(IV century BC)
Lysippos was the greatest Greek sculptor IV century BC. He managed to lift greek art to even greater heights. Not much is known about the life of Lysippos.
As Will Durant writes: “Lysippos of Sicyon began as a humble coppersmith. He dreamed of being an artist, but he did not have money for a teacher; he, however, plucked up courage when he heard the speeches of the painter Eupompus, who declared that it is best to imitate nature, not artists. After this, Lysippos turned to the study of living beings and established new canon sculptural proportions, which replaced the strict rules of Polykleitos; he lengthened the legs and made the head smaller, extended the limbs into the third dimension and gave the figure more vitality and lightness.”
The main achievement of the sculptor was that he moves from depicting the typical to conveying the characteristic. Lysippos is primarily interested in the no longer constant, stable state of the phenomenon. On the contrary, he is most attracted to originality.
One of the most famous works sculptor - a statue of Apoxyomenes. G.I. Sokolov vividly talks about this work by Lysippa:
“Lysippos managed to plastically completely convey the excitement of the young man, who had not yet cooled down after the fight, was mobile, shifting from foot to foot. In the sculpture of Apoxyomenos there is not a single calm part of the body: the torso, legs, arms, neck cannot remain for long in the position in which the sculptor showed them. Apoxyomenes's head is slightly tilted to the side, his hair is shown as if stuck together with sweat, one strand of it is thrown up. The mouth is slightly open in heavy breathing, a wrinkle cuts across the forehead, deeply sunken eyes with fatigue imprinted in them. The tremulous nervousness of excitement, which the Roman copyist could not convey in the marble face of Apoxyomenes, was preserved by the bronze statue of Ephebe from Antikythera, perhaps made by some contemporary of Lysippos. Lysippos preferred to work in bronze, and the original statue of Apoxyomenes did not have supports, which, having appeared in the Roman marble copy, spoil the appearance of the statue and reduce the lightness and mobility of the figure. The highlights on the bronze original also created an additional impression of fragmentation of volumes and disturbance of the image.
Lysippos also significantly complicates the positioning of his body: his right leg is set to the side and slightly back; arms extended forward, one straight, the other bent at the elbow. The conquest of space by the statue, begun by Skopas with the complex reversal of the Maenad, continues. Lysippos goes further than his predecessor: if the Maenad was mobile within the confines of an imaginary cylinder, then Apoxyomenes breaks its invisible boundaries and strives to enter the spatial environment where the viewer is located. For now, however, the master is limited to only the movement of the athlete’s hand.
Compared to the statues of Polykleitos, the proportions of the Lysippos sculptures are perceived as new: the figure of Apoxyomenes seems elongated and the head is small. The character’s professionalism clearly stands out: here the athlete is represented more specifically than in the statue of Doryphoros. But if the Spearman concentrated in himself the qualities of not only an athlete, but also a hoplite, as well as an ideal, perfect Hellene, then the image of Apoxyomenes is less multifaceted and holistic, although more dynamic and mobile.
The sculptor is already using the opportunity to show much more fully different points view of various human states. From the back Apoxyomenos appears tired, from the front he is perceived as excited, on the left and on the right other nuances are introduced into these states of his, and other impressions are created by the master.”
According to ancient writers, Lysippos sculpted for the city of Alisia in Acarnania (western part of central Greece) a series of sculptural groups depicting the most important labors of Hercules. Made in bronze and life-size, they were later transported to Rome. Numerous copies were made from them here.
The fight with the Nemean lion is the first and one of the most difficult labors of Hercules. In the Nemean Valley, Hercules waylaid a lion at the entrance to his cave. The arrow fired by Hercules did not harm the lion, becoming entangled in the thick fur. When the enraged beast rushed at Hercules, he first stunned the lion with a club, and then, grabbing him by the neck, entered into mortal combat with him.
The composition of the group has the form of a pyramid formed by the figures of Hercules and a lion, which allows the group to be viewed from all sides.
