The Dying Warriors, pedimental sculptures of the Temple Of Aphaia in Aigina, Glyptotek of Munich
These two sculptures both depict The Dying Warrior. They come from the same temple, just from different pediments, the first one from the east and the second one from the west. You might have noticed that this isn't their only difference. The first one is later dating between 490-480 BC, while the second one is earlier dating in 500/490 BC. Though it's only a gap of 10 years, there's a huge difference in style.
The archaic Dying Warrior's hairstyle is shaped in unnatural rings, while he still has the archaic smile. He has also fallen in an unnatural body position, as he tries to fit in the pediment's angle. All these elements show a decorative approach to the human body. In my opinion, this warrior looks more like he's dancing rather than dying...
On the contrary, the early classical Dying Warrior has a lot more plasticity, especially in the body's myology. The body's position also looks more natural in the way the warrior twistes his waist and tries to support himself with the right hand, as the left one is slowly falling off the shield's handle. His appearance definitely shows pain and anguish, knowing that those are his last moments.
[Sources: wikipedia, brown.edu]
