# Contrapposto > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Contrapposto > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Contrapposto.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrapposto > Source revision: 1348901631 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Sculptural disposition of human figure A marble copy of [Polykleitos](/source/Polykleitos)' *[Doryphoros](/source/Doryphoros)*, an early example of classical *contrapposto*. [S-curve (art)](/source/S-curve_(art)) ***Contrapposto*** (Italian pronunciation: [\[kontrapˈposto\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Italian) 'counterpoise'), in the [visual arts](/source/Visual_arts), is a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the [axial plane](/source/Axial_plane). First appearing in [Ancient Greece](/source/Ancient_Greece) in the early 5th century [BCE](/source/Common_Era), *contrapposto* is considered a crucial development in the history of [Ancient Greek art](/source/Ancient_Greek_art) (and, by extension, [Western art](/source/Art_of_Europe)), as it marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a psychological disposition. The style was further developed and popularized by sculptors in the [Hellenistic](/source/Hellenistic_Art) and [Imperial Roman](/source/Roman_Empire) periods, fell out of use in the [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages), and was later revived during the [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance). [Michelangelo](/source/Michelangelo)'s statue of *[David](/source/David_(Michelangelo))*, one of the most iconic sculptures in the world, is a famous example of *contrapposto*. ## Definition *Contrapposto* was historically an important sculptural development, for its appearance marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a more relaxed psychological disposition. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed appearance. In the frontal plane this also results in opposite levels of shoulders and hips, for example: if the right hip is higher than the left; correspondingly the right shoulder will be lower than the left, and vice versa. It can further encompass the tension as a figure changes from resting on a given leg to walking or running upon it (so-called *ponderation*). The leg that carries the weight of the body is known as the *engaged* leg, the relaxed leg is known as the *free* leg.[1] Usually, the *engaged* leg is straight, or very slightly bent, and the *free* leg is slightly bent.[2] *Contrapposto* is less emphasized than the more sinuous [S-curve](/source/S-curve_(art)), and creates the illusion of past and future movement.[3] A 2019 [eye tracking](/source/Eye_tracking) study, by showing that *contrapposto* acts as [supernormal stimulus](/source/Supernormal_stimulus) and increases perceived attractiveness, has provided evidence and insight as to why, in artistic presentation, goddesses of beauty and love are often depicted in *contrapposto* [pose](/source/List_of_human_positions).[4] This was later supported in a [neuroimaging](/source/Neuroimaging) study.[5] The term *contrapposto* can also be used to refer to multiple figures which are in counter-pose (or opposite pose) to one another. ## History *[Kritios Boy](/source/Kritios_Boy)*. c. 480 BCE, was the first known Greek statue to use *contrapposto*. ### Classical Prior to the introduction of *contrapposto*, the statues that dominated ancient Greece were the [archaic](/source/Archaic_Greece) [kouros](/source/Kouros) (male) and the [kore](/source/Kore_(sculpture)) (female). The first known statue to use *contrapposto* is *[Kritios Boy](/source/Kritios_Boy)*, c. 480 BCE,[6] so called because it was once attributed to the sculptor [Kritios](/source/Kritios). It is possible, even likely, that earlier bronze statues had used the technique, but if they did, they have not survived and [Kenneth Clark](/source/Kenneth_Clark) called the statue "the first beautiful nude in art".[7] The statue is a Greek marble original and not a Roman copy. According to the *canon* of the Classical Greek sculptor [Polykleitos](/source/Polykleitos) in the 4th century BCE, *contrapposto* is one of the most important characteristics of his figurative works and those of his successors, [Lysippos](/source/Lysippos), [Skopas](/source/Skopas), etc. The Polykletian statues (*[Discophoros](/source/Discophoros)* ("discus-bearer") and *[Doryphoros](/source/Doryphoros)* ("spear-bearer"), for example) are idealized athletic young men with the divine sense, and captured in *contrapposto*. In these works, the pelvis is no longer [axial](/source/Axial_skeleton) with the [vertical kourous archaic style](/source/Kouros) of earlier Greek sculpture before *Kritios Boy*. *Contrapposto* can be clearly seen in the [Roman](/source/Ancient_Rome) copies of the statues of [Hermes](/source/Hermes) and [Heracles](/source/Heracles). A famous example is the marble statue of *[Hermes and the Infant Dionysus](/source/Hermes_and_the_Infant_Dionysus)* in [Olympia](/source/Olympia%2C_Greece) by [Praxiteles](/source/Praxiteles). It can also be seen in the Roman copies of Polyclitus's *[Amazon](/source/Amazons)*. Greek art emphasized humanism along with the human mind and the human body's beauty.[8] Greek youths trained and competed in athletic contests in the nude. A great contribution to the *contrapposto* pose was the concept of a canon of proportions, in which mathematical properties are used to create proportions.[9] ### Renaissance Classical *contrapposto* was revived in [Renaissance art](/source/Renaissance_art) by the Italian artists [Donatello](/source/Donatello) and [Leonardo da Vinci](/source/Leonardo_da_Vinci), followed by [Michelangelo](/source/Michelangelo), [Raphael](/source/Raphael) and other artists of the [High Renaissance](/source/High_Renaissance). One of the achievements of the [Italian Renaissance](/source/Italian_Renaissance) was the re-discovery of *contrapposto*. ### Modern times The technique continues to be widely employed in sculpture. Modern psychological research confirms the attractiveness of the pose.