This week in classical reception…
Cheeky French Eurostar ads for London Olympics show pot-bellied Greek statues playing darts and snooker
The posters, which were created by a French ad agency, invert the usually athletic form of ancient Greek statues to portray Les Rosbifs as pot-bellied, beer-swilling slobs with a penchant for pub games.
Two portly actors were recruited to model for the job, in which the ‘sculptures’ were created in digital 3D and based on photographs.
Far from displaying a chiselled physique, the figures appear to carry more than a little weight around the belly.
Instead of holding the discus or crouching in athletic pose, one clutches a snooker cue while the other holds a dart. Last night, Leg, the agency behind the ads, insisted they were in good fun and a ‘homage to English popular culture’.
They are part of a Eurostar poster advertising campaign to encourage the French to take the high-speed train to London 2012.
