played a prominent role. But fate did not give us the opportunity to judge these masterpieces of his with certainty. One of the most famous statues, the so-called "Alexander with a spear", has come down to us in two copies, of which one is in the Hermitage; but these repetitions are figurines a few centimeters high, which, of course, cannot give more than the most general idea of ​​the motif of the figure. Alexander was depicted standing and leaning with his left hand on a spear, his right hand leaning to his side, his head was turned towards his left shoulder. This famous statue was imitated by later artists who depicted Hellenistic commanders and kings, for to be like Alexander was the desire of everyone.

But we are mainly interested in the attitude of Lysippus to the portrait, as such, and in particular to such a person as Alexander. The description of Plutarch is very interesting, although not entirely clear: Lysippus managed to convey both the strange tilt of the head and the “wet expression of the eyes”, but at the same time both the courage and the lion-like appearance of the king. The tilt of the head towards the left shoulder is a habit of Alexander, spoken of by other writers as well; researchers attributed this habit to pathological muscle contraction. Perhaps one should not resort to such an interpretation, if one thinks about the meaning of this feature - the “wet expression” of the eyes. "Wet" are called the eyes of Praxiteleus Aphrodite. Apparently, the writers had in mind a somewhat vague, languid expression in the eyes of the goddess, looking into the distance. But, of course, Plutarch did not want to attribute to Alexander the sensually languid eyes of the goddess of love. The monuments give us an explanation: the eyes of Apoxyomenos, the otrycolian Zeus, are indeed, as it were, similar to the Praxitele types. The resemblance lies in the narrowed palpebral fissure, in the deep shadows that appear above eyeballs. But in this case, the “wet” expression of the eyes takes on a special shade due to the fact that the upper eyelid rises strongly upward towards the bridge of the nose, and near the outer corners, the thickening of the muscles covers the free development of the upper eyelid, and the eye takes on an almost pathetic expression. Mixing the expression of longing with pathos - these are the characteristic features of the Lysippus eye; the expression "wet eye" is applicable to this character of it.

The use of this feature of the interpretation of the eye for the portrait of Alexander is very curious, if we take into account the character of the great Macedonian. Not only about the hero, the conqueror of the world, ancient writers narrate; there are places that make you think about the character of Alexander. Let us not forget that his mother was close to the mystical Thracian cults, and that Alexander always showed a special attachment to her. The history of the dispute between Olympias and her husband Philip throws light on the son's attitude towards his mother: he definitely goes over to her side, renouncing his father, whose cold, calculating character was too alien to his temperament. History further shows how sympathetic Alexander was to the Egyptian and Oriental cults, which is not solely due to political considerations. The idea of ​​a king embodying a deity, of "God's anointed", seems to have strongly influenced Alexander. The hero-commander concealed in himself the roots of mystical anguish; perhaps this explains the mysterious hypnotic influence that he had on everyone with whom he dealt. Only the nervousness resulting from such inner experiences explains to us the wild antics to which his closest friends fell victim. The king, intoxicated with glory and wine, was possessed by this mysterious second, mystical, mixed with wildness, “I”, which lived in him, but did not show itself in the light of the sun. Apollo, Helios, Achilles, Dionysus, the lord of the world on the one hand, a mystic, seething with internal unrest, on the other hand - this is how the personality of Alexander is drawn to us; and Plutarch's words are to be understood in this sense. That galaxy of sculptors, who probably tried to please the tastes of the king's admirers, could not penetrate into the essence of his character. Only Lysippus, close to Alexander, was able to feel the whole complex mental life of the king, to see in him an internal struggle, the heat of which undermined the strength of a great man.

Only one portrait can we ascribe with certainty to Lysippus; this is a beautiful head recently found in Pergamon and kept in Constantinople. The king is no longer depicted as a young man; the facial expression testifies to the fact that much has been experienced, that the most diverse passions flared up in this person. Long hair rise above the forehead and break up in the middle; this is Alexander's characteristic hairstyle, which approaches the expression "lion-like", but it is strange how these curls do not curl like other beautiful classic curls, they seem to stick to the head in soft, tired lines. The eye is wide open, the upper eyelid, the superciliary arches rise towards the bridge of the nose, the expression is close to pathos; it resembles the "lion's" look of the king, but the lower eyelid is somehow strangely upturned, and the forehead is not smooth and clear, but covered with deep folds, indicating internal suffering. Mixed with the pathos of the eye, therefore, is also a hint of nervousness, which takes us far from the appearance of the all-glorious, omnipotent ruler of the world and makes us feel the awe of a mortal struggling with himself. And now the inclination of the head completely converges with the note that sounded in the lines of the nervous eyelids, in the folds of the forehead, which indicate the thorny path traversed by the great man. Lysippus was not blinded by the brilliance of Alexander's greatness, he was not carried away by the "new Achilles". Not the shadow of a classical hero, but deeply human experiences in the soul of a great genius - that's what he wanted to convey to posterity; such a picture is embodied by him in universal, eternal forms.

