Possibly one of my top ten Disney characters. I don't know about you, but that's how I learned the story of Hercules. This sculpture of Hercules is incredible in my opinion. The movement the
arms creates really brings this sculpture to life. The sculpture is
simply massive. You can tell there is struggle here. In all honesty,
this seems like a point of weakness for Hercules. Having the half-man on
his heels, the centaur begs for compassion. His hands pressed to
Hercules' chest, searching for his heart.
Then you see Hercules' face. He's not even looking at the Centaur. He's not focused. Perhaps he's having a moment of self-reflection. Asking himself, "Am I a man of compassion? Should I let this freakishly divine beast live it's life? Who am I to end a life" The direction of his face and eyes leads me to believe he's distracted by more complex conflicts. While the Centaur's legs and face were done beautifully, visual hierarchy tells you Hercules is the more important character. The curly hair looks as though it could have been done by drill work.
While he is quite buff in this depiction, in comparison to the
Farnese
Hercules' Sculpture, he's modestly done. He's just the right amount of muscular. The Farnese sculpture is so accentuated, it makes you uncomfortable.