G. D. Belov talks about the statue:
“The hero’s pose is stable - his legs are spread wide apart, he feels solid support under him. Hercules grabbed the lion by the neck with his hands and strangled him. The hands of Hercules are a gradually shrinking ring. Will the beast be able to escape from this deadly ring, will the lion be able to free himself from the tight embrace of Hercules?
The fight has already reached its end highest voltage. Hercules with enormous power squeezes the lion's neck. All his muscles were swollen to the limit - on his chest, arms and legs they appeared as elastic mounds. Even on the back - and there all the muscles began to move; here the sculptor deliberately exaggerates them, but in fact on the back they are less developed and do not reach such sizes. But the artist needed to show this excessive swelling of the muscles to express the tension achieved by the struggle of two powerful opponents.
If the pose of Hercules is stable and confident, if the hero is still full of unexhausted strength, then the position of the lion is completely different. The lion rests against Hercules with its front paws, trying with all its might to break away from him, but the beast’s hind legs and long body create the impression of instability. stand on hind legs, and even more so, it is unusual for a lion to fight in such a position. The lion's intention was to jump with such force as to throw the enemy to the ground with a blow from his heavy body and gnaw him in a lying position. But the lion failed to do this - the enemy turned out to be strong enough to withstand the terrible blow of the lion, and not only withstand and stay on his feet, but also move from defense to active struggle. Hercules, intercepting the lion’s leap, forced him to enter into single combat in a position unfavorable for the lion; this circumstance immediately affected the development of the fight - the advantage in it was on the side of Hercules.”
Another copy of the master's original has survived. A small figurine of Hercules depicts the hero sitting on a lion skin thrown over a rock.
Young Hercules feasts on Olympus, among the gods, where he was miraculously transported at the end of his earthly life.
The figurine became a gift from Lysippos to Alexander the Great. Tradition says that Alexander loved this figurine so much that he did not part with it even on campaigns, and when he was dying, he ordered it to be placed before his eyes.
The school of Lysippos includes a statue of resting Hermes. The latter is breathing heavily, sitting on the edge of the cliff. Probably, having rested, he will again continue running quickly. And only the sandals of Hermes with buckles on the feet, in which one cannot run, but only fly, indicate the divinity of the image.
In the same complex, tense pose, Lysippos shows Eros, pulling the string of his bow. This is how G. D. Belov describes this work:
“Eros is depicted as a naked boy holding a bow in his hands, which he is trying to string. To carry out this action, a very great effort was required, which determined the composition of the figure. Eros is bent strongly, his legs and torso are in the same plane, his arms are extended in left side, the head is turned in the same direction. Parallel lines intersect with the line of the legs and the plane of the torso, the lower part of the figure is directed forward, while the shoulders and torso are tilted to the right; some forces counteract others, all this imparts movement to the figure, making it dynamic. Moreover, built in different planes, the figure of Eros requires depth and space. The composition of the statue of Eros in some of its parts resembles the setting of the figure of Apoxyomenes.
Eros's adolescent body is different characteristic features: it is not yet fully developed, tender, with a large head, with full cheeks, with plump lips small mouth. Eros is one of the first attempts to depict a child figure in Greek art."
Having parted with the type for the sake of the individual, with convention for the sake of impressionism, Lysippos managed to make a breakthrough into new areas, almost becoming the founder of Greek portrait sculpture. Alexander the Great liked the busts of his work so much that he appointed Lysippos his court sculptor, just as he had previously granted the exclusive right to paint his portraits to Apelles and carve them on gems to Pyrgotelus.
The following poems have been preserved about the sculptor’s royal portraits:
Alexander's look and his whole appearance full of courage
Lysippos poured it out of copper. It’s as if this copper lives.
It seems that, looking at Zeus, the statue says to him:
“I take the land for myself, you own Olympus.”
In the later copies that have reached us you can see a portrait strong man, whose consciousness was stirred up by inner turmoil and excitement. Anxiety appears in the pathetic features of the commander. It is perceived either as a harbinger of the dramatic centuries of Hellenism, or as a flash of longing for the once characteristic classic man and now lost confidence and peace.
