On July 19, 1996, the U.S. Postal Service released a new stamp to
commemorate the centennial of
the modern-era Olympic Games. The stamp's design prominently features a marble copy
of Myron's bronze Discobolus (Discus Thrower) statue. Myron, who lived in 5th-century B.C.
Greece, was a well-known pioneer of a new school of art that incorporated motion into
free-standing statues. In this case, Myron has caught a discus thrower at the peak of his
backswing, poised for eternity just before spinning his body in powerful rotations to give
the discus even greater speed at the moment of release. History does not record whether
Discobolus recognized a particular Olympic athlete, but Myron is known to have produced
other statues honoring specific heroes. In any event, it has evolved into a powerful
symbol of the spirit of Olympic athletic competition. Myron's original bronze statue
disappeared long ago, but fortunately a Roman artist made a copy in marble, which today is
housed at the Italian National Museum in Rome.
the centennial of
the modern-era Olympic Games. The stamp's design prominently features a marble copy
of Myron's bronze Discobolus (Discus Thrower) statue. Myron, who lived in 5th-century B.C.
Greece, was a well-known pioneer of a new school of art that incorporated motion into
free-standing statues. In this case, Myron has caught a discus thrower at the peak of his
backswing, poised for eternity just before spinning his body in powerful rotations to give
the discus even greater speed at the moment of release. History does not record whether
Discobolus recognized a particular Olympic athlete, but Myron is known to have produced
other statues honoring specific heroes. In any event, it has evolved into a powerful
symbol of the spirit of Olympic athletic competition. Myron's original bronze statue
disappeared long ago, but fortunately a Roman artist made a copy in marble, which today is
housed at the Italian National Museum in Rome.