Kritios
Encyclopedia
Kritios was an Athenian sculptor, probably a pupil of Antenor
, working in the early 5th century BCE, whose manner is on the cusp of the Late Archaic and the Severe style
of Early Classicism in Attica
. He was the teacher of Myron
. With Nesiotes (Νησιώτης) Kritios made the replacement of the Tyrannicides group by Antenor, which had been carried off by the Persians in the first stage of the Greco-Persian Wars
. The new group stood in the Agora
of Athens and its composition is known from Roman copies. With Nesiotes Kritios made other statues, of bronze, dedicated on the Acropolis, of which only their inscribed bases remain to give testament. The head of a marble statue found on the Acropolis
so much resembles the copies of one of the Tyrannicides— Harmodius— that it has been called the Kritios Boy
(now in the Acropolis Museum
). Its easy naturalism and relaxed contrapposto
set it apart from the Late Archaic conventional kouroi
that preceded it. It was re-discovered too late (1865) to have had an effect on Neoclassical sculpture
, as it must have done if it had been known a century earlier.
Antenor
Antenor was an Athenian sculptor, of the latter part of the 6th century BC. He was named after the mythological figure also called Antenor. He was the creator of the joint statues of the tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton, set up by the Athenians on the expulsion of Hippias. These statues...
, working in the early 5th century BCE, whose manner is on the cusp of the Late Archaic and the Severe style
Severe style
The severe style, or Early Classic style, was the dominant idiom of Greek sculpture in the period ca. 490 to 450 BCE. It marks the breakdown of the canonical forms of archaic art and the transition to the greatly expanded vocabulary and expression of the classical moment of the late 5th century...
of Early Classicism in Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
. He was the teacher of Myron
Myron
Myron of Eleutherae working circa 480-440 BC, was an Athenian sculptor from the mid-5th century BC. He was born in Eleutherae on the borders of Boeotia and Attica. According to Pliny's Natural History, Ageladas of Argos was his teacher....
. With Nesiotes (Νησιώτης) Kritios made the replacement of the Tyrannicides group by Antenor, which had been carried off by the Persians in the first stage of the Greco-Persian Wars
Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and city-states of the Hellenic world that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the Greeks and the enormous empire of the Persians began when Cyrus...
. The new group stood in the Agora
Agora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history , free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the Agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the Agora also served as a marketplace where...
of Athens and its composition is known from Roman copies. With Nesiotes Kritios made other statues, of bronze, dedicated on the Acropolis, of which only their inscribed bases remain to give testament. The head of a marble statue found on the Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
so much resembles the copies of one of the Tyrannicides— Harmodius— that it has been called the Kritios Boy
Kritios Boy
The marble Kritios boy or Kritian Boy belongs to the Late Archaic period of ancient Greek sculpture; "the first beautiful nude in art", as Kenneth Clark thought, it is a precursor to the later classical sculptures of athletes...
(now in the Acropolis Museum
Acropolis Museum
The Old Acropolis Museum was an archaeological museum located in Athens, Greece on the archeological site of Acropolis. It is built in a niche at the eastern edge of the rock and most of it lies beneath the level of the hilltop, making it largely invisible. It was considered one of the major...
). Its easy naturalism and relaxed contrapposto
Contrapposto
Contrapposto is an Italian term that means counterpose. It is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed...
set it apart from the Late Archaic conventional kouroi
Kouros
A kouros is the modern term given to those representations of male youths which first appear in the Archaic period in Greece. The term kouros, meaning youth, was first proposed for what were previously thought to be depictions of Apollo by V. I...
that preceded it. It was re-discovered too late (1865) to have had an effect on Neoclassical sculpture
Neoclassical sculpture
Neoclassical sculpture was a sculptural style of the 18th and 19th centuries. The neoclassical period was one of the great ages of public sculpture, though its "classical" prototypes were more likely to be Roman copies of Hellenistic sculptures. The neoclassical sculptors paid homage to an idea of...
, as it must have done if it had been known a century earlier.