The artistic heritage of Lysippos was enormous in quantity. An ancient legend says that Lysippos set aside one gold coin from the payment he received for each of his works. After his death there were 1500 of them! And this despite the fact that some of Lysippos’ works were multi-figured. Such, for example, is the group of Alexander and his soldiers, participants in the battle of Granicus - the first big battle with the Persians during Alexander’s campaign in Asia. There are twenty horsemen depicted there. Some of the statues of Lysippos even reached colossal sizes: the statue of Zeus in Tarentum (in southern Italy) reached a height of over 20 meters.
It is likely that the legend exaggerates the number of works of Lysippos. His sons, assistants and students also worked in his workshop. But there is no doubt about the enormous creative energy of Lysippos. The same legend says: trying to finish his last piece, the master brought himself to exhaustion, as a result of which he died.
Lysippos (c. 390 – c. 300 BC), ancient Greek sculptor, born in Sikyon (Peloponnese). In antiquity it was claimed (Pliny the Elder) that Lysippos created 1,500 statues. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that Lysippos was an extremely prolific and versatile artist. The bulk of his works were predominantly bronze statues depicting gods, Hercules, athletes and other contemporaries, as well as horses and dogs. Lysippos was the court sculptor of Alexander the Great. A colossal statue of Zeus by Lysippos stood in the agora of Tarentum. According to the same Pliny, its height was 40 cubits, i.e. 17.6 m. Other statues of Zeus were erected by Lysippos in the agora of Sicyon, in the temple at Argos and in the temple of Megara, and last work represented Zeus accompanied by the Muses. An image of a bronze statue of Poseidon with one leg on a raised platform that stood in Sikyon is found on surviving coins; a copy of it is a statue resembling the image on coins in the Lateran Museum (Vatican). The figure of the sun god Helios, created by Lysippos in Rhodes, depicted the god on a chariot drawn by four; this motif was used by the sculptor in other compositions. Available in the Louvre, Capitoline Museums and British Museum copies depicting Eros loosening the bowstring may go back to the Eros of Lysippos at Thespiae. Also located in Sikyon, the statue depicted Kairos (god of luck): the god in winged sandals sat on a wheel, his hair hung forward, but the back of his head was bald; copies of the statue survive on small reliefs and cameos.
Hercules is Lysippos’s favorite character. The colossal seated figure of Hercules on the acropolis of Tarentum depicted the hero in a somber mood after he had purified Augean stables: Hercules sat on a basket in which he carried manure, his head rested on his arm, his elbow rested on his knee. This statue was taken by Fabius Maximus to Rome after it was destroyed in 209 BC. took Tarentum, and in 325 AD. Constantine the Great transported her to the newly founded Constantinople. Perhaps the Hercules we see on coins from Sikyon goes back to a lost original, copies of which are both the Farnese Hercules in Naples and the statue signed with the name of Lysippos in Florence.
Here we again see the gloomy Hercules, dejectedly leaning on a club, with a lion's skin draped over it. The statue of Hercules Epitrapedius, depicting the hero “at the table”, represented him, according to the descriptions and many existing repetitions different sizes, sitting on the stones, with a cup of wine in one hand and a club in the other - probably after he ascended to Olympus. The figurine, which was originally a table decoration created for Alexander the Great, was subsequently seen in Rome by Statius and Martial.
The portraits of Alexander created by Lysippos were praised for the combination of two qualities. Firstly, they realistically reproduced the model’s appearance, including the unusual turn of the neck, and secondly, the courageous and majestic character of the emperor was clearly expressed here. The figure representing Alexander with a spear appears to have served as the original for both the herm formerly owned by José Nicolas Azar and the bronze figurine (both now in the Louvre). Lysippos depicted Alexander on horseback, both alone and with his comrades who died in the Battle of Granicus in 334 BC. An existing equestrian bronze statue of Alexander with a stern oar under his horse, perhaps an allusion to the same battle on the river, may be a replica of the latter statue. Other portraits by Lysippos included that of Socrates (the best copies are perhaps the busts in the Louvre and the Museo Nazionale delle Terme in Naples); portrait of Aesop; there were still portraits of the poetess Praxilla and Seleucus. Together with Leochares, Lysippos created for Craterus a group depicting the scene of a lion hunt, in which Craterus saved Alexander's life; after 321 BC the group was initiated into Delphi.
