Getty Kouros Research Paper
1
Ancient Arts
8 November 2011 The Greek poet Theognis once said "What is beautiful is loved, and what is not is unloved" (getty.edu/...). This idea of beauty was treasured during the time of ancient Greece. Greece during this period strongly emphasized male allure and youth, the artistic display of this world view was illustrated through the kouros sculptures. The “Getty Kouros” is currently located in Mailbu, California; it is believed to have originated around 530 B.C during Greece’s Archaic period. The authenticity of this particular kouros has been the center of controversy for many debates and discussions between art historians and scientists alike. This distinct kouros’ issue of legitimacy has never been resolved and it is still being questioned to this day. The kouros is a representation of immortalized youth through its history, design and its significant implications of the value of men. A kouros is the modern term given to the sculptures of male youths which first appear in the Archaic period (700 - 480 B.C.) in Greece (getty.edu/...). A kouros is an ancient greek statue of a nude male youth standing with his arms at his sides with a formulaic advancing posture. Greek kouros statues were greatly influenced by Egyptian sculptures. Greeks who traveled to Egypt for trade took the style of the Egyptian's
2 statues and altered its detail; but the Greeks retained the mysterious smiling expression, stiff walking dispose and stylized hair from the Egyptian works (ancient-greece...). The kouros type appears to have served many functions in ancient Greece. It is proven that it was used to represent the god Apollo (Barrington 144). Some kouroi have been found in sanctuaries devoted to various gods, other than that of Apollo. In fact, some kouroi placed in sanctuaries were not engraved with the name of a god but with the name of a mortal. Many kouros have been located in cemeteries where the most credible explanation is that they served as
Ancient Arts
8 November 2011 The Greek poet Theognis once said "What is beautiful is loved, and what is not is unloved" (getty.edu/...). This idea of beauty was treasured during the time of ancient Greece. Greece during this period strongly emphasized male allure and youth, the artistic display of this world view was illustrated through the kouros sculptures. The “Getty Kouros” is currently located in Mailbu, California; it is believed to have originated around 530 B.C during Greece’s Archaic period. The authenticity of this particular kouros has been the center of controversy for many debates and discussions between art historians and scientists alike. This distinct kouros’ issue of legitimacy has never been resolved and it is still being questioned to this day. The kouros is a representation of immortalized youth through its history, design and its significant implications of the value of men. A kouros is the modern term given to the sculptures of male youths which first appear in the Archaic period (700 - 480 B.C.) in Greece (getty.edu/...). A kouros is an ancient greek statue of a nude male youth standing with his arms at his sides with a formulaic advancing posture. Greek kouros statues were greatly influenced by Egyptian sculptures. Greeks who traveled to Egypt for trade took the style of the Egyptian's
2 statues and altered its detail; but the Greeks retained the mysterious smiling expression, stiff walking dispose and stylized hair from the Egyptian works (ancient-greece...). The kouros type appears to have served many functions in ancient Greece. It is proven that it was used to represent the god Apollo (Barrington 144). Some kouroi have been found in sanctuaries devoted to various gods, other than that of Apollo. In fact, some kouroi placed in sanctuaries were not engraved with the name of a god but with the name of a mortal. Many kouros have been located in cemeteries where the most credible explanation is that they served as
Bibliography: "Statue of a Kouros (Getty Museum)." The Getty. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. . "The Official Website of Thriller Writer James Twining: Foreign / Other Rights — Learn- more — The-geneva-deception — Getty-kouros." Welcome to the Official Website of Thriller Writer James Twining. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. . Barrington, John S. Kouros. London: Editions Aubrey Walter/GMP, 1990. Print. Peat, Charlie. Kouros. Santa Fe Springs, CA: Hunter, 1977. Print. "Kouros." Ancient Greece. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. .