Ancient Greek culture is one of the greatest achievements of the ancient era, which had a direct impact on the further development of the entire human society. The people who inhabited the lands of Hellas left their descendants many examples of material and spiritual art. The Greeks especially succeeded in creating sculptural compositions. Antique statues, preserved to this day, amaze with their beauty, harmony and majesty.
The most famous example of ancient Greek art is Discobol, a bronze sculpture depicting a young athlete during a sporting event. The date of creation of this antique masterpiece, historians consider the middle of the V century BC. e. - the period of the highest prosperity of Athens. The original statue disappeared without a trace in the Middle Ages, however, several copies of it, dating from the times of the Roman Empire, have been preserved.
Some facts from the life of Miron
Today it is known for certain who is the author of the sculpture "Diskobol". The name of the statue is associated with the name of Miron, the famous master who lived and worked in Athens in the 5th century BC. e. Very little is known about the sculptor himself . Historians could not determine the years of his life and death. There is information that he was born in Eleufer, a small town located between Attica and Boeotica, and later moved to Athens, where he was awarded the title of citizen of the city (this title was given only to prominent people). The teacher of the creator of Discobolus was the talented sculptor Agelad from Argos. Miron was considered a popular master, he received many orders from all Greek regions. His authorship contains many statues of ancient Greek heroes and gods, among which are the figures of Hercules, Zeus and Athena on the island of Samos, the statue of Apollo in Ephesus, a number of sculptural compositions in Argos, a monument to Perseus in the Acropolis of Athens and many other works of art.
Miron was also engaged in jewelry. His contemporaries left information that he made vessels of silver.
The relationship of ancient culture with sports
Despite the fact that Miron left behind a large number of statues, the most famous of all of them is Diskobol. The sculpture depicting a beautiful, physically developed athlete is considered the first ancient monument to capture a person at the moment of movement. The ancient Greeks highly revered sports.
They were convinced that life was born out of competition and struggle. Not surprisingly, the Olympic Games appeared in this country. The theme of sport was a favorite for many ancient sculptors. Miron did not stay away from her. In his works, the author skillfully conveyed the perfection, beauty and strength of an athletically built male body. The pinnacle of Miron’s skill turned out to be Diskobol. The author of the sculpture made it so realistic that it seems as if the figure of a young man, frozen for a moment, will now come to life and continue to move.
Description of the sculpture
It is not known exactly who Miron portrayed in the statue "Discus-thrower". The sculpture could be dedicated to the winner of sports: this is the opinion of most researchers of ancient culture. Miron captured a fragment of wrestling in bronze when a naked young man leaned forward with his body and took his hand back in order to wave and throw the disc as far as possible. Extreme tension is felt throughout the athlete's figure.
Despite the fact that the discus thrower is frozen, his whole body is saturated with movement: his hands are in a position of great swing, his legs are literally pressed into the ground, every muscle is visible on the inflated torso. The athlete is depicted in a pose in which it is impossible to be more than two to three seconds. This causes the audience a feeling that he will change his position at any second, the disc will break out of his right hand and will quickly fly to the target. Although the athlete's figure is tense, it seems light and natural. In contrast to the torso, the young man’s face is extremely calm and focused. It looks faceless, without individual traits, which is why some historians suggest that the athlete depicted is a collective image of an ideal person from ancient times.
Sculpture features
What is the value of the “Discus thrower” statue? The author of the sculpture managed to convey the dynamics in it, which not a single master could do before him. Attempts to portray a human figure in motion were made before Miron, but all of them were unsuccessful.
Discus throwers from sculptors of an earlier period turned out to be chained and frozen. They have always been represented in the form of athletes standing in the pose of a winner with their legs extended forward. From the figure of a person it was impossible to understand what kind of competition he is engaged in. Miron was the first who managed to create a statue of an athlete during the competition, breathing energy and excitement into the bronze.
The historical significance of the statue
“Discus ball” is a sculpture of Miron, which perfectly reflects the ideal ancient man with such inherent features as strength, purposefulness, calmness, harmony. The ancient Greek athlete, with all his appearance, symbolizes the desire for victory, accompanied by concentration and real Olympic calm.