"Resting Hermes", sculpture made by Lysippos. Not preserved. Known from a Roman copy kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Apoxyomenes, an athlete scraping off dirt from himself after exercise (in antiquity they used to anoint themselves before athletic activities), was subsequently placed by Agrippa in front of the baths he built in Rome. Perhaps its copy is marble statue in the Vatican. With a scraper held in the left hand, the athlete cleans the outstretched right hand. Thus, left hand crosses the body, which was the first case of reproducing movement in the third dimension that we encounter in ancient Greek sculpture. The head of the statue is smaller than was traditionally accepted early sculpture, facial features are nervous, thin; Hair disheveled from exercise is reproduced with great vividness.
Another portrait image of an athlete by Lysippos is the marble Agios found in Delphi (located in the Delphi Museum); the same signature as under it was also found in Pharsal, but no statue was found there. Both inscriptions list the many victories of Agius, the ancestor of the Thessalian ruler Daoch, who commissioned the statue, and the inscription from Pharsalus lists Lysippos as the author of the work. The statue found at Delphi resembles Scopas in style, who in turn was influenced by Polykleitos. Since Lysippos himself called Doryphorus Polycletus his teacher (whose angular proportions he, however, rejected), it is quite possible that he was influenced by his older contemporary Scopas.
Lysippos is at the same time the last of the great classical masters and the first Hellenistic sculptor. Many of his students, among whom were his own three sons, had a profound impact on the art of the 2nd century. BC
Unlike many Greek copies, which have become the subject of controversy, this Roman statue is clearly attributed to the surviving compositions of the sculptor Lysippos. The original bronze statue represented the god holding a caduceus in his left hand and untying a sandal with his right. The statue can be viewed from different angles: strong slim body mobile and captured in a complex pose.
His works mentioned in literary sources(Most of the images are supposed copies of Lysippos or his school):
Deities:
Six-foot Zeus in Tarentum
Zeus of Sicyon
Zeus of Nemean in Argos, possibly from Nemea (?)
Zeus and the Muses, Megara
Poseidon in Corinth
Dionysus on Helikon
Helios in his chariot in Rhodes, later in Rome.
Eros in Thespia
Kairos of Sicyon, later in Constantinople
Heroes
Seated Hercules in Tarentum, later in Rome, and then in Constantinople.
Hercules in Sikyon
Hercules conquered by Eros
Resting Hercules
All the labors of Hercules (12 statues), later in Rome
Portraits
Aesop and the Seven Wise Men
Portraits of Alexander in his youth 
Head from Pella 
An alleged copy of a cast of Alexander's face at age 22. 
Alexander (maybe several) with a spear
Plutarch in Morals gives an epigram on a certain statue of Alexander by Lysippos
“It seems that the statue is looking at Zeus as if she wants to say -
Take your Olympus, leave the land for me.”
Triumphal statue of Alexander, copy of Lysippos 
Alexander of Cyrene, with the head of Bucephalus, copy of Lysippos 
Head with Athens Acropolis. One of the earliest images is definitely of Alexander 
Alexander on horseback, later in Rome
Alexander and the Hetairai, who fell at Granicus, in Dion, Macedonia, later in Rome.
Gaius Valley Paterculus:
“Metellius of Macedonia brought from Macedonia a group of horsemen who were installed facing the temples, and now they form the main attraction. As for the origin of this group, they say that Alexander ordered Lysippos to make realistic portraits of his hetairas who fell at the Battle of Granicus and to place himself among them.”
