Diadumenos of Policleto . Diadumen, “diadoumenos” in Greek for “the one who girdles and folds”. It is a free-standing or round-shaped sculpture of an idealized naturalistic character. It represents an athlete wearing a headband, hence its name. Next to the leg it presents a trunk, where the bow and the quiver appear supported, which serves as a stirrup to support the weight of the figure, although it may not have been in the original.
Summary
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- 1 Definition
- 2 Art Comment
- 3 Function and meaning
- 4 Sources
Definition
The original of the Diadumene (made presumably in bronze by the casting technique) is not preserved and had to be lost at an early date. The best known copy is preserved in the Archaeological of Athens. There are others, such as the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan in New York and the Prado Museum.
Art Commentary
The work belongs to the Full Classicism, and meets many of its characteristics. One of the most important lies in the search for the ideal of beauty, through rational concepts such as harmony and proportion. Polykleitos, in his book “Canon” today lost, makes a mathematical study of the relationship of each part of the body with the whole, turning beauty into a logical, mathematical and rational expression. We know that he used a canon where the measurement of the body should be equal to seven heads, but also each of the parts appears perfectly related, so we can observe that the abdomen is inscribed in a circle, or that the feet have the same measurement as the head. As for the face, it is divided into three equal parts, which include the temple, the nose and the mouth. The entire representation keeps proportions between its parts without leaving anything to chance. On the other hand, although the image represents a static moment, it gives it movement, with the use of the counterpost, where one leg supports the weight and the other is exonerated, to which the turning of the head to one side also contributes. The face abandons the archaic smile to represent what is known as the Greek ethos, a severe and contained expression that does not allow to transmit emotions.
Function and meaning
The meaning of this work is beyond its simple representation. Polykleitos, aims to show an ideal male body through rational concepts such as symmetry, proportion and harmony that result in a whole mathematical compendium. Its function is that of art for art’s sake, that of creating pleasure in the viewer through the contemplation of ideal beauty, which would be alien to any other political or religious interpretation. It is possible that its original location was an agora or public site, which would explain why it was so famous in antiquity.
