Myron

Sculptor

Born: c. 490 b. c.e.; Eleutherae, Boeotia, Greece Died: c. 430 b. c.e.; Athens, Greece Also known as: Myron of Eleutherae Category: Art and architecture

Life Little is known of the early life of Myron (MI-ron) other than that he was born in Boeotia, which lacked the cultural refinement of neighboring Attica but excelled in the athletic contests at both Delphi and Olympia with superb displays of the human body in action. Becoming a pupil of Ageladas (Hageladas), director of a metal-casting school and a master of athletic sculpture, Myron achieved a reputation throughout the Hellenic lands, becoming noted for his statues of athletes, which combined masculinity with grace. No other sculptor in history has rivaled Myron in portraying the male body in action. His best-known work the Discobolos, or Discus Thrower, of which only marble copies survive, was completed about 450 b. c.e. His Ladas, of which no copies survive, showing a runner at the 476 b. c.e. Olympiad at his moment of victory, was even more admired. Other famous works include Athena and Marysas and an incredibly realistic Heifer. His only pupil was his son Lycius.

Influence By radically departing from the rigidity and prescribed format of sixth century b. c.e. Greek sculpture, Myron became a major force responsible for bridging the gap between Archaic Greek sculpture and its full development in the fifth century b. c.e. His emphasis on realism anticipated both Hellenistic and Roman sculpture.

Further Reading

Boardman, John. Greek Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Gardner, Ernest A. Six Greek Sculptors. New York: Ayer, 1977.

Palagia, Olga, ed. Greek Sculpture: Function, Materials, and Techniques in the Archaic and Classical Periods. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Nis Petersen

See also: Art and Architecture; Olympic Games; Sports and Entertainment.