Finding scifi/fantasy heroes in Hellenistic bronze

This post featured in Stonecarving Weekly.

Attributed to Lysippos [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I’m writing this from the cafeteria of the Getty Center, in Los Angeles, having just come from the Center’s new exhibit, Power & Pathos: Bronze Sculpture in the Hellenistic World. It contains my favorite piece of art ever: the Victorious Youth. Why is it my favorite? I’m not entirely sure. I find new answers every time I think about it. The title itself is inspiring, although the title was given it by its discoverers, and not by its creator. But Victorious Youth inspired me even before I learned its title. The bronze is life-sized and of a real young man who has just won recent athletic games. He probably comes from a small town of the Hellenistic world, and his fellow townspeople are crowning him with a modest, but honorable, laurel wreath. His raised hand gestures toward the laurel wreath, acknowledging his victory, perhaps proudly, but certainly quietly. Loud pride is often perceived as arrogance, but quiet pride tends to command respect. The bronze itself is “quiet.” Most bronzes I’ve seen focus on a twisting form, an exaggerated gesture (like the arm of an orator stretched out toward his audience), or the figure’s clothes. But Victorious Youth is tranquil. He stands comfortably, yet the stance displays his young, athletic build. He gestures, but as I said, it is a quiet gesture that acknowledges, without bragging about, his accomplishment. This is what I see, and it inspires my writing.

Hellenistic bronze sculptures offer much inspiration to the science fiction and fantasy writer. From them, we SFF writers can extrapolate and build heroes worthy of the worlds and adventures we create for them, and worthy of the readers who are willing to follow these heroes in their journey. Heroes of Ancient Greece—not the gods; I mean the flesh-and-blood human beings who lived, worked, triumphed, and thus inspired real bronze sculptures—speak of the best within humanity. For me, Ancient Greece represents the height of civilization in terms of thought, creativity, culture, and of course, philosophy. Often, this is what the scifi/fantasy writer strives to achieve—that is, he strives to create worlds and characters that reveal thought, creativity, culture, and philosophy different from today’s modern world.

This is not to say that our modern world is tragic or lacking. Certainly, our world has war, famine, disease, and poverty, but these—sadly—are nothing new. Still, our world, like Ancient Greece, is full of thought, creativity, culture, and philosophy—and some of it is actually great! We writers, as unassuming contributors to that greatness, seek to distill what we see of modern and ancient culture and create worlds of the future, past, or dimensionally-adjacent and bring it to readers in a way that entertains and influences their real, modern lives.

And that’s why it’s great to look back at ancient times and muse over the works of ancient artists, like those featured in this Getty exhibition. Every writer is unique and differs in terms of what inspires him. For me, Ancient Greece and the bronzes of the Hellenistic world awaken a sense of integrity, self-assuredness, and honesty, especially via the shameless and loving portrayal of naked mortals—men, women, and children who lived, thrived, and triumphed in, and because of, an ancient world that celebrated man and his brilliant body and mind. While I remember to give my fictional heroes flaws (it makes the story more interesting for the writer [me!] and the reader), I nevertheless enjoy building heroes based on the bronzes of the Hellenistic period, and especially based on what I see in these bronzes. After all, that is the real secret to art appreciation, especially for the writer: like it for what you think it says, and share your vision with readers.

Which pieces of art inspire you? Feel free to share a link to an artwork or exhibition in the comments. Thanks for reading!