The portrait of Alexander was, as far as we know, the subject of repeated experiments by the great sculptor. The described Pergamon head, so far the only one in which the hand of Lysippus is quite clear, puts him in the ranks of the first portrait painters of world art history "

IGDA/G. Nimatallah LYSIPP.
Resting Hermes
Naples, National Archaeological Museum.

Lysippus (c. 390 - c. 300 BC), ancient Greek sculptor, was born in Sikyon (Peloponnese). In antiquity, it was claimed (Pliny the Elder) that Lysippus created 1500 statues. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that Lysippus 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. Lysippus was the court sculptor of Alexander the Great. A colossal statue of Zeus by Lysippus 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 Lysippus in the agora of Sicyon, in the temple in Argos and in the temple of Megara, the latter work representing Zeus, accompanied by the Muses. The image of a bronze statue of Poseidon standing in Sicyon with one foot on a dais is on the surviving coins; a copy from it is a statue resembling an image on coins in the Lateran Museum (Vatican). The figure of the sun god Helios, created by Lysippos on Rhodes, depicted the god on a four-drawn chariot, this motif was used by the sculptor in other compositions. Available in the Louvre, the Capitoline Museums and british museum the copies showing Eros loosening the string on his bow may be traced back to Eros by Lysippus at Thespiae. Also in Sicyon, a statue depicted Kairos (the god of fortune): 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 have been preserved on small reliefs and cameos.

Hercules is a favorite character of Lysippos. The colossal seated figure of Hercules on the acropolis of Tarentum depicted the hero in a gloomy mood after he cleared the Augean stables: Hercules sat on a basket in which he carried dung, his head rested on his arm, his elbow rested on his knee. Fabius Maximus took this statue to Rome after in 209 BC. took Tarentum, and in 325 AD. Constantine the Great moved her to the newly founded Constantinople. Perhaps the Heracles we see on the coins from Sicyon comes from a lost original, copies of which are both Hercules Farnese in Naples and the statue signed with the name of Lysippus in Florence. Here we again see the gloomy Hercules, dejectedly leaning on a club, with a lion's skin thrown over it. The statue of Hercules Epitrapedius, depicting the hero "at the table", represented him, according to the descriptions and many existing repetitions of various sizes, sitting on 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 later seen in Rome by Statius and Martial.

The portraits of Alexander created by Lysippus were praised for combining two qualities. Firstly, they realistically reproduced the appearance of the model, including the unusual turn of the neck, and secondly, the courageous and majestic character of the emperor was clearly expressed here. The figure depicting Alexander with a spear seems to have served as the original for both the herm formerly owned by José-Nicola Azar and the bronze statuette (both now in the Louvre). Lysippus portrayed Alexander on horseback, both alone and with his comrades-in-arms who fell at the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC. An existing equestrian bronze statuette of Alexander with a stern oar under his horse, possibly an allusion to the same battle on the river, may be a replica of the latter statue. Other portraits by Lysippus 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 Leocharus, Lysippus created a group for Crater depicting a scene of a lion hunt in which Crater saved Alexander's life; after 321 BC the group was initiated into Delphi.

Apoxyomenes, the athlete who scrubs off the dirt after exercising (it was customary in antiquity to anoint himself before athletic exercises), was subsequently placed by Agrippa in front of the baths he erected in Rome. Perhaps its copy is a 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 motion reproduction in the third dimension that we encounter in ancient Greek sculpture. The head of the statue is smaller than was customary in earlier sculpture, the facial features are nervous, thin; hair tousled from exercises is reproduced with great vivacity.

Another portrait image of an athlete by Lysippus is the marble Agia found in Delphi (located in the Delphi Museum); the same signature as under it was also found in Pharsal, but the statue was not 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 Lysippus as the author of the work. The statue found at Delphi is similar in style to Scopas, who in turn was influenced by Polikleitos. Since Lysippus himself called Doryphoros Polykleitos his teacher (whose angular proportions he, however, refused), it is quite possible that his older contemporary Skopas also influenced him.

