Art 101A, World Art History
August 4, 2011
Kleobis and Biton in Comparison with The Venus of Arles Polymedes’ Kleobis and Biton and The Venus of Arles, a marble copy of a sculpture attributed to Praxiteles are both fine representations of their respective time periods in ancient Greek art. Kleobis and Biton are a pair of marble kouroi, c. 590 BCE, 6.15 meters in height, and were sculpted in the Archaic Period of Greek History (700-500 BCE). The kouroi were sculpted in Argos, found in Delphi and are now located in the Delphi Archeological Museum in Greece. Kleobis and Biton tell a story of a heroic act, as relayed by the Greek historian Herodotus. The Venus of Arles, c. 1st Century BCE, is probably a marble copy of a bronze original created by Praxiteles, c. 375 – 340 BCE. It measures 1.9 meters in height. The sculpture is an example of the late Classical Period in Greek history (510-323 BCE). It was found in 1651 CE, in pieces, and was restored by François Giradon. It is now located in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. A comparison of the Kleobis and Biton with The Venus of Arles serves as a visual timeline of one period of ancient Greek art (the Archaic Period) directly following another (the Classical Period).
Kleobis and Biton

Kleobis and Biton, c. 590 BCE, are based on a heroic story as given by Herodotus. In the legend, Kleobis and Biton were sons of Cydippe, a priestess of Hera. They volunteered to pull a cart of goods meant for a sacrifice up a hill to a temple of Hera for their mother after her oxen died on the way. The brothers bravely pulled the cart successfully up the obstacle, and then died in their sleep peacefully from heart attacks. Since the brothers both lived good lives, they died as heroes, and were remembered as such. (ancient-greece.org, 2011; Wikipedia.org, 2011). Kleobis and Biton are kouroi (singular: kouros), which are statues of nude young men. Kouroi emulated the stance of earlier Egyptian statues, where the left foot is stepped forward in stance, arms locked to their sides, but without a weight shift. Egyptian statuary followed a canon of proportions, which lend to a classic ideal; kouroi seem to follow a similar rule (Cleaver, p. 93; Kleiner, p. 92). Also, a major difference in Greek and Egyptian statuary is that kouroi are depicted nude, while the ancient Egyptian art statues wore some sort of loincloth or other material. Another difference between early Greek and Egyptian statuary is that there is a space between the body and the arms of Greek sculptures. There is speculation that kouroi were designed to be stiff because they were either copying the earlier Egyptian style or were first subtracted from wood material instead of marble (Munro, p. 41). Although the statues are a pair, they are not diametrically opposed; instead, they are both sculpted in the same fixed position. The subjects just happen to be a pair.
Kleobis and Biton were sculpted in marble in the Archaic Period in Greece. They are typical of the Archaic style of Argos, and they stand 6.15 meters and are over life-size. It is interesting to note that these kouroi have boots, maybe to differentiate them from Apollo, or to show them being members of a democracy. (Kouros, para. 3, 2011). Typically kouroi are depicted barefoot. Another difference in Kleobis and Biton is that the piece is signed by Polymedes. It was unusual at the time for kouroi to be signed. Another rarity is that these kouroi tell a very specific story, which is not commonplace in other kouroi.
As typical with most kouroi, the brothers both sport a (faint) Archaic Smile. This artistic style is defined by Munro as “tight curls [on their head], like those seen on Mesopotamian carvings, frame the triangular eyes, and the mouth is drawn up tensely into an expression called the ‘Archaic Smile’” (p. 40). The Archaic Smile is meant to show that the statue is alive. The Archaic Smile was something that had become commonplace in Greek sculpture before the rise of the Classical Period.
The Venus of Arles

The Venus of Arles has a dramatic history. It was first found in 1651 in the Roman Theater in Arles by workers digging a well. It was found in pieces, and was given to Louis XIV. The royal sculptor François Giradon restored the figure to look like a Venus, and was displayed in Versailles. After the French Revolution, the statue was moved to the Louvre, but is not currently in display (www.wikipedia.org, 2011; louvre.fr, 2011).
The Venus of Arles, c. 1st century BCE, is thought to be a Roman marble copy of the Greek Aphrodite of Thesphia, by Praxiteles. According to the Louvre website, the original may have been the first statue made by Praxiteles after his Aphrodite of Knidos, a commissioned piece that was rejected by the people of Kos (2011). More modest than the sculpture at Knidos, The Venus of Arles persists in depicting the nude female form; this was still a rarity during that era. The unveiling of her robe almost betrays a sense of modesty. The beautiful goddess’ bare-form of this Venus was an artistic scarcity for its time. Ancient Greece was still celebrating the nude male form in virtually all of its art, and nude females were shown in household chores but never as goddesses. The nude female form made Praxiteles one of the most famous artists of his time.
The Venus of Arles is credited to Praxiteles, due in part to the very similar faces between it and The Aphrodite of Knidos. The statue, made of Hymettus marble and standing 1.9 meters in height, displays a craftsmanship and attention to detail that arose during the Classical Period. The Venus displays weight, realistic (though ideal) proportions, and life-like elements in the face and body. The drapery show beautiful and realistic detail Praxiteles was following his own canon of proportions, creating an idealized form.
The Venus of Arles shows two innovations of the Classical Period: Controposto and the Praxitelean Curve (or the “S” Curve). Controposto is the realistic depiction of shifting of weight from one leg to the other in statuary. This concept was first shown in the Western world in Kritios Boy, c. 480 BCE. The Venus goes one step further and showcases the Praxitelean Curve. In this concept, the figure stands Controposto, yet the “S” shape of the figure is guided by the shifting of the shoulders and hips in complementary axes. The Venus of Arles slopes down just so much. Controposto and the Praxitelean Curve was an advancement from the Archaic foot stance, which shows no conveyance of weight shift, and with a typical stiff, forward facing body.
Conclusion
Kleobis and Biton and The Venus of Arles were both innovating for their time. The Kleobis and Biton pair portrayed a story, identified its image and even had the sculptor sign their name. The Venus of Arles helped popularize the nude female form, and showcased Controposto, the Praxitelean Curve, and highlighted the beauty of women in an environment where art delighted in showing the idealized male form. Yet both were typical of their respective eras. By comparing side-by-side Kleobis and Biton and The Venus of Arles, we can see the rapid evolution of ancient Greek art and the advancements from the basic Archaic Period into the more realistic and idealized Classical Period. All in all, ancient Greek art was a monumental cultural achievement that reaches us to this day.

References
Cleaver, D. (1972). Art an introduction. (2nd Edition). University of Tennessee.
Greek Kouroi. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 31, 2011, from http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/kouroi2.html.
Kleiner, F. (2010). Gardner’s art through the ages. (13th Edition). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Kleobis and Biton. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleobis_and_Biton.
Koroi are known as Kleovis and Biton. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 31, 2011, from http://www.ancient-greece.org/images/art/kouros/pages/04klebis-biton1_jpg.htm.
Kouros. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 31, 2011, from http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Kouros.
Munro, E. (1961). The Encyclopedia of art. New York, NY: Golden Press.
Praxitele a Master of Ancient Scultpure. (n.d.). Retrieved on July 31, 2011, from http://mini-site.louvre.fr/praxitele/html/1.4.7.2_en.html.
Venus of Arles. (n.d.) Retrieved on July 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Arles.