Marble Statue of a kouros
About this video
This short video looks closely at an archaic Greek marble kouros, a statue of a young man standing with his left foot forward and arms at his sides. It explains the technical achievement of balancing a heavy marble figure on slim ankles, what the statue was used for, and why its stripped-down nudity and steady gaze came to express power and sovereignty.
You'll be able to
- describe the typical stance of a kouros statue.
- explain why balancing the statue without support was a technical achievement.
- name the two functions a kouros could serve.
- explain how the statue's nudity and poise express confidence and power.
Key words
- kouros
- An ancient Greek statue of a standing nude young man, made in the archaic period.
- sanctuary
- A sacred place where Greeks worshipped and left gifts for the gods.
- dedication
- An object given as an offering to a god, often placed in a sanctuary.
- sovereignty
- Supreme power or authority, the state of being in control.
Transcript
The young man stands with his left foot advanced, and his arms held to either side. He stands without the benefit of any support. The fact that the artist was able to balance 2,000 pounds of solid marble on these very slim ankles is a major technical achievement. He literally stands on his own two feet. He’s self-reliant and self-sufficient.
He would have originally stood on a base that gave his name and identified his function as a tomb sculpture or as a dedication in a sanctuary. The kouros is naked, except for a narrow band around his neck and a ribbon that ties his beautifully groomed hair. This is a very … stripped-down kind of representation. There is nothing that tells us where he’s been and where he’s going. And so our complete focus is on his body and his mind.
Looking at yourself in front of a mirror tends to undermine one's feeling of confidence or of dignity. The kouros is in no way diminished. On the contrary, his power resides in his beautiful body and the steadfast gaze. This combination of poise and nudity became a visual expression of sovereignty, and it lived on in Roman art and beyond. If you stop and look, more than once, maybe, I feel he will lead you in the most extraordinary directions.
Video © Khan Academy, used under CC BY-NC-SA. Watch on Khan Academy. Puzzicle is not affiliated with Khan Academy.