Lysippus is at the same time the last of the great classical masters and the first Hellenistic sculptor. Many of his students, including three of his own sons, had a profound impact on the art of the 2nd century. BC.

Materials of the encyclopedia "The world around us" are used.

Lysippus is an ancient Greek sculptor, born in Sikyon (Peloponnese). In antiquity, it was claimed (Pliny the Elder) that Lysippus created 1500 statues. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that Lysippus 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. Lysippus was the court sculptor of Alexander the Great. A colossal statue of Zeus by Lysippus 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 in Argos and in the temple of Megara, the latter work representing Zeus accompanied by the Muses. The image of a bronze statue of Poseidon standing in Sicyon with one foot on a dais is on the surviving coins; a copy from it is a statue resembling an image on coins in the Lateran Museum (Vatican). The figure of the sun god Helios, created by Lysippos on Rhodes, depicted the god on a four-drawn chariot, this motif was used by the sculptor in other compositions. Copies in the Louvre, the Capitoline Museums, and the British Museum showing Eros loosening his bow string may be traced back to the Eros by Lysippus at Thespiae. Also in Sicyon, a statue depicted Kairos (the god of fortune): 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 have been preserved on small reliefs and cameos.
Hercules is a favorite character of Lysippos. The colossal seated figure of Hercules on the acropolis of Tarentum depicted the hero in a gloomy mood after he cleared the Augean stables: Hercules sat on a basket in which he carried dung, his head rested on his arm, his elbow rested on his knee. This statue was taken to Rome by Fabius Maximus after he had been killed in 209 BC. e. took Tarentum, and in 325 AD. e. Constantine the Great moved her to the newly founded Constantinople. Perhaps the Heracles we see on the coins from Sicyon comes from a lost original, copies of which are both Hercules Farnese in Naples and the statue signed with the name of Lysippus in Florence. Here we again see the gloomy Hercules, dejectedly leaning on a club, with a lion's skin thrown over it. The statue of Hercules Epitrapedius, depicting the hero "at the table", represented him, according to the descriptions and many existing repetitions of various sizes, sitting on 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 later seen in Rome by Statius and Martial.
The portraits of Alexander created by Lysippus were praised for combining two qualities. Firstly, they realistically reproduced the appearance of the model, including the unusual turn of the neck, and secondly, the courageous and majestic character of the emperor was clearly expressed here. The figure depicting Alexander with a spear seems to have served as the original for both the herm formerly owned by José-Nicola Azar and the bronze statuette (both now in the Louvre). Lysippus portrayed Alexander on horseback - both alone and with his comrades-in-arms who fell at the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC. e. An existing equestrian bronze statuette of Alexander with a stern oar under his horse, possibly an allusion to the same battle on the river, may be a replica of the latter statue. Other portraits by Lysippus 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 Leocharus, Lysippus created a group for Crater depicting a scene of a lion hunt in which Crater saved Alexander's life; after 321 BC the group was initiated into Delphi.
Apoxyomenes, the athlete who scrubs off the dirt after exercising (it was customary in antiquity to anoint himself before athletic exercises), was subsequently placed by Agrippa in front of the baths he erected in Rome. Perhaps its copy is a marble statue in the Vatican. With a scraper held in the left hand, the athlete cleans the outstretched right hand. Thus, the left hand crosses the body, which was the first case of the reproduction of movement in the third dimension, which we meet in ancient Greek sculpture. The head of the statue is smaller than was customary in earlier sculpture, the facial features are nervous, thin; hair tousled from exercises is reproduced with great vivacity.
Another portrait image of an athlete by Lysippus is the marble Agia found in Delphi (located in the Delphi Museum); the same signature as under it was also found in Pharsal, but the statue was not 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 Lysippus as the author of the work. The statue found at Delphi is similar in style to Scopas, who in turn was influenced by Polikleitos. Since Lysippus himself called Doryphoros Polykleitos his teacher (whose angular proportions he, however, refused), it is quite possible that his older contemporary Skopas also influenced him.
Lysippus 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 effect on the art of the 2nd century BC. e.
"Resting Hermes", a sculpture made by Lysippus. 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 cleared the Augean stables: Hercules sat on a basket in which he carried dung, his head rested on his arm, his elbow rested on his knee.

