Contemporary Connections: Athletic Heroes in Art

In this activity, you will:

• Examine and describe an ancient sculpture.
• Compare sculptures of athletic heroes from different time periods.
• Write an analysis of how visual details in art are used to communicate meaning.

• 30 – 60 mins

Look Closely at the Statue of a Victorious Youth

Long ago in ancient Greece, athletic heroes were celebrated and commemorated through sculpture. Look closely at this sculpture for 2–3 minutes. Notice the pose, physique, clothing (or lack of), facial expression, and overall style. The olive wreath on his head suggests that he was a victorious athlete at Olympia, the precursor to today’s Olympic Games.

Optional Activity

Read Explore Statue of a Victorious Youth to learn more about this sculpture.

Compare with a Contemporary Sculpture of an Athletic Hero

Find a picture of a contemporary sculpture depicting a famous athlete. Select from the examples below, or choose another one that you like.

• Jesse Owens
• Jerry West
• Wilma Rudolph

Look closely at your selected sculpture for 2–3 minutes. Look at the same details that you looked at in the Statue of a Victorious Youth: pose, physique, clothing, facial expression, and style.

Compare the sculpture you chose with the Statue of a Victorious Youth. Write your answers to the following questions.

• List at least 3 similarities between sculptures. Consider the athletic theme, body position/pose, and any shared goals of the artists.
• List at least 4 differences between the sculptures. Think about the materials used, level of realism, facial expression, pose/posture of the athlete, what the athletes are wearing, and the artistic style or techniques.

Write About How Art Celebrates Athletes

Think about when and why each sculpture was made. What do you think athletics meant in ancient Greece? What do they mean today? How might this affect what the sculptures look like?

Write a short response that answers this question:

• How do these two sculptures show both the timeless nature of athletic achievement and the changes in how we celebrate athletes?

Your response should include:

• A brief description of each sculpture
• At least three similarities between them
• At least three differences between them
• Your thoughts on what these similarities and differences reveal about how different time periods view athletes and the human body