Greek Art

1. Greek Art Geometric Art 900-700 BCE Orientalizing Art 700-600 BCE Archaic Art 600-480 BCE Classical Art 400-320 BCE Late Classical Art 400-320 BCE Hellenistic Art 320-30 BCE

2. Key Ideas • Greek art introduces the concept of classical art • Greek sculpture is charactersized by the idealizating of the human form, the beauty of the nude body, and the ability of figures to express a great range of emotions • Greek temples become extremely influential in the development of European architecture • Painting on Greek pottery echoes the development of Greek sculpture and forms virtually all our knowledge about Greek painting

3. Historical Background • The collapse of Mycenaean society around 1100 BCE left a vacuum in the Greek world until a reorganization took place around 900 BCE in the form of city-states. Places like Sparta, Corinth, and Athens defined Greek civilization in that they were small, competing political entities that were united only in language and the fear of outsiders.

4. In the fifth century BCE the Persians threatened to swallow Greece, and the city-states rallied behind Athen’s leadership to expel them. This was accomplished, but not before Athens itself was destroyed in 480 BCE. When the Persians were effectively neutralized, the Greeks then turned, once again, to bickering and trying to dominate one another.

5. This did not end until the reign of Alexander the Great, who, in the fourth century BCE, briefly united the Greeks, this time establishing a mighty empire that eventually toppled the Persians. But because Alexander died young and left no clear successor, his empire crumbled away soon after his death. The remnants of Greek civilization lasted for another hundred years or so, until it was eventually absorbed by Rome.

6. Patronage and Artistic Life • So many names of artists have come down to us that it is tempting to think that Greek artists achieved a distinguished status hitherto unknown in the ancient world. Artists signed their work, both as a symbol of accomplishment and as a bit of advertisement. Greek potters and painters signed their vases, usually in a formula that resembles “so and so made it” or “so and so decorated it”

7. Many artists were theoreticians as well as sculptors or architects. Polykleitos wrote a famous (no longer existing) book on the canon of human proportions. Iktinos wrote on the nature of ideal architecture. Phidias, who was responsible for the artistic program on the Acropolis, supervised hundreds of workers in a mammoth workshop and yet still managed to construct a complex with a single unifying artistic expression. This was a golden age for artists, indeed.

8. Acropolis • Literally, a ‘high city,’ a Greek temple complex built on a hill over a city

9. The Acropolis of Athens is home to the Parthenon

10. The Parthenon • Iktinos and Kallikrates, The Parthenon, 447-438 BCE, Athens Greece • Constructed under the leadership of Pericles after the Persian sack of Athens in 480 BCE destroyed the original Acropolis • Pericles used the extra funds in the Persian war treasury to build the Acropolis; Greek allies were furious • Greek predilection for algebra and geometry omnipresent in the design of this building: Parts can be expressed as x = 2y + 1; thus, there are 17 columns on the side (x) and 8 columns in the front (y), and the ratio of the length to the width is 9:4; proportions are the same for the cella

11. Parthenon • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5ENR-DAV7I

12. Characteristics of Greek Architecture Except for the rare tholos shrines, Greek temples were rectangular and organized on an inventive, although rigid, set of geometric principles, which tantalized Greek thinkers and philosophers. Temples were built with the post-and-lintel system in mind, the columns, contained sculpture representing the heroic deeds of the god or goddess housed inside. A cornice separated the upper and lower parts of a Greek temple.

13. Pseudo Dipteral Temple The doors were set back from the façade sometimes by two rows of columns, so that little light could enter these generally windowless buildings. This increased the sense of mystery about the interior, where few could go and the deity serenely reigned.

14. Innovations in Greek Architecture Like the Egyptians, the Greeks designed their temples to be the earthly homes of the gods. Also like the Egyptians, the Greeks preferred limited access to the deity. This is one reason why such grand temples had doors that were removed from public view. In fact, architecturally the front and back of Greek temples look almost identical; only the sculptural ornament is different.

