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What's so significant about the nudity in this early Greek sculpture? | Art, Explained

"His power resides in his beautiful body and the steadfast gaze."
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"His power resides in his beautiful body and the steadfast gaze."

Curator Joan Mertens on a marble statue of a youth.

Featured artwork:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253370

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world. Each episode is interpreted by a Museum photographer.

Photography by Eileen Travell

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Marble statue of a kouros (youth), Marble, Naxian, Greek, Attic
Marble statue of a kouros (youth)
Greek, Attic
ca. 590–580 BCE