The Kritios Boy

Donated by the Hellenic Republic (Greece) to the former city of Hull. The inauguration in June 1999 was attended by His Excellency Ambassador John-Alexander Thomoglou and Mayor Yves Ducharme.

This is a replica of an ancient Greek sculpture from the Classical Period (485 B.C.) on display at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The Kritios Boy belongs to the Late Archaic period and is considered the precursor to the later classical sculptures of athletes. The Kritios Boy was thus named because it is believed to be the creation of Krito, the teacher of Myron, from around 480 B.C.

With The Kritios Boy the Greek artist has mastered a complete understanding of how the different parts of the body act as a system. The muscular and skeletal structure are depicted with unforced life-like accuracy, with the rib cage naturally expanded as if in the act of breathing, with a relaxed attitude and hips which are distinctly narrower. As a final forbearer of the classical period, the “smile” of Archaic statues has been completely replaced by the accurate rendering of the lips and the austere expression that characterized the transitional, or “Severe” period from the Archaic to the Classical era.