Myron’s Discobolus (Discus Thrower)

c. 460 – 450 BCE

The original Discobolus is attributed to the Greek sculptor Myron, a contemporary of Pheidias and Polykleitos and famous in antiquity for his representations of athletes. His discus-thrower was admired not only for the way it conveys movement and action in a single pose, but also for capturing Greek ideals about proportion, harmony, rhythm and balance. Experts since antiquity have noted how the fluidity of movement in the body combines with a calm expression on the face, as if the thrower has achieved a perfect state of control in mind, body and spirit. Or did Myron’s desire for perfection lead him to suppress the thrower’s emotions?