Alexander and Craterus on a lion hunt, dedication by Craterus at Delphi ( collaboration with Leochares, according to Pliny)
Inscription – dedication at Delphi:
“Crateros, the son of Alexander, dedicated them to Apollo,
A noble, glorious, and famous husband,
But the one who placed them here is the saddened son of Crater,
Only fulfilling the will of the father
For glory, for pleasure and eternal memory oh wanderer,
Look how this hunter hunts this lion, devouring bulls,
Together with Alexander, the glorious ruler of Asia
He was an assistant to the king in his victory,
He struck the lion when he attacked them,
like a sheep on the distant borders of Syria.”
It is absolutely clear that the dedication was made at least after 321, i.e. after Crater's death
Possibly a copy of part of that group. Alexander. 
Possibly Hephaestion
Pelopidas, dedication by the Thessalians at Delphi
Praxilla, later in Rome 
Pytheas of Abdera, in Olympia
Seleucus, later Roman copy
Socrates, at Pompeion in Athens 
Victory statues
Wrestler Aegius, in Pharsalas.
The wrestler Chilo from Patras, in Olympia
According to Pausanias, Chilo, an Achaean from Patras, was twice victorious in wrestling at Olympia, and once at Delphi, four at Isthmos and three at Nemea. He was buried at the state's expense by the Achaeans after he was killed in battle, according to an inscription at Olympia.
I personally won the fight - at Olympia twice, and at the Pythian Games
Three times - in Nemea, and four times - on Isthmus by the sea,
Chilo, son of Chilo of Patras, Achaean,
He was buried for his bravery in a military battle.
Believed to have fallen at either the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 or the Battle of Lamia when the Achaeans marched against Antipater.
Boxer boy Callicrates of Magnesia, at Olympia
Pankratiast boy Corveidas from Thebes, in Thebes.
Pankratiast Polydamus of Scotussa, in Olympia
The charioteer Troilus of Aelia, in Olympia
Pankratiast Philandridos from Statos, in Olympia
Apoxymenes, later in the Roman copy
Various
Dedication (naked man) in Corinth.
Another dedication in Corinth
Dedication in Linda.
Statue dedicated to Theramenes in Megara
The statue at Thermon, also remade by Paedius from Heraclea.
Drunk flutist
Satyr in Athens
Fallen lion in Lampsacus, later a Roman copy.
Horses kicking up their legs 
Group of drivers
Works related to Lysippos with the least probability
Timoxenus son of Timoxenus, in Asklepeion on Kos.
Bull, later a Roman copy.
Hera of Samos, later in Constantinople
Mirrilini, later a Roman copy.
Copy of Farnese Hercules, Florence
Statue with a dolphin (Aphrodite or Poseidon)
The period of the Diadochi was the end of the era classical sculpture, although painting was still at its zenith. Genuine Hellenic art stopped with the sons of Praxiteles and the school of Lysippos.
Hermes 
Aristotle 
God. Possibly Ares 
Poseidon 
His family:
Brother:
Lysistratus (Λυσίστρατος)
He could help his brother, and was also there in 328-325. extremely famous for portraits (Tatian). Who, according to Pausanias, was the first to sculpt faces with portrait resemblance, for this he even took plaster casts from living faces.
Sons:
Eutychides (Ευτυχίδης). The eldest son, who served at Alexander's court, also sculpted the great commander. Known for his colossal sculpture of Tyche.
Perhaps the statue of Tyche in Antioch repeated, albeit in miniature, this statue. 
A very large head, perhaps just that of Tyche, was found in Sikyon. 
Author of Trophonius in Lebadaea, portraits of several women and a group of Thespiades, daughters of Thespius, whom Hercules impregnated in one night.
His other works are Eurotus, the statue of the winner at Olympia, and Liber Pater (this is the hypostasis of Dionysus).
He was also an artist. We know about his work “Nike on a Chariot”
He used an ascetic style, but otherwise imitated his father.
Daippos (Δαΐππος) From his works we know about the statues of two Olympic winners and Perixiomen.
Boidas (Βοιδας). Least known. The Praying Boy statue, located in Berlin, has been preserved. 
