IDEALS
OF HARMONY
The Art of Ancient Greece: The Parthenon and the Discobolus
The ancient Greeks abandoned the strict and hieratic art of the Egyptians
and focused their interest on man. The paramount achievement of the Classical
age of Greek art was the Acropolis, the sacred mount of Athens. This complex,
constructed under Pericles and the legendary Phidias, embodies the Classical
style in architecture and sculpture and its ideals of perfection. Dominating
its center is the Parthenon, a magnificent temple dedicated to the goddess
Athena, and the supreme example of classical ideals: symmetry, proportion,
order, and unity of all parts to achieve the utmost beauty. This canon
remained uncontested throughout the Classical period in architecture and
in sculpture. The Discobolus by Myron is one of the great achievements
of the age and a true epitome of Classical aesthetics: harmony of form
and content to achieve absolute perfection. The Greek artists created
idealized images of man, which enhance their impeccable realism to glorify
the beauty of the human body. By introducing movement, Myron gave a new
dimension to these Classical ideals. Arrested in an ideal and typical
pose, the Discobolus brings together beauty of form and balanced motion
into a unity never seen before.