Ancient Greece: The Male Body Beautiful (Photo Diary)

The Portland, Oregon, Art Museum recently held an exhibition of more than 120 items from the British Museum’s collection of Greek and Roman art. The touring exhibit, entitled The Body Beautiful, explores the human condition as seen through the eyes of the ancient Greeks.  According to Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum:

“By exploring ideas of representation, the exhibit invites visitors to consider how artworks have shaped the way in which we think about and look at ourselves.”

Shown below are some of the ancient Greek sculptures showing the male body beautiful.

The relief shown above is a typical grave sculpture from the fourth century BCE. A beautiful youth, frozen in time, presents an idealized image of the deceased. However, during the Roman era, the head was recut and the name Tryphon, son of Eutychos, was inscribed above it.

The most famous male body in Greek art is Discobolus (shown above). This figure is often used as the emblem of the ancient Greeks. The limbs and torso are carefully arranged to correspond with the Greek ideas of balance and rhythm in composition. The marble statue shown above is actually a Roman copy made in the second century CE. The original, which has been lost, was made in the fifth century BCE by the Greek sculptor Myron.