Contrapposto (Italian pronunciation:[kontrapˈposto]) is anItalian term that means "counterpoise". It is used in thevisual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in theaxial plane.
First appearing inAncient Greece in the early 5th centuryBCE,contrapposto is considered a crucial development in the history ofAncient Greek art (and, by extension,Western art), as it marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a psychological disposition. The style was further developed and popularized by sculptors in theHellenistic andImperial Roman periods, fell out of use in theMiddle Ages, and was later revived during theRenaissance.Michelangelo's statue ofDavid, one of the most iconic sculptures in the world, is a famous example ofcontrapposto.
Contrapposto was historically an important sculptural development, for its appearance marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a more relaxed psychological disposition. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed appearance. In the frontal plane this also results in opposite levels of shoulders and hips, for example: if the right hip is higher than the left; correspondingly the right shoulder will be lower than the left, and vice versa. It can further encompass the tension as a figure changes from resting on a given leg to walking or running upon it (so-calledponderation). The leg that carries the weight of the body is known as theengaged leg, the relaxed leg is known as thefree leg.[1] Usually, theengaged leg is straight, or very slightly bent, and thefree leg is slightly bent.[2]Contrapposto is less emphasized than the more sinuousS-curve, and creates the illusion of past and future movement.[3] A 2019eye tracking study, by showing thatcontrapposto acts assupernormal stimulus and increases perceived attractiveness, has provided evidence and insight as to why, in artistic presentation, goddesses of beauty and love are often depicted incontrapposto pose.[4] This was later supported in aneuroimaging study.[5] The termcontrapposto can also be used to refer to multiple figures which are in counter-pose (or opposite pose) to one another.
Prior to the introduction ofcontrapposto, the statues that dominated ancient Greece were thearchaickouros (male) and thekore (female). The first known statue to usecontrapposto isKritios Boy, c. 480 BCE,[6] so called because it was once attributed to the sculptorKritios. It is possible, even likely, that earlier bronze statues had used the technique, but if they did, they have not survived andKenneth Clark called the statue "the first beautiful nude in art".[7] The statue is a Greek marble original and not a Roman copy.
According to thecanon of the Classical Greek sculptorPolykleitos in the 4th century BCE,contrapposto is one of the most important characteristics of his figurative works and those of his successors,Lysippos,Skopas, etc. The Polykletian statues (Discophoros ("discus-bearer") andDoryphoros ("spear-bearer"), for example) are idealized athletic young men with the divine sense, and captured incontrapposto. In these works, the pelvis is no longeraxial with thevertical kourous archaic style of earlier Greek sculpture beforeKritios Boy.
Contrapposto can be clearly seen in theRoman copies of the statues ofHermes andHeracles. A famous example is the marble statue ofHermes and the Infant Dionysus inOlympia byPraxiteles. It can also be seen in the Roman copies of Polyclitus'sAmazon.
Greek art emphasized humanism along with the human mind and the human body's beauty.[8] Greek youths trained and competed in athletic contests in the nude. A great contribution to thecontrapposto pose was the concept of a canon of proportions, in which mathematical properties are used to create proportions.[9]
Classicalcontrapposto was revived inRenaissance art by the Italian artistsDonatello andLeonardo da Vinci, followed byMichelangelo,Raphael and other artists of theHigh Renaissance. One of the achievements of theItalian Renaissance was the re-discovery ofcontrapposto.
The technique continues to be widely employed in sculpture. Modern psychological research confirms the attractiveness of the pose.[10][4][5]
Media related toContrapposto at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
