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| A classical Greek statue of Hermaphrodite now in the the Louvre, Paris |
The sculptors of Ancient Greece could portray the human body perfectly in stone and bronze. Whether carving self-standing statues for temples or intricate bas-relief work to adorn architecture, the work of the Classical era was so good, it was unsurpassed until the Italian Renaissance.
Early sculpture was stiff, although sculptors such as Polyclitus perfected the proportions of the male standing figure. By the mid 400s BC, sculptures of gods and heroes on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and on the Parthenon displayed more movement and emotion.
A revolution came around 400BC when the new technique of metal casting allowed sculptors to make hollow bronze figures, with more finely honed musculature, hair and clothing than solid metal had allowed.
Surprisingly, sculpture was brightly painted to make it stand out at a distance. Very little original Greek sculpture survives, although we know it from later Roman copies.
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