Parthenon and Doryphoros: Classical Greek Art
The Parthenon: A Doric Temple
The Parthenon, built in the Greek Doric order, is an octastyle temple, featuring eight columns on each facade. It’s a peripteral structure, with columns surrounding the building—17 on the longer sides. The entire structure rests on a stylobate and two stereobates. The columns lack bases and have longitudinal grooves. A slight widening of the shaft towards the center creates the illusion of inward tilting. The shafts terminate in a necking, topped by a capital composed of two elements: the echinus (curved section) and the abacus (a small slab).
The entablature is divided into three parts: a smooth architrave, a frieze with triglyphs and decorated metopes, and a gable roof. The roof creates a large triangular space under the pediment, outlined by a cornice. Entering through one of the octastyle facades, the pronaos leads to a second portico supported by six columns. Further inside is the cella, housing the statue of Athena Parthenos. Another six-column portico leads to a smaller room, used to store the temple’s treasure and religious objects.
The temple’s two pediments depicted the birth of Athena and her fight with Poseidon. The cella’s frieze symbolizes Athens, asserting its superiority in the Hellenic world. Built during the classical period under Pericles, the Parthenon is a successor to earlier works, such as the Treasury of the Athenians at Delphi. The Parthenon’s decoration included colors on some of its parts.
The Doryphoros: Ideal Human Form
The Doryphoros, originally a bronze sculpture, is preserved in several stone copies. Created by Polyclitus, a contemporary of Phidias, it embodies the ideal man. The sculpture depicts a young, naked lancer carrying a spear, posed in contrapposto—a stance where one body part is offset by another, creating a sense of vitality.
Measuring 2.12 meters, the statue exemplifies Polyclitus’s canon of seven heads, representing ideal male beauty. It retains some archaic features: a roughly carved form, flat pectorals, and noticeable waist and hip lines. The contrast between the contracted and spread sides of the torso gives the body a dynamic balance, unlike the static symmetry of kouroi. The chosen moment is neither violent nor static; the athlete is walking leisurely.
The contrapposto is evident in the separation of leg functions: one supports the body’s weight, while the other is relaxed, resting on the ground with the fingertips. The arching posture turns the entire body, including the torso and head. The pose is relaxed and elegant, yet not static, with a serene face and absent eyes. Created between 440 and 430 BC, the sculpture belongs to the Greek classical period, which abandoned archaic rigidity for more relaxed and natural figures, reinforced by the appearance of motion. The archaic smile is gone, and the human figure is represented with short, curly hair. This period also broke the law of frontality, demonstrating a thorough understanding of human anatomy, idealism, and balance. This art influenced Roman art.