THE DISCUS THROWER

This was one of the most famous statues of the Greek and Roman period of time.  In fact, copies of this statue were made and sold for hundreds of years.

The original statue was made of bronze and sculpted by Greek artist Myron around 460 BCE in Athens.



The statue depicts the athleticism and grace of a discus thrower.  The Olympics were fist held in Ancient Greece and athletic themes are often found in art of this period. The body is s typical of Greek art in the "Hellenic Period" in which the body represents an idealized form. This means that bodies were depicted to be the perfect representations of human bodies--an ideal that might not have existed in the real world.



The statue represents the Greek idea of SOPHROSYNE. The Greeks believed in harmony and grace--and that there should be a "balance of all things."   The underlying form found in the statue is geometric: two concentric circles.

The original statue has been lost to history. But there are numerous others--copies made in the Greek and Roman periods showing that this statue was revered among people in both Greece and Rome.