The Parthenon

1. The Parthenon • In 447 B.C., Pericles ordered work to begin on a great temple • Ten years later: finished

2. * Consisted of two rooms • * Smaller held the treasury, larger housed a colossal gold and ivory statue of Athena 42 feet • * Only priests and attendants allowed

4. Greek Colour • Greeks preferred bright colours to the cold whiteness of their marble buildings • Painted large areas of most buildings • Exposure to weather over centuries has worn off nearly all paint

5. Acropolis • Parthenon only one of many temples and structures built on the sacred hill of Acropolis • 150 feet high right in Athens, symbol of power and glory of city-state

6. Greek Vases • Earliest Greek vases were decorated with bands of simple geometric patterns • Later, figures were added • Vases were used as tombstones • In time, vase figures became more lifelike and were telling visual stories

7. Greek Sculpture • Sculpture in the Archaic period (600 B.C. to 450 B.C.) • Carved large, freestanding figures known as kuoroi (youth) • Kuoros were male youth, Korai were women (often gods and goddesses) • More formal and vertical • Less movement, more stiff • Notice Egyptian influence • As Archaic style gradually transformed into what is known as the Classical style, figures begin to stand or move naturally

8. Classical Period(approx. 500-300 B.C.) • Like architecture, the best of Greek sculpture is during the Classical Period • Abandoned straight, stiff lines • Figures appeared tomove; more organic • Example: Myron’s Discus Thrower

9. Most of the sculptures made at this time were created to show appreciation to the gods for showing them good fortune, and also to help bring good fortune in the future, and to also gain favor from the gods. Greek temples were specially made to fit the large cult statues. They believed that placing shrines around the areas that were said to be holy would please the gods. Because Greek gods were mostly myths based on real people's lives mixed feelings were created about the sculptures, and therefore more man-like sculptures were created. Most sculptures created can be understood to represent myth, archetype or purpose in life. • During the classical period sculptors were not only creating works for temples, but also mortuary statues to show tribute to deceased loved ones. The sculptures would often show the deceased person in a relaxed pose.

10. Notice the flowing movement, graceful curves of the body and intricate folds of the fabric. • Large change from Archaic Period • Contrapposto - Italian term that means counterpose. • Used in visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs Polyclitus’ Spear Bearer

11. Phidias ~ one of the great (known) Greek sculptures • Created the Athena statue in Parthenon • Many others

12. Art of the Hellenistic Period(approx. 330-140 B.C.) • Philip II conquered the Greek city-states • His son, Alexander the Great, conquered much more • As empire grew, came into contact with and was influenced by other cultures, materials, techniques • Hellenistic period is a blend of mostly Greek traditions with other influences Dying Gaul Art dating from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the emergence of ancient Rome as signified by the Battle of Actium in 31 BC

13. Hellenistic Style cont… • Supposed to be more emotional • Viewer meant to become involved in drama

14. Aphrodite surprised • As Greek culture became less focussed on and enamored with polytheistic ideas and superstition – traditional Greek religion becomes secularized - art becomes more authentically human • Gods are depicted differently • Still stylized, still idealized, but noticeably less so Venus Gaul taking his life

15. One of the immediate results of the new international Hellenistic milieu was the widened range of subject matter that had little precedent in earlier Greek art. There are representations of unorthodox subjects, such as grotesques, and of more conventional inhabitants, such as children and elderly people (09.39). These images, as well as the portraits of ethnic people, especially those of Africans, describe a diverse Hellenistic populace.A growing number of art collectors commissioned original works of art andcopies of earlier Greek statues (09.221.4). Likewise, increasingly affluent consumers were eager to enhance their private homes and gardens with luxury goods, such as fine bronze statuettes, intricately carved furniture decorated with bronze fittings, stone sculpture, and elaborate pottery with mold-made decoration. These lavish items were manufactured on a grand scale as never before.The most avid collectors of Greek art, however, were the Romans, who decorated their town houses and country villas with Greek sculptures according to their interests and taste.

16. Key Concepts About Greek Art and Culture • Archaic Period: The Greeks made more simple, formal-styled art and architecture. Made sculptures of men called Kouroi and women called Korai. These statues had similar features and stood stiffly with their arms at their sides. • Classical: the Classical Period, Greek artists began to make more complex and large-scaled buildings and began to sculpt people in more relaxed postures and even in action scenes. The most famous works from this era include the statue of Zeus at Olympia and the statue of Athena at Parthenos • Hellenistic: the sculpture and artwork of the Greeks became influenced by the cultures and people they had conquered. This period is called the Hellenistic Period. This period saw new subjects including women, children, and common people appear in Greek art. Famous works from this era include the Venus de Milo, the Dying Gaul, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.