In fact, the Praying Man is a conditional name, since it has been precisely established that the hands of the statue were mounted in the 17th century, and there is still debate about whether the boy is reading or praying.
Lysippos is an ancient Greek sculptor, born in Sikyon (Peloponnese). In antiquity it was claimed (Pliny the Elder) that Lysippos created 1,500 statues. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that Lysippos was an extremely prolific and versatile artist. The bulk of his works were predominantly bronze statues depicting gods, Hercules, athletes and other contemporaries, as well as horses and dogs. Lysippos was the court sculptor of Alexander the Great. A colossal statue of Zeus by Lysippos stood in the agora of Tarentum. According to the same Pliny, its height was 40 cubits, i.e. 17.6 m. Other statues of Zeus were erected by Lysippos in the agora of Sicyon, in the temple at Argos and in the temple of Megara, the latter work representing Zeus accompanied by the Muses. An image of a bronze statue of Poseidon with one leg on a raised platform that stood in Sikyon is found on surviving coins; a copy of it is a statue resembling the image on coins in the Lateran Museum (Vatican). The figure of the sun god Helios, created by Lysippos in Rhodes, depicted the god on a chariot drawn by four; this motif was used by the sculptor in other compositions. Copies in the Louvre, the Capitoline Museums and the British Museum depicting Eros loosening the string of a bow probably go back to the Eros of Lysippos at Thespiae. Also located in Sikyon, the statue depicted Kairos (god of luck): the god in winged sandals sat on a wheel, his hair hung forward, but the back of his head was bald; copies of the statue survive on small reliefs and cameos.
Hercules is Lysippos' favorite character. The colossal seated figure of Hercules on the acropolis of Tarentum depicted the hero in a gloomy mood after he had cleared the Augean stables: Hercules sat on a basket in which he carried dung, his head resting on his arm, his elbow resting on his knee. This statue was taken by Fabius Maximus to Rome after it was destroyed in 209 BC. e. took Tarentum, and in 325 AD. e. Constantine the Great transported her to the newly founded Constantinople. Perhaps the Hercules we see on coins from Sikyon goes back to a lost original, copies of which are both the Farnese Hercules in Naples and the statue signed with the name of Lysippos in Florence. Here we again see the gloomy Hercules, dejectedly leaning on a club, with a lion's skin draped over it. The statue of Heracles Epitrapedius, depicting the hero "at the table", represented him, according to the descriptions and the many existing repetitions of different sizes, sitting on stones, with a cup of wine in one hand and a club in the other - probably after he had ascended to Olympus. The figurine, which was originally a table decoration created for Alexander the Great, was subsequently seen in Rome by Statius and Martial.
The portraits of Alexander created by Lysippos were praised for the combination of two qualities. Firstly, they realistically reproduced the model’s appearance, including the unusual turn of the neck, and secondly, the courageous and majestic character of the emperor was clearly expressed here. The figure representing Alexander with a spear appears to have served as the original for both the herm formerly owned by José Nicolas Azar and the bronze figurine (both now in the Louvre). Lysippos depicted Alexander on horseback, both alone and with his comrades who died in the Battle of Granicus in 334 BC. e. An existing equestrian bronze statue of Alexander with a stern oar under his horse, perhaps an allusion to the same battle on the river, may be a replica of the latter statue. Other portraits by Lysippos included that of Socrates (the best copies are perhaps the busts in the Louvre and the Museo Nazionale delle Terme in Naples); portrait of Aesop; there were still portraits of the poetess Praxilla and Seleucus. Together with Leochares, Lysippos created for Craterus a group depicting the scene of a lion hunt, in which Craterus saved Alexander's life; after 321 BC the group was initiated into Delphi.
Apoxyomenes, an athlete scraping off dirt from himself after exercise (in antiquity they used to anoint themselves before athletic activities), was subsequently placed by Agrippa in front of the baths he built in Rome. Perhaps its copy is a marble statue in the Vatican. With a scraper held in the left hand, the athlete cleans the right hand extended forward. Thus the left arm crosses the body, which was the first instance of movement in the third dimension that we encounter in ancient Greek sculpture. The head of the statue is smaller than was customary in the earlier sculpture, the facial features are nervous and delicate; Hair tousled from exercise is reproduced with great vividness.
