Visual Analysis Of Apollo Belvede

The statue I chose is titled Apollo Belvedere. The sculpture is a reduced copy of a work most likely made by Leochales in 350-325BCE. The original Apollo Belvedere’s medium was marble, but the French copy utilizes bronze with a modern casting method. The statue features an adult male. The figure is relaxed, as the muscles remain are not flexed and there is no contortion of the face. There are no wrinkles on the male figures face, connoting a young subject.
One can infer the figure is holding a bow. He has an open quiver on his back with the strap wrapping around to the front of his chest. Also, the right hand of the statue is open in the position as if he had just released an arrow from the bow. There is emphasis placed on the arm holding
The cloak connects around the figures neck, swoops down the backside of the figure, and then wraps around the extended right arm. The cloth does not cover much of the body, leaving it nakedly exposed. This emphasizes the physical fitness of the body. When viewed from looking front on at the chest, one can notice how the cloak offers concavity to the subject, drawing attention to the physical fitness of the body. Furthermore, there are lines formed by the ripples in the cloak, forming lines parallel with the extended bow arm. If one views the statue by looking straight-on at the face, the statue appears narrow. From this viewpoint, emphasis is placed on the extended bow arm and face of the man. One can notice the calmness of the male’s face, suggesting that whatever he just shot the bow at does not worry him. What effect does this have on the observer? The piercing stare of the figure accompanied by the understanding of an arrow being shot from the bow intimidates the viewer, suggesting that the male figure shooting the arrow has power over the spectator. From the same view, the onlooker also notices the placement of the figures feet. The feet are faced the perpendicular to the
Both statues suggest movement occurring, giving them a Hellenistic appearance, and both also utilize a tree stump as support for one of their legs. The Scraper features a male figure with his arms raised in front of his chest and left hand wiping something off his right arm. In ancient Greece, one would lather themselves in oil before exercising. The Scraper has slightly over life-sized, but has a small head and lean body. These features cause the frame of the male to appear more delicate and tall. The rotation of The Scraper’s body prevents viewers from seeing a full frontal view of the body from any viewpoint. The position and posture of the figure, just as in Apollo Belvedere, grants observers a slightly new perspective from all angles. Furthermore, the right arm of The Sculpture is fully extended, breaking out of the imaginary rectangular box that withheld the boundaries of previous statues. This is similar to Apollo Belvedere’s extended left arm shooting a bow and arrow. Another comparison to draw between the sculptures is the distribution of weight. Apollo Belvedere weight is placed on his right leg, while The Scraper’s is placed mainly on his left. This shift of weight gives the solid statues a sense of motion, placing them both in the Hellenistic category of art. Both male figures are more realistic, as neither sculptor