1. Lysippos’ Apoxyomenos
BY Ben & Noah

3. Facts 2.05m c.320 BCE (Hellenistic) – Original Bronze
c.50 AD – Roman marble copy
Discovered 1849 in Rome
Currently in Vatican Museum, Rome
The “scraper”
Sculpted by Lysippos – Court sculptor of Alexander the Great

4. What does it show? Likely based on wrestler Cheilon of Patrai
Athlete cleaning himself
Holding a strigil (scraper)
Scraping oil and sand off from wrestling

6. History of Statue
Transported to Rome during reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD)
Put at site where Pantheon would later be built
Emperor Tiberius had the statue brought into his own palace bedroom
Many Romans angry at this
Vented anger so loudly during a theatre performance so Tiberius put it back
Mentioned in Pliny the Elder’s ‘Natural History’

7. Statue Lysippos changes ratio it to 8:1
Presented to us as we look at ordinary people, doing ordinary things which makes viewing the Apoxyomenos far more subjective and personal than other statues.
Lean body
Relatively small head
Bridges meant to support arms
Tree trunk support

9. Not copied and pasted facts
Slight rotation on central axis prevents us from seeing a fully frontal view of the body from any point.
The weight is mostly on the left leg; however, the trailing foot creates a twist in the hips - This distribution of weight and the swivel of the hips make him appear to be restless.
Unlike many other sculptors, Lysippos seems to not want the torso to be the focal point of his sculpture as his arm is over it.

10. Even more not copied and pasted facts
Lysippos made Apoxyomenos more life-like by not putting as much emphasis on the muscles of the body.
Has muscles but they are not as prominent as they would be in some of the other statues - this makes the body appear to be firmer.
Contrapposto

11. Woodford Says….
“He has created a statue that has no single entirely satisfying point of view, but which is visually exciting from a multitude of viewpoints and which the observer is invited to walk all round if he is to appreciate its full special complexity.”