Myron
Myron wasGreek sculptor ofmiddle 5th century BC. He was born at Eleutherae onbordersBoeotiaAttica.He worked almost exclusivelybronze:though he made some statuesgodsheroes, his fame rested principally upon his representationsathletes,which he maderevolution, by introducing greater boldnesspose andmore perfect rhythm.
His most famous works accordingPliny (Nat. Hist., 34, 57) werecow, Ladasrunner, who fell dead atmomentvictory,Discobolus,discus thrower. The cow seemshave earned its fame mainly by serving aspeg on whichhang epigrams, which tell us nothing aboutpose ofanimal. OfLadas thereno known copy.
Several copies ofDiscobolus exist,whichbestinMassimi palace at Rome. The example inBritish Museum hashead put on wrongly. The athleterepresented atmoment when he has swung backdiscus withfull stretchhis arm,is abouthurlwithfull weighthis body. The head should be turned back towarddiscus.
A marble figure inLateran Museum, whichnow restored asdancing satyr,almost certainlycopy ofworkMyron,Marsyas desirouspicking upflutes which Athena had thrown away (Pausanias, 1. 24, I). The full groupcopied on coinsAthens, onvaseinrelief which represent Marsyas as oscillating between curiosity andfear ofdispleasureAthena.
The ancient critics sayMyron that, while he succeeded admirablygiving lifemotionhis figures, he did not succeedrenderingemotions ofmind. This agrees withextant evidence, incertain degree, though not perfectly. The bodieshis menof far greater excellence thanheads. The face ofMarsyasalmostmask; but fromattitude we gainvivid impression ofpassions which sway him. The face ofdiscus-throwercalmunruffled; but allmuscleshis bodyconcentratedan effort.
A considerable numberother extant worksascribed toschool orinfluenceMyron by A. Furtwanglerhis suggestive MasterpiecesGreek Sculpture (pp. 168—2 19). These attributions, however,anything but certain, nor doarguments by which Furtwangler supports his attributions bear abridgment.
A recently discovered papyrus from Egypt informs us that Myron made statues ofathlete Timanthes, victorious at Olympia456 BC, andLycinus, victorious448444. This helps usfix his date. He wascontemporary, butsomewhat older contemporary,PheidiasPolyclitus.
This entry was originally from1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Myronalso1974 novel by Gore Vidal, who wroteassequelhis 1968 bestselling Myra Breckinridge.
