On kouroi

"The main argument of the lecture, as I recall, was that 5^th/4^th century kouroi evolved from a kind of prototypical anonymous person into a kind of ideological art representing the ideal of being Athenian, autochthonous, divinely descended. All the features were still in a sense idealized, abstract, even if the form became more realistic, but increasing realism invited the viewer to identify with it. This reminded me so much of advertising, particularly the beauty industry, today. Viewers, readers, consumers are encouraged to identify with images representing a small, culturally praised section of society – and with techniques like airbrushing, the visual markers of that group can be further idealized."