~Aphrodite of Knidos/Cnidus~

1. ~Aphrodite of Knidos/Cnidus~ The first “erotic” statue

3. Basics… • Sculpted by Praxiteles around 330-340 BC • Obviously a statue of Aphrodite; if the Doryphoros or the Kritios Boy were the “perfect man” then this is the “perfect woman”. • One of the most celebrated (and controversial) figures in classical sculpture • Also referred to as the Venus Pudica, or Modest Venus, because of the hand covering the groin. • One of the most widely copied statues of the ancient world; all the Roman copies are in marble and apparently the original was too. • Aphrodite is depicted preparing for her ritual bath of “purity”, discarding her robe. • Possibly moved to Constantinople and destroyed in a fire; the original has been lost. What a shame.

4. What makes it groundbreaking • Intended to be seen as beautiful from every angle, not just one • The first life-size representation of the completely nude female form • Irony and juxtaposition; despite the goddess covering herself with her hand, it draws more attention to her nakedness and “vulnerability” • Very lifelike in its beauty, with an “action pose” that makes it emotionally affecting.

5. Legends behind the sculpture • Roman writer Pliny said that the island of Kos had commissioned Praxiteles to make a statue of Aphrodite. He made two, a draped one and the naked one; the citizens of Kos were shocked and rejected the naked one. The draped one did not survive, and due to the lack of positive accounts it was probably not that good. • It is said there was a stain on the original’s thigh because a young man fell in love with the statue, crept into the place where it was kept and attempted to have sex with it. • Paris did see me naked, Adonis and Anchises, except I knew all three of them. Where did the author see me?

6. Standing in the “contrapposto” pose, makes her look elegant and realistic. • The renewing nature of the bath she is about to take symbolises eternal youth, purity and beauty. • The lines of the body are “soft and inviting” (!) • The face is oval-shaped and framed by the parting of the hair over the top, drawing attention to the calm and serene expression. • Obviously very much a classical figure; no archaic smile or symmetry in the body; even the hair is not entirely symmetrical, with individual strands. • Robe and pottery are used as a support.

8. Quotes When we had exhausted the charms of these places we pressed on into the temple itself. The goddess stands in the center; her statue made of marble from Paros. Her lips are slightly parted by a lofty smile. Nothing hides her beauty, which is entirely exposed, other than a furtive hand veiling her modesty. The art of the sculptor has succeeded so well that it seems the marble has shed its hardness to mould the grace of her limbs (Pseudo-Lucian, Erotes) The weight-bearing foot is slightly in advance of the other; knees pressed together so that the swelling mass of hips and thighs expands gracefully from the narrow base. The formal arrangement devised for an athletic male figure has been brilliantly modified to reveal the newly discovered charm of the female form. Aphrodite looks sharply to her left as if suddenly disturbed. The limp, inert drapery and the rigid water-jar contrast with the soft, living body of the goddess. (Woodford)

9. Copies • Capitoline Aphrodite; tries to increase the statue’s sexual aspect with slightly more lean forward and the contrapposto legs have been switched. Also the hair is different, with a large “imposing” knot on top of the head. • Medici Aphrodite; the head has been changed, but the body is essentially the same as the Capitoline. • There is also a depiction on this Knidian coin; the people of Knidos considered it such a large and attractive part of their culture they put it on a coin.