59. Myron (active during the second half of the

5th century B.C.E.), Discobolus Palombara (Discus thrower),

1st century Roman copy after a Greek original,

Severe style, 460-450 B.C.E. Marble, height: 148 cm.

Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome.

 

 

In Myron’s Discobolus, we see the human form freed from the standing, frontal pose of earlier statues. Here, the artist is clearly interested not only in the body of the athlete, but in the movement of the discus thrower. His muscles tense and strain in preparation for his throw, his face focused on his activity. While the pose, with the arms forming a wide arc, is revolutionary, the piece is still meant to be viewed from the front. It would not be until the following century that artists began to conceive of sculpture that could be viewed from all sides.

 

 

MYRON

(ACTIVE DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE 5th CENTURY B.C.E.)

 

Myron, was a Greek sculptor from the second half of the fifth century B.C.E who worked almost exclusively in bronze. Though he did create sculptures of both gods and heroes, his reputation rests essentially on his representations of athletes, a domain where he is considered to be revolutionary because of the audacious poses and rhythms of his subjects. His most famous pieces are of Ladas, the runner who died at the moment of his victory and the discus thrower, Discobolus.