The male usuries were not typically large in size and although creativity was a factor in making them, attention to detail was not. You could barely make out the different parts in the body in the male figure. In the Archaic period Greek sculpture came a very long way. During this time the Greeks began to carve in Stone which was inspired by Egypt because Of the monumental stone. Free standing male figures were being introduced during this time which was very different from the Terra Cotta. It was different because the free standing figures were huge in size and featured the full length body of the sculpture.
Another difference was that the sculptures from this period had a great amount of detail. When making these figures sometimes the Archaic smile would be put on the sculpture to give it a more of a human characteristic feel. It was important for the Greeks to make these sculptures as human like as possible because they believed it was a way for them to picture their god in a human form such as the Stanford Apollo. In the Early Classical Period the male sculpture was still popular during this time. However more progress was made with sculptures of fully sized human figures because they were now being made with marble.
Marble made these figures so much more appealing and beautiful. This was another improvement that keeps improving the Greek Male Figure through time. The sculptures in this period changed a bit by having the figures stand in poses that made them look more masculine. Such as the Artemisia Bronze which was thought to be Zeus, he had his arms extended and stood tall like a god. During the High Classical Period the sculpture of the male figure was still improving. The art during this time was advanced which is why this period is often referred to as “The Golden Age. ” Sculptures became even more detailed and life-like than they already were.
A popular feature of the sculptures during this time period was the use of a cape or fabric within the sculpture to give the sculpture a sense of motion. In the figure Doorposts it has almost everything that made the High Classical Period stand out from the others. The figure is perfectly balanced and has very smooth skin as well as a very muscular figure with perfectly symmetrical features. In the Late Classical period the Sculpture of the Greek Male figure began to change. During this time artist began to make sculptures more human-like then god-like. These sculptures showed more emotion and personality.
They also changed how the figures would stand in the sculptures rather than standing tall they could sometimes be seen in a relaxed state. This is seen in the sculpture of The Weary Harasses. This technique helped them seem to be more human-like which seemed to be the theme of this period. The last period is the Hellenic period. During this period the Male figure changed even more into a more human like figure. The idea was to get the sculptures as human like as possible even if that meant that the quality was poor. Artist no longer felt they had to make the sculpture of the male figure god-like.
Along with changing the sculpture towards naturalism the artist also began expressing more energy and power into the sculptures. With these sculptures you can see more of a theme in them such as dying, or sleeping, or old age thus providing more emotion such as the sculpture of Dying Gaelic Trumpeter. The development of the male figure through the periods of time changed drastically. Through time, detail and beauty increased within the sculptures and art became more enhanced. However one thing remained the same within the art, it is that the art told a story that often reflected the time period.