Greek Sculpture: From Kouros to Classical Ideal

Greek sculpture changed dramatically between about 600 and 400 BCE. Early kouros statues stand stiffly with one foot forward, arms at their sides, echoing Egyptian models. Around 480 BCE the Kritios Boy shows a new idea: the figure's weight shifts onto one leg, so the hips and shoulders tilt naturally. This pose, called contrapposto, made statues seem alive.

By the mid-5th century the sculptor Polykleitos wrote a treatise, the Canon, defining ideal proportions, and his Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer) put them into practice. Greek sculptors aimed at an idealized human form, reflecting a culture that celebrated the human body, athletic competition and reason. Most originals were bronze and are now lost; we know many through Roman marble copies. We also know they were brightly painted, contrary to the white-marble image later centuries admired.