Lysippus used this allegory to create a sense of exhaustion in the composition of the sculpture, something that was not done before, especially not for a god like Herakles. This exhaustion, which can be seen in the image below, is unique to the Farnese Herakles because, as Pollitt states, “the scale and the massive musculature of the figure contrast ironically with its weariness and heighten its poignancy.” The detail of Herakles facial expression is what helps to show the emotional and physical exasperation that the hero has gone through during his twelve labors. With the use of Hellenistic baroque, Lysippus details a typical tendency of his towards “sensationalism” and “exaggeration” that is most conspicuous through the burrowed brow, glazed over eyes, and open mouth of the weary Herakles. These specific details are why people feel there must have been at least one prototype from Lysippus of this …show more content…
The Herakles Farnese is the pinnacle of Hellenistic art because it displays every element that came from this period. The contrapposto and torsion of the body, along with the way Herakles leans on his club shows a sculpture with more realistic movement of the body. Using proportions and symmetria, Lysippus was able to create a lifelike, colossal figure in the weary Herakles style. The defined musculature and deep, dramatic elaboration and carving of the body and the face, ties the sculpture into the features seen in the Hellenistic baroque. Finally, the development of the emotion seen in the statue and described above is one of the most dramatic leaps in artistic style in the Hellenistic period. As Pliny describes the artwork of Lysippus, “he used commonly to say that by them [that is, the earlier sculptors] men were represented as they really were, but by him