How Does Keuros Influence Greek Art

From Greek to English, the word “kouros” translates into young man. Such is the purpose of the Kouroi movement at the start of the Archaic Period in Greece, to represent young, strong men in funerary art. A man in his grave would not want to be remembered or represented as an old man, as told by Minnermus of Colophon in his poetry, where he stated, “But once old age with its sorrows advances upon us, it makes a man feeble and ugly alike” (Minnermus). These human sized statues were very much influenced by the life-sized statues in Egypt of the time. Like the Egyptians, the Greeks “use of grids and proportional systems led to a formulaic approach” (Neer 151). The statues would be cut out of a large block of stone, drawn on all four sides to perfect …show more content…
It was, like most kouros, a grave statue, but some argue that this one in particular might actually be representative of Apollo. Not only is this backed up by evidence found in the temples dedicated to Apollo, but Professor Andrew Stewart also points out that “pictures of kouros-like Apollos on coins and bases” are present in the archaeological record (Stewart 57). Apollo is the only god represented in kouros-like manner, and this statue specifically takes on his likeness. It follows the traits of other kouros: nude, minimal decoration, powerful and young, but this one has a huge grin on his face. While most kouros smile, the Tenea’s one is specific. Stewart predicts that this one is celebrating being “blessed, alive in a paradise away from the cares of life” (Stewart 64). This smile in particular gives meaning to the afterlife, and suggests that it may not be all that bad. So while all kouros are supposed to symbolize the youth and generic qualities of a perfect man, they can also have some kind of individualized meaning specific to the grave, or it can even be representative of a