15. There are three types of Greek temples: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Greeks in mainland Greece and in the places they settled, like Sicily, preferred the Doric style, with its simplified capitals and columns with tapered shafts that sit, without base, directly on the floor of the temple. Doric temples have unadorned architraves and alternating triglyphs and metopes, the latter depicting episodes from Greek mythology.

16. architraves Architraves; a plain, unornamented lintel on the entablature

17. Triglyphs & Metopes Tryglyph; a projecting grooved element alternating with a metope on a Greek temple Metope; a small relief sculpture on the façade of a Greek temple

18. Greek island architects preferred the Ionic style, with its volutelike capitals, columns that sit on bases, and friezes of sculpture placed along the entablature.

19. Frieze Frieze; a horizontal band of sculpture

20. Later, the Corinthian order was introduced, in which the capitals had leaves and the straight columns had bases that transitioned to the floor. The different orders of Greek architecture were occasionally freely mixed, as in the case of the Parthenon, where a Doric temple has Ionic features, like a frieze, introduced on the inside.

21. Innovations of Greek Sculpture There are three ways in which Greek sculpture stands as a departure from the civilizations that have preceded it: Greek sculpture is unafraid of nudity. Unlike the Egyptians, who felt that nudity was debasing, the Greeks gloried in the perfection of the human body. At first, only men were shown as nude; gradually women were also depicted althought there was a reluctance to fully accept femail nudity, even at the end of the Greek period.

22. 2. Large Greek marble sculptures were cut away from the stone behind them. Large-scale bronze works were particularly treasured; their lighter weight made compositional experiments more ambitious.

23. 3. Greek art in the Classical and Hellenistic periods used contrapposto, which is a relaxed and informal way of standing with knees bent and shoulders tilted. The immobile look of Egyptian art was replaced by a more informal and fluid stance, enabling the figures to appear to move

24. Contrapposto Contrapposto; a graceful arrangement of the body based on tilted shoulders and hips and bent knees

25. Archaic Sculpture What survives of Greek archaic art is limited to grave monuments, such as kouros and kore figures, or sculpture from Greek temples. Marble is the stone of choice although Greek works survive in a variety of materials: bronze, limestone, terra cotta, wood, gold – even iron. Sculpture was often painted, especially if it was to be located high on the temple façade. Backgrounds were highlighted in red; lips, eyes, hair, and drapery were routinely painted. Sculpture often had metallic accessories: thunder bolts, harps, and various other attributes.

26. Bronze sculpture was hollow. Eyes were inlaid with stone or glass, and lips, nipples, and teeth could be made of copper or silver highlights.

27. Kouros and kore figures stand frontally, bolt upright, and with squarish shoulders. Hair is knotted, and the ears are a curlicue. Figures are cut free from the stone as much as possible, althought arms are sometimes attached to thighs. As in Egyptian works, kouros figures have one foot placed in front of the other, as if they were in mid-stride. The shins have a neat crease down the front, as Egyptian works do. To give the figures a sense of life, most kouros and kore figures smile.

28. Greek Archaic Kouros, marble, New York Grave marker, replacing huge vases of the Geometric period Not a real portrait, but a general representation of the dead Rigidly frontal Emulates stance of Egyptian sculpture, but is nude; arms and legs largely cut free from the stone Freestanding and able to move, in contrast to many Egyptian works that are reliefs or are attached to stone Hair is knotted and falls in neatly braided rows down the back

29. Greek Archaic Calf Bearer, marble, Acropolis Museum, Athens Rhonbos the Calf Bearer brining an offering to Athena in thanksgiving for his prosperity Thin coat draped over figure Two figures are united; tightly woven composition Archaic smile, knotted hair

30. Greek Archaic PeplosKore, marble, Acropolis Museum, Athens Broken hand used to carry offering to Athena Hand emerges into our own space, breaks out of the mold of static Archaic statues Tightened waist Breasts revealed beneath drapery So-called because she is named for the peplos, the garment she is wearing Rounded and naturalistic face Much of the paint still remains, animating the face and hair

