Praxiteles

c. 400 b.c.e.–Before 326 b.c.e.

Sculptor

Leading Greek Sculptor.

Praxiteles of Athens was the leading Greek sculptor of the fourth century b.c.e. and introduced several innovations to the medium that significantly influenced Hellenistic sculpture. He more than likely belonged to a family of sculptors; his own sons, Cephisodotus and Timarchus, followed in his footsteps, and the fact that he named his first son Cephisodotus indicates that his own father was also Cephisodotus (given names skipped a generation). Praxiteles' father is likely the Cephisodotus who carved a famous statue of Eirene (Peace) and Ploutos (Wealth) which was set up in the marketplace in Athens in the 370s, perhaps after 374 b.c.e. when Athens made peace with Sparta. The statue betrays some of the characteristics for which Praxiteles would be famous, including a humanizing of the gods that is a departure from the more formal representations of the gods in the fifth century b.c.e.Eirene is shown as a goddess carrying the infant boy Ploutos on her left arm. Cephisodotus managed to portray the psychological interaction between the goddess and the child: the goddess looks tenderly at him, and he stretches out his hand to her in a gesture of trust. On the immediate level this is a portrayal of a mother and child; only after a moment's thought does the onlooker realize that this is an allegorical sculpture.

Praxitelean Curve.

The same tenderness is evident in the one genuine statue of Praxiteles that has survived, his Hermes and the Infant Dionysus found in the temple of Hera at Olympia in 1877. While it is unclear whether the statue is the original or a copy, Praxiteles' distinctive style is obvious. Instead of the defined muscles of the previous century's statuary, Praxiteles created statues with softer, more fluid lines, and composed his statues along a languid 'S-curve' that became known as the "Praxitelean curve." His Apollo Sauroctonus also illustrates the dreamy quality of Praxiteles' work. The statue of the god Apollo as a young boy has him leaning against a tree trunk, on the verge of killing a lizard with an arrow. Roman copies of the work in both bronze and marble highlight Praxiteles' ability to portray the gods as emotional beings.

Aphrodite of Cnidus.

Praxiteles worked both in bronze and marble, but marble seems to have been his most successful medium. Marble was the material for his most famous statue, the Aphrodite of Cnidus, that brought tourists to Cnidus, anxious to view the statue. It was the first statue to show a woman naked, and its appeal was perhaps more erotic than artistic. The goddess is shown as if she was surprised by an intruder while she was bathing. One hand shields her pudenda from view, but there is a slight smile on her lips and a hint of welcome to her expression. The statue was exhibited at Cnidus so that it could be viewed from all angles, and it was the first of many female nudes that Greek sculptors would produce.

Legacy.

Altogether seventy works have been associated with Praxiteles, though some may be by members of his workshop. He died sometime before 326 b.c.e., leaving his sons to carry on his style. The Praxitelean school became enormously influential in early Hellenistic sculpture as other sculptors sought to emulate the delicacy of expression and fluid lines he introduced in his works.

sources

A. Ajootian, "Praxiteles," in Personal Styles in Greek Sculpture. Ed. Olga Palagia and J. J. Pollitt (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996): 91–119.

Rhys Carpenter, Greek Sculpture: A Critical Review (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960).

Andrew Stewart, Attika: Studies in Athenian Sculpture of the Hellenistic Age (London, England: Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, 1979).

—, Greek Sculpture: An Exploration (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1990).