The Greek Ideal

the Greeks were crazy about perfection, especially in their sculptures; in particular, perfection of the bodily form. When I think about Greek art, my mind goes straight to the typical statue of the "perfect guy". The approach they took in their art was extremely precise and impressively accurate (that is, if your aim is perfection of the body). Although the Greeks did step away from their perfectionist ways every once in a while, to me, the most memorable art they did was of the "ideal" statues. Although the Greeks could be considered a little extreme when it comes to this, what they accomplished by creating such precise human forms is really incredible. Having taken a figure drawing class last semester, I can see the great challenge in creating the human form correctly!

What is considered the ideal body has not changed much since the time of the Greeks (at least with men). It's hard for the chiseled guy to go out of style. Even today, the athletic, tall, muscular sort of guy hasn't lost his appeal. Of course, opinions vary, but I think most would agree this is a pretty universal preference. There doesn't seem to be a universal standard for women, however. What is considered truly attractive in women's appearance has changed on several occasions and continues to change. I think it's neat that the Greeks took such care to study the human form and find out this standard. Not only was it timeless, but their art reached an amazing level of perfection that took great strides to attain.