Polyclitus the Statue of Hercules Can Be Term Paper

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Polyclitus

The statue of Hercules can be studied at two different levels. Working backwards we must consider that which antiquity has left us to study. In this case, it is the statue of Hercules as it is preserved for us. It is the work of an unknown roman sculptor carved in marble. The balance and harmony in the piece is quite remarkable and is a great tribute to the artisanship of the Greeks. It no doubt must have involved great time and physical labor.

The Romans of that period (circa 125 AD) were very much into a neoclassical representation of Greek work as they believed the Greeks to be of a highly developed artistic nature and the Romans were eager to capture some of that golden age of the arts in their own time so as validate their own virtues. The statue may have even been worked on by a team of sculptors. The fact that the statue is referred to as the Lansdowne Herakles (named after the collector) reflects in the use of the Greek "Herakles" that the real genius of the work did indeed lie with the Greek, in this case said to be Polyclitus from the high classical period in the 300s BC. Polyclitus is considered to be one of the six finest, if not the finest sculptor of the Greek period.
The design of the statue reflects the fascination that the Greeks had for mathematical formulas. They believed that like the Golden Mean in architecture, a formula could be achieved that one could use to create the perfect visual form.

Herakles is a fitting subject as he tread in both worlds -- that of the divine and the human. He was not of perfect temperament, nor the wisest of the ancient heroes, but much admired for his amazing strength and the endurance he showed….....

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