Another portrait image of an athlete by Lysippos is the marble Agios found in Delphi (located in the Delphi Museum); the same signature as under it was also found in Pharsal, but no statue was found there. Both inscriptions list the many victories of Agius, the ancestor of the Thessalian ruler Daoch, who commissioned the statue, and the inscription from Pharsalus lists Lysippos as the author of the work. The statue found at Delphi resembles Scopas in style, who in turn was influenced by Polykleitos. Since Lysippos himself called Doryphorus Polycletus his teacher (whose angular proportions he, however, rejected), it is quite possible that he was influenced by his older contemporary Scopas.
Lysippos is at the same time the last of the great classical masters and the first Hellenistic sculptor. Many of his students, including his own three sons, had a profound impact on the art of the 2nd century BC. e.
"Resting Hermes", sculpture made by Lysippos. Not preserved. Known from a Roman copy kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The colossal seated figure of Hercules on the acropolis of Tarentum depicted the hero in a gloomy mood after he had cleared the Augean stables: Hercules sat on a basket in which he carried dung, his head resting on his arm, his elbow resting on his knee.
"Apoxiomenos", bronze sculpture by Lysippos. Not preserved. Known from a Roman copy made of marble in the 1st century AD. e. The statue depicts an athlete cleaning off dust and sand that had stuck to his naked body during a fight. Compared to the statues of the 5th century, it is distinguished by more elongated proportions, volumetric modeling and detailed rendering of muscles.
"Eros Stretching the Bow", sculpture made by Lysippos. Not preserved. Known from copies. One of the copies is stored in State Hermitage, Saint Petersburg. Eros is depicted as a teenager, whose body has already acquired some angularity, but has not yet lost the childish softness of its forms. The young god pulls the string on his bow. With complete naturalness and life-like truthfulness of the pose, Lysippos created a complex spatial composition in which parts of the figure are located in different intersecting planes. Thanks to this, the image acquires special dynamism.
"Hercules Fighting a Lion", bronze sculptural group made by Lysippos. Not preserved. Destroyed in 1204 by the crusaders, who used it for coinage. She stood on the dividing barrier of the Constantinople hippodrome. The first labor of Hercules is depicted - the strangulation of the Nemean lion, the struggle of Hercules with the lion. A marble copy is kept in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
Lysippos- Ancient Greek sculptor.
Born in Sikyon. In antiquity it was claimed (Pliny the Elder) that Lysippos created 1,500 statues. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that Lysippos was an extremely prolific and versatile artist. The bulk of his works were predominantly bronze statues depicting gods, Hercules, athletes and other contemporaries, as well as horses and dogs.
Lysippos was the court sculptor of Alexander the Great. A colossal statue of Zeus by Lysippos stood in the agora of Tarentum. According to Pliny, its height was 40 cubits (17.6 m). Other statues of Zeus were erected by Lysippos in the agora of Sicyon, in the temple at Argos and in the temple of Megara, the latter work representing Zeus accompanied by the Muses.
An image of a bronze statue of Poseidon with one leg on a raised platform that stood in Sikyon is found on surviving coins; a copy of it is a statue resembling the image on coins in the Lateran Museum (Vatican). The figure of the sun god Helios, created by Lysippos in Rhodes, depicted the god on a chariot drawn by four; this motif was used by the sculptor in other compositions. Copies in the Louvre, the Capitoline Museums and the British Museum depicting Eros loosening the string of a bow probably go back to the Eros of Lysippos at Thespiae. Also located in Sikyon, the statue depicted Kairos (god of luck): the god in winged sandals sat on a wheel, his hair hung forward, but the back of his head was bald; copies of the statue are preserved in small reliefs and cameos.
