These in the round sculptures come from two different parts of Greek art. Sounion Kouros comes from the Archaic period (650-480 BC). Hermes with the Infant Dionysos comes from the Classical period (480-330 BC). Although these works may seem different due to their different period of art, they have many similarities.
Sounion Kouros is a larger than life kouros statue. Normally, Kouros statues were functioned as votive gifts or grave markers. They were depicted naked because the statue was normally of an athlete who had a good physique. They were also normally depicted at ages 16-21 because for males in this time, that was considered the “peak” of their life. Sounion Kouros was represented in the typical manner for his period with his left leg forward, his straight arms close to his sides, and his fists that were clenched resting on his thighs with thumbs facing forward. His hair forms a row of curls in a bead-like pattern on the forehead and hangs in locks down the back, where it is tied with a double ribbon. The anatomy is portrayed in a highly stylized, almost decorative, way.…show more content… An ideal that contributes to a number of stylized and formal patterns, rather than its real-life, physical or natural appearance. That interest in pattern and symmetry is characteristic of Archaic sculpture. The kouros was made of marble. An important characteristic of the Archaic period is the Archaic smile. Majority of the sculptures in this period will portray this characteristic. Also in the Archaic period, we can see that the artist had a balance of geometry and naturalism. The muscles are seen more as shapes and the hip line is extremely over exaggerated. This kouros is missing his left arm and his face appears