Marble Statue of Youthful Hercules Analysis

Comparison between Bronze Herakles (Last quarter of 6th century B.C.) and Marble Statue of a Youthful Hercules (69-96 A.D).

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Introduction
Modern scholars have classified ancient Greek sculptures in three major periods, which include the Archaic, the Classical, and the Hellenistic. Greek artists started to sculpture human forms in the early stages of Greek sculpture art because they thought that gods possessed human form and as a result, there was a little difference between secular and sacred art. Thus, the human body was viewed as both sacred and secular. Herakles or a male nude of Apollo only had a few differences to the man who became the boxing champion in the Olympic of that year in a period referred to as archaic period [800-500 B.C.], which existed in the 6th century B.C. During the eighth century, independent city-states began to emerge in Greece; an era that was marked with the formation of colonies to enhance trading between Greece and other regions of the world, including Egypt and various Asian countries. Greek art was greatly transformed regarding styles and techniques due to its interaction with the other regions of the world.
On the other hand, the Roman sculpture was carried out by artists all over the Roman Empire, and the classical period art of Greece greatly influenced it. Over the centuries, the Roman Sculpture has changed regarding styles and techniques, and it has been remarkable, particularly for its eclectic mix and sheer variety. The Roman art applied idealized perfection of ancient classical Greek sculpture that was blended with a greater aspiration for absorbed artistic preferences, realism, and styles from East to make images from marbles, which are considered as one of the finest works from antiquity. Hercules is the Roman name for Greek superhuman and is one of the most popular demigods created in the classical Roman period around 69-96 A.D. There are some similarities and differences existing between the sculptures that were made in archaic and classical periods of both Greek and Roman art. Two sculptures, Herakles and Hercules, will be used as a reference point to uncover the similarities and differences existing between archaic and classical eras.
Visual Description of Herakles (6th century B.C.)
Herakles is a dramatic Greek sculpture made from bronze in the last quarter of the 6th century in the archaic period of Greek art. The statue was made from the bronze to represent a man holding a weapon, resembling a hand-held hammer and appears to be attacking an enemy. He has a well-built body with huge legs and hands, and he is naked with his genitals exposed. The size of genitals is small, which reveals that the artist is not interested in the size of this part of the body, but the proportion of other parts such as chest, biceps, and legs. In this sculpture, Herakles is wearing a type of crown that is not well pronounced. Here, Herakles is presented as a hero of unusual vitality and strength as well as a beautifully groomed warrior, thus showing a civilized individual. His defined body tone represents masculinity, courage, and the importance of his legacy. In traditional monarch systems, crown represented legitimacy, power, triumph, glory, victory, and honor, as well as resurrection, immortality, and righteousness. All these traits have been attributed to Herakles in Greek Mythology. Herakles has been represented in other forms such as Youthful Hercules (69-96 A.D.), a sculpture that instead of using bronze, it has utilized marble. However, the major similarity is a representation of Herakles as a hero who ferociously fought natural forces on behalf of humans.


Visual Description of Youthful Hercules (69-96 A.D.)
On the other hand, Youthful Hercules (69-96 A.D) is a sculpture made in ancient Rome to depict a Greek hero, Hercules in his youthful years. The sculpture was made during the Flavian Empire around 69-96 A.D. from marble, and like many other Roman Sculptures, it was created using contrapposto style. The facial part of the Hercules sculpture is so pronounced that it appears almost like a real portrait. The sculpture has a huge size of the shoulders, and Hercules genitals are exposed outside since he has been portrayed naked. The artists did not consider the size of his genitals because he appeared to favor the proportion. The Hercules youthful sculpture has a lion fur on its left arm, and the artist uses it to portray the first task given to Hercules. There is also a huge club placed behind him, which he has held with his right arm. According to Roman history, Hercules was a warrior who possessed powers almost that he could fight and win extraordinary battles that normal human beings could not. In this sculpture, he is holding a lion skin, and this depicts that he has finished one of the twelve labors that he was assigned to complete on behalf of human beings living during Flavian Reign. All men had tried to kill the Nemean lion, but in vain, since no weapon could penetrate its thick skin. However, Hercules was able to choke it to death, skin it, and use the skin as armor in his subsequent battles.


Analysis of Bronze Herakles (6th century B.C.)
The Herakles sculpture, unlike the Youthful Hercules, was created in a period between a late 6th century and early 7th century. During this era, artists had started to apply more naturalistic styles compared to the earlier eras of art in Greece. Naturalism is a style where artists make images that closely resemble the things in the real world. This is evident in Herakles in that it closely resem...