stylistically, the "charioteer" is classed as "early classical" or "severe" (see greek art). the statue is more naturalistic than the kouroi of the archaic period, but the pose is still very rigid when compared with later works of the classical period. one departure from the archaic style is that the head is inclined slightly to one side. the naturalistic rendering of his feet was greatly admired in ancient times. the introverted expression does away with the old 'archaic smile'.