31. Greek Archaic Gods and Giants from the Siphnian Treasury, marble, Delphi, Greece Mythic battle between the Greek gods and the giants, called a gigantomachy Shows contemporary military tactics and weapons Undercutting of forms creates shadows around legs Varying relief depth; attempt at placing figures one behind the other; however, they are all on the same ground line

32. Greek Archaic Dying Warrior from the Temple of Aphia, Aegina, marble, Glyptothek, Munich, Germany Warrior dying, fits neatly into the corner of the pediment Hair in rows of tight curls Rigid musculature Pose of the crossed legs is awkward and unnatural, especially given the life-and-death struggle the dying warrior is undergoing Archaic smile

33. Greek Classical Sculpture Classical sculpture is distinct from Archaic in the use of contrapposto, that is, the fluid body movement and relaxed stance that was unknown in freestanding sculpture before this. In addition, forms became highly idealized. Even sculptures depicting older people have heroic bodies. In the fifth century BCE, this heroic form defined by Polykleitos, a sculptor whose canon of proportions of the human figure had far-reaching effects. Polykleitos wrote that the head should be one-seventh of the body. He also favored a heavy musculature with a body expressing alternating stances of relaxed and stressed muscles. Thus, on his Spear Bearer, the right arm and the left leg are flexed, and the left arm and right leg are relaxed.

34. Greek Classical Sculpture In the late classical period of the fourth century BCE, gods were sculpted in a more humanized way. Praxiteles, the greatest sculptor of his age, carved figures with a sensuous and languorous appeal, and favored a lanky look to the bodies. Hallmarks of fourth-century work include heads that are one-eighth of the body and a sensuous S-curve to the frame.

35. Greek Classical Sculpture Kritos Boy, marble, Acropolis Museum, Athens Introduction of contrapposto, body standing naturally Slight turn to the body, head not strictly frontal but a bit to one side Transitional piece between Archaic and Classical Art

36. Greek Classical Sculpture Athena, Herakles, and Atlas from the Temple of Zeus, marble Archaeological Museum, Olympia Atlas returning to Herakles with the apples of the Hesperides; Herakles held the world (with a cushion to soften the discomfort) for Atlas while he was gone Transitional phase between the stiff Archaic and the more relaxed Classical forms Athena’s body revealed under her clothes; idealized forms on the bodies of Herakles and Atlas Archaic smile gone Figures appear to be able to think

37. Greek Classical Sculpture Myron, The Discus Thrower, marble copy from a bronze original, National Roman Museum, Rome In-between motion, mid-swing Impossible pose to throw the discus, but optically the pose works Viewpoint mainly from the front Expressionless face, or perhaps thinking Use of negative space opens large areas in the sculpture Idealized heroic body

38. Greek Classical Sculpture Polykleitos, Spear Bearer, marble copy from a bronze origional, National Museum, Naples Closed stance Alternating tense and relaxed elements of the body Blocklike solidity Broad shoulders, thick torso, muscular body Movement restrained, Spartan ideal of body Warrior and athlete Hand once held a spear He averts his gaze; you may admire him, but he does not recognize the admiration

39. Greek Classical Sculpture Three Goddesses, from the Parthenon, marble, British Museum, London Figures are related to one another in their poses, positions, and interconnected meaning Clinging, “wet” drapery reveals the voluptuous bodies beneath; deeply cut drapery Figures sit naturally within the framework of the pediment Poetic pose

40. Greek Classical Sculpture Nike Adjusting Her Sandal, from the Temple of Athena Nike, marble, Acropolis Museum, Athens Graceful winged figure modeled in high relief Deeply incised drapery lines reveal body, wet drapery

41. Greek Classical Sculpture Praxiteles, Aphrodite of Knidos, marble copy, Vatican Museums, Rome Statue once was housed in a round temple and could only have been seen by someone through peeking around columns; voyeuristic view Novel in its approach to nudity for females; not openly erotic, but sensual Aphrodite steps into a bath She is admired, but averts her gaze She is taking a cloak off a water jar Sensuous S-curve to the body Gentle, dreamy quality Modest – hand that is missing would have covered her pelvis

