The Athlete Kreugas

There were numerous athletes in the 18th century and not only is The Athlete Kreugas by Antonio Canova a beautiful sculpture, it is a statue of an athlete in motion. This particular figure represents the neo-classical trend in eighteenth-century sculpture. It is a free replica of a life-size marble statue made by the same artist. This sculpture stands at 25 ? inches tall and the medium is bronze, a very commonly used metal. Due to the nudity you can tell this sculpture is from a time period long ago.

Sculptures of this time period were typically nude; artists of this interlude strove to depict the human figure in an idealized fashion. The figure’s pose and gestures exemplify his status as an athlete and make this fact apparent to the observer. The figure is standing with his legs apart and his left hand high above his head, almost as if he is throwing something. You can tell he is in motion because his legs are not locked. He could have been throwing a javelin or a spear or even throwing some type of ball. Both of this figure’s arms are engaged in motion.

It is plain to see the figure is forming action since his arms and legs are in different positions, not just straight by his side. You can tell this figure is very focused on his activity due to his grave facial expression. The base of The Athlete Kreugas is rectangular. It looks like a solid structure, but it is not very space consuming. It has form but it is not overbearing. He is definitely strong, but not as defined in his muscles as a statue like The Sphere Barrer is. This figure is very muscular, which is one of the reasons I identify him as being an athlete.

The surface of this figurine is curved. You can see how the contoured lines of his body change when they are looked at by different perspectives. The silhouettes of this free-standing sculpture change frequently as one views it from different directions. Looking at how the various parts interrelate with one another and the space around them expresses a lot of information about the theme of the work. The theme of this work deals with the human figure, as many of the works produced throughout this period illustrated that theme.

The artist is trying to convey a message descriptive of the subject’s athletic prowess and physical prominence. Canova has taken a man and made him into an ideal sculpture marking his every distinct characteristic. His casting technique has left his sculpture with a clean, graceful appeal to one’s eye. The heftiness of this figure leads to the idea that he is an athlete and his dominance is applied. Overall, it is simply astounding how art can start out to be nothing and turn into something many individuals can relate to. Art is effortless, art matters and it merely helps people convey a solid point of view. Word count: 507