Kritios Boy Odysseus Comparison

In contrasting pieces of art, it is important to first identify the time period that each work is from. In this essay the pieces of art that are being compared and contrasted are, “Kritios Boy,” from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and “Dying Gaul,” from Capitolini in Rome, Italy.

Kritios Boy was created during the Early Classical style period (480- 323 BCE). The Early Classical style is often referred to as Severe or Transitional, as it was known to bridge the gap between the Archaic and Classical. There is controversy as to weather the Kritios Boy belongs to the late Archaic period or to the Early Classical period, however the Kritios Boy displays many Early Classical attributes that seem to confirm it as Early Classical. The Kritios Boy has a more relaxed and comfortable stance, whereas Archaic sculptures were known to be more rigid and severe. The most important feature is the pose of the Kritios Boy. The artist, believed to be Krito, seemed to have a full appreciation of the human body at rest. This is seen by the contrapposto or counterpose, which shows a shift in weight. The contrapposto is reflected by the way the statue is seen resting his weight on one leg, so …show more content…
The statue is fashioned from marble and stands 3 and a half feet tall. The statue depicts a Gaul man who is laying on his shield as blood pours from the gash in his chest. Hellenistic art is realistic in that his skin appears hard and dry, the muscles appear heavy, his face expresses pain, anguish and despair, which is a common style of the Hellenistic period. They were also very interested and intrigued by pathos and death during this style period. The sculptor depicted this Gallic man with matted hair, a mustache, and a twisted collar which were characteristics of a barbarian, greatly feared and admired, and worthy battle opponents. This particular piece is three dimensional, which accentuates the dramatic