Apoxyomenos, a bronze sculpture by Lysippus. Not preserved. Known from a Roman copy made of marble in the 1st century AD. e. The statue depicts an athlete brushing off the dust and sand that stuck to his naked body during the struggle. Compared to the statues of the 5th century, it is characterized by more elongated proportions, three-dimensional modeling and detailed rendering of muscles.

"Eros Stretching the Bow", a sculpture made by Lysippus. 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 forms. The young god draws a bowstring. With complete naturalness and life-like veracity of the pose, Lysippus created a complex spatial composition, in which the parts of the figure are located in different intersecting planes. Thanks to this, the image acquires a special dynamism.

"Hercules fighting a lion", bronze sculptural group by Lysippus. Not preserved. Destroyed in 1204 by the Crusaders, who put it on coins. She stood at the dividing barrier of the Constantinople Hippodrome. The first feat 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.

Lysippus Lysippus

(Lesippos), an ancient Greek sculptor of the 4th century. BC e. The largest representative of the late classics. Born in Sikyon. He was the court painter of Alexander the Great. The works of Lysippus, made mainly in bronze, are known mainly from the descriptions of ancient authors, Hellenistic and Roman copies. Anticipating Hellenistic art, Lysippus departed from the ideal canons of Polykleitos, striving for greater life-like immediacy of images. Creativity of Lysippus is characterized by a sense of dramatic complexity and variability of life phenomena. In contrast to the calm harmonic balance of the statues of Polykleitos, Lysippus depicted figures in complex, unstable, multifaceted movements, as if instantly caught. His main work - the statue "Apoxiomen" (depicts an athlete cleansing the body with a scraper after a fight; Roman copy, Vatican meetings), internally tense in composition, is one of the first works antique sculpture designed for all-round visibility. Among the most famous works of Lysippus: a colossal statue of Zeus in Tarentum, a statue of Helios on a chariot on the island of Rhodes, numerous images of Hercules and his exploits, repeatedly copied in antiquity ("Hercules of Farnese", "Hercules with a lion", a Roman copy, GE), " Resting Hermes" (National Museum, Naples), Lysippus also created monumental groups (for example, equestrian warriors of Alexander the Great who fell in the Battle of the Granicus), one of the first in ancient art turned to the art of portraiture. The idealized portrait of Alexander the Great created by him (a Hellenistic copy, the Archaeological Museum, Istanbul) embodied the desire to reveal the complex, intense inner life of a person.

Lysippos. "Resting Hermes". 2nd floor 4th c. BC e. Roman copy. National Museum. Naples.
Literature: O. F. Waldhauer, Lysippus, Berlin-P.-M., 1923; Johnson F. P., Lysippos, N. Y., 1968.

(Source: "Popular Art Encyclopedia." Edited by Polevoy V.M.; M.: Publishing House " Soviet Encyclopedia", 1986.)

(lý sippos), ancient Greek sculptor of the 4th c. BC e., court master of Alexander the Great. According to legend, he created 1.5 thousand statues of gods, heroes and famous athletes. His works, made mainly in bronze, are known mainly from the descriptions of ancient authors, Hellenistic and Roman copies. The most famous is the statue of Lysippus "Apoxiomen" (Greek "a young man who cleans dirt off himself with a scraper"), known from a Roman copy in which the author rethought the classical sculptural canon in the image of a man, created Polikletom. The figure of light, elongated proportions, with a small head, is presented in a complex, spatially multifaceted movement. Among the most famous works of the master: a colossal statue of the god Zeus in Tarentum, a statue of Helios on a chariot on about. Rhodes, numerous images of Hercules, "Hermes Resting" (known from a Roman copy). The sculptor created many portraits of Alexander the Great. According to legend, the commander did not allow himself to be portrayed by anyone except his court master. Lysippus was the last sculptor of the classical era and the first sculptor of the era Hellenism. He learned to depict not frozen, but as if snatched from the flow of time and continuing movement; the faces of his heroes are not impassive, but filled with earthly experiences.

(Source: "Art. Modern Illustrated Encyclopedia." Under the editorship of Prof. A.P. Gorkin; M.: Rosmen; 2007.)