Hercules is Lysippos' favorite character. The seated figure of Hercules on the acropolis of Tarentum depicted the hero in a gloomy mood after he had cleared the Augean stables: Hercules was sitting on a basket in which he was carrying manure, his head resting on his arm, his elbow resting on his knee. Fabius Maximus took this statue to Rome after taking Tarentum in 209 BC, and in 325 AD Constantine the Great transported it to the newly founded Constantinople. Perhaps the Hercules we see on coins from Sikyon goes back to a lost original, copies of which are both the Farnese Hercules in Naples and the statue signed with the name of Lysippos in Florence. Here we again see the gloomy Hercules, dejectedly leaning on a club, with a lion's skin draped over it. The statue of Heracles Epitrapedius, depicting the hero "at the table", represented him, according to the descriptions and the many existing repetitions of different sizes, sitting on stones, with a cup of wine in one hand and a club in the other - probably after he had ascended to Olympus. The figurine, which was originally a table decoration created for Alexander the Great, was subsequently seen in Rome by Statius and Martial.
The portraits of Alexander created by Lysippos were praised for the combination of two qualities. Firstly, they realistically reproduced the model’s appearance, including the unusual turn of the neck, and secondly, the courageous and majestic character of the emperor was clearly expressed here. The figure representing Alexander with a spear appears to have served as the original for both the herm formerly owned by José Nicolas Azar and the bronze figurine (both now in the Louvre). Lysippos depicted Alexander on horseback, both alone and with his comrades who fell in the Battle of Granicus in 334 BC. An existing equestrian bronze statue of Alexander with a stern oar under his horse, perhaps an allusion to the same battle on the river, may be a replica of the latter statue. Other portraits by Lysippos included that of Socrates (the best copies are perhaps the busts in the Louvre and the Museo Nazionale delle Terme in Naples); portrait of Aesop; there were still portraits of the poetess Praxilla and Seleucus. Together with Leochares, Lysippos created for Craterus a group depicting the scene of a lion hunt, in which Craterus saved Alexander's life; after 321 BC the group was dedicated to Delphi.
Apoxyomenes, an athlete scraping off dirt from himself after exercise (in antiquity they used to anoint themselves before athletic activities), was subsequently placed by Agrippa in front of the baths he built in Rome. Perhaps its copy is a marble statue in the Vatican. With a scraper held in the left hand, the athlete cleans the right hand extended forward. Thus the left arm crosses the body, which was the first instance of movement in the third dimension that we encounter in ancient Greek sculpture. The head of the statue is smaller than was customary in the earlier sculpture, the facial features are nervous and delicate; Hair tousled from exercise is reproduced with great vividness.
Another portrait image of an athlete by Lysippos is the marble Agios found in Delphi (located in the Delphi Museum); the same signature as under it was also found in Pharsal, but no statue was found there. Both inscriptions list the many victories of Agius, the ancestor of the Thessalian ruler Daoch, who commissioned the statue, and the inscription from Pharsalus lists Lysippos as the author of the work. The statue found at Delphi resembles Scopas in style, who in turn was influenced by Polykleitos. Since Lysippos himself called Doryphorus Polycletus his teacher (whose angular proportions he, however, rejected), it is quite possible that he was influenced by his older contemporary Scopas.
Lysippos is at the same time the last of the great classical masters and the first Hellenistic sculptor. Many of his students, including his own three sons, had a profound impact on the art of the 2nd century BC.
Sculptures of Lysippos:
Resting Hermes
"Resting Hermes", sculpture made by Lysippos. Not preserved. Known from a Roman copy kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Hermes putting on sandals
Hermes
Satyr with baby Dionysus
Praxilla
Muse
Poseidon with a dolphin
Eros
Eros drawing a bow
"Eros Stretching the Bow", sculpture made by Lysippos. Not preserved. Known from copies. One of the copies is kept in the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
Eros is depicted as a teenager, whose body has already acquired some angularity, but has not yet lost the childish softness of its forms. The young god pulls the string on his bow. With complete naturalness and life-like truthfulness of the pose, Lysippos created a complex spatial composition in which parts of the figure are located in different intersecting planes. Thanks to this, the image acquires special dynamism.