42. Greek Classical Sculpture Praxiteles, Hermes and the InfanctDionysos, from the Temple of Hera, Olympia, marble copy, Archaeological Museum, Olympia Shallow S-shaped curve; subtle modeling of musculature Soft shadows play on body surface Dionysos perhaps reaching for grapes Hermes with a dreamy expression, a deep reverie

43. Greek Classical Sculpture Lysippos, Scraper, marble copy from a bronze origional, Vatican Museums, Rome Breaks down the dominance of the frontal view Thin forms, smaller heads, elongated bodies, sleek lanky look, eyes closely set Athlete is scraping off oil after a competition Arms are straight out, extended into space Head one-eighth of the body Twist of the knee, torsion of the body; leans back into a contrapposto stance Far-away look

44. Greek Helenistic Sculpture Hellenistic sculptors offer a wider range of realistic modeling and a willingness to show more movement than their classical colleagues. Figures have a great variety of expression from sadness to joy. Themes untouched before, such a childhood, old age, despair, anger, and drunkenness, are common subjects in Hellenistic art. To be of human emotion. Moreover, sculptors carve with greater flexibility, employing negative space more freely. The viewer is meant to walk around a Hellenistic sculpture and see it from many sides; hence, the work is meant to be placed against a wall.

45. Greek Hellenistic Hellenistic sculptors offer a wider range of realistic modeling and a willingness to show more movement than their classical colleagues. Figures have a great variety of expression from sadness to joy. Themes untouched before, such a childhood, old age, despair, anger, and drunkenness, are common subjects in Hellenistic art. To be certain, there are still Hellenistic beauties, like the Venus de Milo, but the accent is on a variety of expressions sweeping across the range of human emotion. Moreover, sculptors carve with greater flexibility, employing negative space more freely. The viewer is meant to walk around a Hellenistic sculpture and see it from many sides; hence, the work is not meant to be placed against a wall.

46. Greek Hellenistic Dying Gaul, from Pergamon, marble copy of a bronze original, Capitoline Museum, Rome Trumpeter from Gaul collapsing on his instrument; blood oozing from his wound; shows defeat of the Gauls Seen as a hero by the Greeks, which in turn glorifiestheir conquest Represents a barbarian foe: hair kept in an uncultivated manner Figure meant to be seen in the round Negative space Great emotion shown on face

47. Greek Hellenistic Athena Battling Alkyoneos, from the Pergamon Altar, marble, State Museum, Berlin Describes the battle between the gods and the giants; the giants, as helpless tools, were dragged up the stairs to worship the gods The gods’ victory over the giants offers a parrallel to Alexander the Great’s defeat of the Persians Deeply carved figures overlap one another; masterful handling of the spatial illusion Dramatic intensity of figures, movement; heroic musculature

48. Greek Hellenistic Nike of Samothrace, marble, Louvre, Paris Meant to sit on a fountain as a figurehead of a boat; the fountain would splash water on the figure Wet drapery look imitates the water playing on the wet body Built to commemorate a naval victory in 191 BCE Dramatic twist and contrapposto of the torso Monumentality of the figure Her missing right arm may have raised a victory crown; perhaps she was landing on the prow of a ship

49. Greek Hellenistic Venus de Milo, marble, Louvre, Paris Elegance of pose, long S-shaped curve; sensuous; erotic One hand held an apple, her symbol; the other hand probably held up her robes Softly modeled forms; light and shadow softly play on surface

50. Greek Hellenistic Rhodes Sculptors, Laocoon, 1 century, Vatican Museums, Rome Story from the Aeneid of the Trojan priest who tried to warn his people of the dangers lurking inside the horse given to Troy by the Greeks; snakes were sent by the gods to prevent him from speaking High drama; emotional Twisting, curving forms; the eye cannot rest, wanders around the composition; viewing the composition from many angles is encouraged Heightened musculature accentuates pathos of the moment Negative space