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Lysippus is a Greek sculptor, along with Skopas and Praxiteles, entered the triad of the greatest sculptors of classical Greek sculpture. Completes the late classic era (4th century BC). Born in Sicyon around 390 BC. Started ... Wikipedia

Lysippus- Lysippos. Resting Hermes. 2nd floor 4th c. BC. Roman copy. National Museum. Naples. LYSIPP, ancient Greek sculptor of the 2nd half of the 4th c. BC. Representative of the late classics. Court painter of Alexander the Great. Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

LYSIPP, ancient Greek sculptor of the 2nd half of the 4th c. BC. Representative of the late classics. Court painter of Alexander the Great. Sculptures of Lysippus (athletes, mythological characters, preserved in Roman copies) are depicted in ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

Ancient Greek sculptor 2nd floor. 4th c. BC e. Representative of the late classics. Court painter of Alexander the Great. The creator of images of active heroes living a complex inner life (Hermes Resting, Apoxyomenes, bust ... ... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (c. 390 c. 300 BC), ancient Greek sculptor, was born in Sicyon (Peloponnese). In antiquity, it was claimed (Pliny the Elder) that Lysippus created 1500 statues. Even if this is an exaggeration, it is clear that Lysippus was extremely prolific and… … Collier Encyclopedia

- (Lýsippos) (probably born in the first, died in the last decade of the 4th century BC), an ancient Greek sculptor, the most prominent representative of the late classics (See Classics). Born in Sikyon. He was the court painter of Alexander the Great ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Ancient Greek sculptor of the second half of the 4th c. BC e. Court painter of Alexander the Great. The creator of images of active heroes living a complex inner life ("Hermes Resting", "Apoxiomen", a bust of Alexander the Great ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Imagine a sculpture of Alexander the Great. Represented? This is how they portray him famous sculptures. It is known that the Macedonian king Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) had a special head position: his chin was raised, his face was turned to the right, and his head and neck were tilted to the left. This characteristic great emperor is described by Plutarch. He notes that Alexander's personal sculptor, Lysippus, created statues of the king with a face turned to heaven. This was also pointed out by other, later authors. Thus, the Tzetzes (12th century) claimed that Alexander preferred the sculptures of Lysippus to those of Stasicrates of Bithynia, who portrayed the emperor with a flawlessly straight neck, apparently out of flattery. Archaeological finds, which are probably copies of lost copper statues created by Lysippus, also show a characteristic turn of the head and neck. The first of these statues was found by Chevalier Azara in Tivoli in 1797 and presented as a gift to Napoleon. It is currently kept in the Louvre.

During excavations in Virginia, where the ancient capital of Macedonia was located, an ivory statue was found in 1977, in which these features of the emperor are especially emphasized. It is noteworthy that this statue was created during the lifetime of Alexander and must have been approved by him. Some researchers, in particular E. Schwarzenberg, supported the version that Lysippus in his works rather emphasized certain character traits of the emperor, namely pride and unbending will, than his physical features. Kiilerich suggested that Aristotle himself instructed Lysippus how to portray Alexander in sculptures so that the best way imagine the greatest living. Leibach, on the other hand, believes that Lysippus' work was the most realistic. And Schreiber and Stewart, after a detailed study of the problem, even came to the conclusion that the sculptor was hiding some (congenital or acquired) defects in his model. There are several medical explanations for the incorrect fit of Alexander's head. Dechambre believed he had orthopedic torticollis; Schachermayer suggested that the curvature of the neck was due to kyphosis resulting from trauma. The first of these assumptions seems to be the most plausible. The author of this theory made a thorough anatomical study of the statue discovered by Chevalier Azara. This made it possible to identify facial hemiatrophy, which is typical for orthopedic torticollis. However, the most logical and, therefore, probable is the explanation of this feature of the emperor from an ophthalmological point of view. A compensatory change in the position of the head is noted in various ophthalmic pathologies - paralysis, limitation of eye movements, bilateral ptosis, etc. The position of Alexander's head can be explained either by unilateral paralysis of the left lower oblique muscle of the eye, or by Brown's syndrome. These conditions are usually congenital but may also result from injury to the orbit. Alexander fought in battle from an early age and his biographers point to multiple wounds, one of which resulted in temporary loss of vision. And although Dechambre revealed hemiatrophy of the face, it was still not as pronounced as the hemiatrophy that is usually noted in orthopedic torticollis. In addition, in the study of the statue of Azar, as well as others, there was no thickening or tension of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. There is another argument in favor of torticollis - complete freedom of movement of the head and neck. In orthopedic torticollis, in contrast, sternocleidomastoid stiffness results in a permanent change in head and neck position that cannot be passively or actively corrected. This condition makes any military activity, especially horseback riding, impossible.

Thus, most likely, the abnormal position of Alexander's head, presented in the sculptures and described by his biographers, is due to ocular torticollis resulting from paralysis of the inferior oblique muscle of the left eye or Brown's syndrome.