Kore (sculpture)

A kore (pronounced ko-reh; plural korai) is a type of ancient Greek statuary depicting a standing young woman. This style of freestanding statue was primarily made during the Archaic period of Greek history. The word kore means "maiden" or "young woman" in Greek. The statues were typically used as a form of religious offering called a votive, although they also functioned as grave markers. Perhaps the most famous korai have been found at the Athenian Acropolis.

Korai statues were the female equivalents to kouros (plural kouroi), a style of male statuary from the same period that typically depicted naked young men. Archaeologists are uncertain whether korai and kouroi were intended to depict regular people or Greek gods. In the case of korai, there is speculation that they may have been representations of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus. Some archaeologists have hypothesized that kore and kouros statues may have been modeled after living people.

Background

The origins of Greek statuary are thought to have begun in the tenth century B.C.E. with wooden religious images. By the early tenth century, Greek artists were using other materials in their sculptures, including bronze and ivory. This era is typically called the Geometrical period of Greek art due to the prevalence of geometric patterns in vase painting.

The Greek statuary increasingly drew inspiration from its neighbors in the Near East and Egypt. In particular, the Greeks capitalized on the stone construction techniques and motifs established in these neighboring cultures. However, Greek sculptors were more interested in capturing an idealized presentation of the human body. These early artists also experimented more with posture and fluidity of form than their counterparts elsewhere did.

By the eighth century B.C.E., statues were more representational than realist in form. Artists focused on specific aspects of the statue—the head, the clothing, the positioning of the body—rather than considering how these elements contributed to the whole. As a result, these statues may appear disproportionate or stiff in contrast to later works.

At the beginning of the sixth century B.C.E., the Greeks began to manufacture larger, human-sized statues beginning in eastern Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor. This increasingly popular style of sculpture eventually spread to the other city-states of ancient Greece, particularly Athens and other parts of the Attica peninsula, where the form is thought to have reached its artistic zenith. These statues are usually ascribed as belonging to the Archaic style, which can be described as more realistic. The faces of statues from this era were typically carved to depict a distinctive "Archaic smile." The Archaic smile is a subtle facial expression that is sometimes likened to a smirk, with the sides of the mouth gently lifted in a characteristic appearance that was omnipresent in statues from this era, even in works where the subject was near death. Nonetheless, these earlier forms of korai are often regarded as more static and expressionless than later works.

In the early fifth century B.C.E., an era that is generally regarded as marking the transition from the Archaic period to the Early Classical era of Greek art, korai came to be depicted in what is called the Severe style of art. Artwork from this time tended to be more naturalistic in style, although it still relied on some of the artistic conventions of the Archaic period. Perhaps the most defining features of the Severe style was its gravity of expression and fluidity of motion. Sculptors used more natural poses that were intended to suggest movement. The contrappostopose in particular, in which one leg (usually the left) remains stiff to support the body while the other swings slightly forward to suggest motion, became the de facto positioning for korai and other statuary. The facial expressions and clothing styles of korai also became more austere. The faces assumed unsmiling expressions of seriousness, while sculptors chose to adorn the statues in simpler, plainer clothing than their Archaic forebears. Despite this more somber styling, sculptors made the clothing, hair, and musculature of their works more detailed to add a sense of realism and distinct individuality.

Overview

Both kore and kouros statues share several important similarities derived from their shared functions and the prevailing artistic styles. Both types were usually life-sized and made from limestone in early examples and marble during the later Archaic period. The bases onto which korai were carved sometimes had inscriptions, particularly when they served as an offering or grave marker. The inscriptions found on korai intended as religious votives to the gods would often have a dedication indicating the patron who had commissioned the piece and sometimes the artist. Votive offerings were meant to serve a symbolic function as servants to the gods. Funerary statues such as the Phrasikleia Kore would typically have an inscription similar in style to contemporary tombstones.

Korai typically were shown as wearing period dresses, as opposed to kouroi, which were usually sculpted as naked. This stylistic difference may have been intended to have the viewer focus on different aspects of the statue. The nudity of kouroi meant that the eye was drawn to the musculature of the body, an emphasis that was demonstrative of strength and form. On female korai, the modest dress styles resulted in heightened focus on their facial features and soft, flowing dresses. This allowed sculptors to accentuate their beauty and serenity.

Korai were usually sculpted to have one arm holding an offering to the gods or performing a ritual, while the other hand was either hanging at the side or grasping at their dress. Korai also had distinctive long, braided hair. Based on flecks of paint found on some statues at the time of their discovery, archaeologists believe that many korai were painted in bright, flashy colors. The Peplos Kore, for instance, is a marble kore that was found in 1886 near the Erechtheion temple at the site of the Athenian Acropolis. When it was found, excavators discovered traces of vivid paints that had faded. In casts made of the statue, museum curators have attempted to restore the original appearance of the Peplos Kore by painting it in bright reds and yellows with intricate designs patterning the peplos (a type of period dress). Archaeologists believe that real metal jewelry would likely have adorned the statue as well. In some cases, the sculptors carved ornamentations such as rosettes and stars into the dress itself, with painted adornments adding a touch of flourish and depth.

Bibliography

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Karakasi, Katerina. Archaic Korai. J. Paul Getty Museum, 2004.

"Peplos Kore." University of Cambridge, www.classics.cam.ac.uk/museum/collections/peplos-kore. Accessed 7 Nov. 2016.

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