Bronzes of Epic (Kanon) Proportions

The Greek city states solidified themselves as a force when they successfully fought back Persia’s massive and pounding waves of attacks in the fifth century BC. The artistic response to this major ego boost was revolutionary; we spot it in architecture with the variety in the Greek orders, or the stonework friezes and caryatids that adorned them in Delphi. Depictions of the great gods, of the successful class, and the local lore marked the magical landscape. This was an important era for the Greeks, and they knew it. The technological advancement needed to boast their collective strength and was subsequently pushed towards innovation. Along came masterpieces of the technique of Lost Wax, which not only glimmered into the eyes of competing diplomats in the morning sun but also eased the work of artists in construction and transportation. The anatomical accuracy was really a plus.

The resulting Bronzes of the Lost Wax method were fluid and complex. We often see veins popping, curls wrapping in the beard and on the head, masterful use of Polykleitos’ Canon of proportions. Although not in the given class resources, my favorite example of a Bronze from Greece is the Boxer at Rest dating back around 330 to 50 BCE. Whereas usual statues showcased the idealized forms of youthful bodies occasionally wrapped in thin cascading cloths, but this bronze in particular depicts the haunting moments of a worn and defeated boxer looking over his shoulder. His situation is desperate, and immediately draws sympathy from the audience. His broken nose, his mid-breath expression, his open wounds are still hurting thousands of years later; these details transfer over in the method.

Pliny the Elder, Writer of the resulting Roman Empire could plainly see the universality and the timelessness of these types of work. These types of work have proven to be as prominent today as they were when they were being appreciated by the writers of Rome, and just as spectacular as they were when they were being showcased around in the Heyday of Greece.