[10][4][5] ## Examples - [Etruscan](/source/Etruscan_art) statuette, from Italy, 3rd to 1st century BCE, bronze - The *[Venus de Milo](/source/Venus_de_Milo)* depicts an S-curve body shape. Greek, c. 130–100 BCE. - *[Hermes](/source/Hermes)* from [Thrace](/source/Thrace), 2nd century - *[David](/source/David_(Michelangelo))*, by [Michelangelo](/source/Michelangelo), 1501–1504. The shoulders of the figure are seen to angle in one direction, the pelvis in another. - *Leda and the Swan*, copy by [Cesare da Sesto](/source/Cesare_da_Sesto) after a lost original by [Leonardo da Vinci](/source/Leonardo_da_Vinci), 1515–1520, oil on canvas, [Wilton House](/source/Wilton_House), England. - [Statuette of Mercury](/source/Statuette_of_Mercury), 2nd century AD, modelled on [Polykleitos](/source/Polykleitos), [Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art) - [Statue of Liberty](/source/Statue_of_Liberty), 1886, copper on iron framework. Viewed from behind, showing the statue's contrapposto pose ## See also - [Greek statue](/source/Greek_statue) - [Tribhanga](/source/Tribhanga), an Indian stance ## References and sources **References** 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Janson_1-0)** [Janson, H.W.](/source/H._W._Janson) (1995) *History of Art*. 5th ed. Revised and expanded by Anthony F. Janson. London: [Thames & Hudson](/source/Thames_%26_Hudson), p. 139. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0500237018](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0500237018) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Jane Bassett, Peggy Fogelman (1997). "Contrapposto". *Looking at European Sculpture: A Guide to Technical Terms*. J. Paul Getty Museum. pp. 23–24. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-892-36-291-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-892-36-291-X). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Contrapposto". Grove Encyclopedia of Materials & Techniques in Art: 142–143. October 2008. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780195313918](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780195313918). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pazh1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pazh1_4-1) Pazhoohi, F.; Macedo, M. F.; Doyle, J. F.; Arantes, J. (2019). "Waist-to-Hip Ratio as Supernormal Stimuli: Effect of Contrapposto Pose and Viewing Angle". *Archives of Sexual Behavior*. **49** (3): 837–847. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s10508-019-01486-z](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10508-019-01486-z). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [31214904](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31214904). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [254261050](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:254261050). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pazh2_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pazh2_5-1) Pazhoohi, F.; Arantes, J.; Kingstone, A.; Pinal, D. (2020). "Becoming sexy: Contrapposto pose increases attractiveness ratings and modulates observers' brain activity". *Biological Psychology*. **151** 107842. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107842](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.biopsycho.2020.107842). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[1822/90973](https://hdl.handle.net/1822%2F90973). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [31958547](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31958547). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [210678442](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:210678442). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-HF_6-0)** [Honour, H.](/source/Hugh_Honour) and J. Fleming, (2009) *A World History of Art*. 7th ed. London: Laurence King Publishing, p. 122. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781856695848](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781856695848) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Clark_7-0)** Clark, Kenneth. (2010) *The Nude: A study in ideal form*. New edition. London: [The Folio Society](/source/The_Folio_Society), pp. 24-25. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Greek Humanism"](http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl257/Ancient/greek_humanism.htm). *www.webpages.uidaho.edu*. Retrieved 2015-11-19. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Stanley, Max (2010). "The 'Golden Canon' of book-page construction: proving the proportions geometrically". Journal of Mathematics & The Arts. 4 no. 3: 137–141. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Daley, Jason (28 October 2019). ["Why Viewers Are Drawn to Renaissance Artists' Go-To Pose"](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-pose-preferred-renaissance-artists-so-appealing-180973417/). *[Smithsonian](/source/Smithsonian_(magazine))*. Retrieved 3 November 2019. **Sources** - Andrew Stewart, "Polykleitos of Argos", *One Hundred Greek Sculptors: Their Careers and Extant Works*, 16.72 - [Polykleitos, The J. Paul Getty Museum](https://web.archive.org/web/20050208071825/http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/bio/a3320-1.html) (archived) - [Gardner, Percy](/source/Percy_Gardner) (1911). ["Polyclitus"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Polyclitus). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). pp. 22–23. - [Understanding Contrapposto](https://www.robertoosti.com/understanding-contrapposto/) at Roberto Osti's Web Site ## External links Look up ***[contrapposto](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/contrapposto)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. - Media related to [Contrapposto](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Contrapposto) at Wikimedia Commons Authority control databases International GND FAST National United States Israel Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Contrapposto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrapposto) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrapposto?action=history)). 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