Compare and contrast any two female free standing sculptures with any two male free standing sculptures.

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Compare and contrast any two female free standing sculptures with any two male free standing sculptures

I am going to compare the Athenian Akropolis Kore (ca.520-510) and the Auxerre Maiden (ca. 750) as the two female free standing sculptures and the New York Met/Kouros (youth) and Kleobis (ca.600) as the male free standing sculpture.

The two male sculptures are dated from roughly the same period and so should have more similarities than the two female sculptures which were of very different dates.

Female

The most obvious difference that faces you is the fact that the Auxerre Maiden is by far the simpler and earliest of the two. The Athenian Akropolis Kore has much more lavish clothing and hair, the clothes on the Auxerre Maiden are very plain and simple there is little detail on it and it shows no understanding of the movement and creases in the clothes like the Athenian Akropolis Kore shows. The dress itself is very box like and looks to be made out of cardboard the fabric shown is static and shows no movement. The Athenian Akropolis Kore's drapery however is full of detail and the clothes have movement, it bunches together where she is presumably holding up her dress as all the signs indicate towards that. Overall the clothing of the Athenian Akropolis Kore is far more elaborate and shows deep creases in the clothes, it does not look like the box shapes dress of the Auxerre Maiden, it is obviously more advanced and the style is developed further in the Athenian Akropolis Kore than the earlier Auxerre Maiden.

The hair on both is very much different also. The hair on the Auxerre Maiden is still very primitive and, wig like, it still remains very stylised and perfect, the hair itself looks to be slightly influenced by the Egyptians with the wig like state, the hair is divided into equal squares with run in straight lines all down the length and breadth of the hair in a very symmetrical pattern. Over all the hair on the Auxerre Maiden is very artificial and basically does not look real. However the hair on the Athenian Akropolis Kore is very different, it still has the 'braided' affect to it but is has much more freedom to it, the hair is not set in a symmetrical position it appears to look much more believable. The hair falls in tresses onto the Athenian Akropolis Kore's shoulders and seems to again have much more movement to it that the earlier Auxerre Maiden has, this style still remains very box like and unbelievable.
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The positions that the two statues are standing in are very different also. The Auxerre Maiden has both feet together and has on irregular shaped hand on her chest and the other down by her side. Whereas the Athenian Akropolis Kore would have had her hand outstretched and would have been offering something in her outstretched palm. Her other hand clasping the drapery. (In an attempt to create the later movement achieved in sculpture,) The Athenian Akropolis Kore's feet are also slightly different as they are shown one slightly in front, this may have also been in an ...

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