Nude Men In Archaic Art Of Ancient Greece – Inspiration & Fun Facts

Nude Men In Archaic Art Of Ancient Greece – Inspiration & Fun Facts

It's not a big secret that artists of all times were getting the inspiration from the artworks of those artists who lived centuries before. Themes, ideas, compositions – nothing really is new.  Even the image of Jesus Christ (a sweet, long-haired handsome man) was borrowed from the ancient Greeks and even from the Egyptians. 

Well, today I am thinking not so much about the sweet and borrowed image of Jesus and the saints but about the figurative art in general. Particularly about nude males figures in art. – Where do they come from originally? Why was the image of the naked male body so popular in the centuries BC?

Ancient Greece. Before the year 480 BC. This time period in art is called Archaic. The territory of Greece grows rapidly, its population increases, great developments happen in Greek politics, economics, international relations, warfare, culture and sports – Olympic Games (!).

This is the time when heroes are needed the most and this is the time when heroes are loved and worshipped.

When can be a perfect image of a hero? Of a winner, a conqueror, dominator and almost a god... – A strong, beautiful, naked man!  

 

Nude men painting Dimitri Ross Italy Art

Kleobis & Biton, Archaic Greek art, ca. 610 BC

Interestingly enough that even gay scenes – which are plenty in Archaic art – are usually depicted with   unaroused genitalsOf course, we do also see statues of men with erect penies. Not so many but there are still some.
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Because an erect phallus was perceived in art as a threat and a source of untamed wildness – like it is in the case of Satyr, a wild nature spirit.
 

Also, interesting is the notion of the fact that in Archaic art penises are not circumcised or that the head of the penis is never shown (even in erect position the head of the penis is always covered with the foreskin). It is because the depiction of the head of the penis was considered... vulgar and inappropriate. And only wild beasts – again, Satyr – could have a penis with the foreskin pulled up.

Nude athletes, affection between mature older men and their young male lovers, scenes of military battles, depiction of daily activities of the Greeks – all this was nudity and semi-nudity. Just to show the beauty and the power.  

As for female nudity in the Archaic art... it never existed. Female statues are always clothed or semi-clothed. The woman and her body was not there to be presented as a symbol of power and victory, but it was definitely an object of adoration and even worship. – Interesting is the fact that there was a tradition in ancient Greece on one particular day of the year to make and present clothes to goddesses in temples!

In some cities it was a very big thing – to dress/cover the statue of the local goddess. 

 

The ancient Greeks were experimenting with their art. They absolutely laid a solid foundation for masterpieces of figurative art of future generations.  A very deep source of inspiration!

 

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