14December 2005
This month I want to write about one of my favorite sculptures at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Doryphoros.
This sculpture is a Roman copy of Greek bronze sculpture. Wealthy Romans had marble copies of Greek sculptures as a status trend. This copy of the Doryphoros is one of five left in the world, and this one is almost completely intact.
The proportions of the Doryphoros are in perfect balance between tension and relaxation.
Take a good look at the pose he stands in, it looks familiar doesn’t it.
We all stand this way, we rest while we stand.
We all stand this way, we rest while we stand.
The man is not simply standing, he is in motion as the sculpture shows us the balance of his gait.
Roman
The Doryphoros
120-50 B.C.E.
Marble.
I have spent 11 years admiring this sculpture…
I have yet to tire of its visage.