Ch. 5

Archaic 600-480

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Aristotle, On the Art of Poetry

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Ceramics Chronology

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Doric

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Geometric Krater from the Dyplon Cemetery Athens, Greece, ca. 740 BC

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Ionic

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Lapith Fighting a Centaur Metope Relief from Doric Friezes 447-432 BCE Acropolis

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Lysippos, Apoxyomenos (The "Scraper") Roman copy based on bronze original ca 320 BCE

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Mausoleum

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Orientalizing 725-600

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The Canon

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Alexander the Great

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Laocoön and his sons Early 1st century AD HELLENISTIC GREEK

A Roman poet vividly described the strangling of Laocoön and his two sons by sea serpents while sacrificing at an altar. The gods who favored the Greeks in the war against Troy had sent the serpents to punish Laocoön, who had tried to warn his compatriots about the danger of bringing the Greeks' wooden horse within the walls of their city. Everything about this piece speaks to the Hellenistic ideal. The facial expressions are exaggerated, the muscles fully flexed, dramatic movement is indicated, and strong diagonals dominate the composition.

Kroisos Anavysos, Greece ca. 530 BC

Around 530 BC a man named Kroisos died a hero's death in battle. His grave was marked by this figure. The inscription at the base of this statue read: "stay and mourn at the tomb of dead Kroisos, whom raging Ares destroyed one day as he fought in the foremost ranks" The "archaic smile" is present, as is the Egyptian stance, but the naturalism of the body far exceeds any figurative sculpture that preceded it. Head is no longer too large for the body, the cheeks are full and rounded, the abdomen is well developed and natural, the hair is less stiff , and rounded hips have replace the V-shaped ridges of the New York kouros. some of the original paint has survived, giving the sculpture an even more naturalistic appearance. The flesh was left the natural color of the stone, but the hair, lips, and eyes were painted in encaustic (pigment mixed with hot wax)

Bi-lingual Ware Greek Archaic Period

Bilingual vase painting is a special form of ancient Greek vase painting. The term, derived from linguistics, is essentially a metaphorical one; it describes vases that are painted both in the black-figure and in the red-figure techniques. It also describes the transitional period when black-figure was being gradually replaced in dominance by red-figure, basically the last quarter of the 6th and the very beginning of the 5th century BC. Their appearance may be due to the initial uncertainty of the market for the new red-figure style, although that style subsequently became dominant rather fast.

The ERECHTHEION

Built between 421-406 BC, the Erechtheion is situated on the most sacred site of the Acropolis. It is said to be where Poseidon left his trident marks in a rock, and Athena's olive tree sprouted, in their battle for possession of the city. Named after Erechtheus, one of the mythical kings of Athens, the temple was a sanctuary to both Athena and Poseidon. The south is the Porch of the Caryatids, the maiden statues which the originals are now in the Acropolis Museum. (One of the 6 is still part of the Lord Elgin marbles collection in the British Museum.) By Mnesilkes

Reconstructed West front of the Altar of Zeus Pergamon, Turkey ca 175 BC

Considered by many to be the most famous of all Hellenistic sculptural ensembles. The monument's west front has been reconstructed in Berlin (this image). All around the platform was a sculptured frieze almost four hundred feet long populated by some one hundred larger-than-life size figures. The subject is the battle of Zeus and the gods against the giants. It is the most extensive representation Greek artists ever attempted of that epic conflict for control of the world. In the third century BC, King Attalos I had successfully turned back an invasion by the Gauls in Asia Minor. The large scale of the Altar of Zeus alluded to the Pergamene victory over those barbarians.

The PARTHENON

Constructed by the order of Pericles to house & honor Athena the centerpiece of the sculptural program of the Parthenon was the monumental statue of Athena in the main cella of the temple. The statue was made of gold and ivory, and was approximately 38 feet tall. Although no longer around, Ancient copies and literary descriptions have allowed scholars to produce fairly accurate reconstructions. The one here is from the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Lasted from about 450-400 BCE Sparta and Athens became enemies By Phidias

West pediment from the Temple of Artemis Corfu, Greece ca. 600 - 580 BC

Corfu is an island off the western coast of Greece and was an important stop on the trade route between the mainland and the Greek Settlements in Italy. This temple was lavishly embellished with sculpture including metopes that were decorated with relief sculptures and both pediments were filled with huge sculptures (nine feet high). The west pediment (seen here) is the more preserved of the two. The gorgon, demon woman with bird wings, Medusa fills the center of the pediment. In mythology, anyone gazing at Medusa would be turned into stone.

Temple Of Olympian Zeus 175-132 BCE, Athens.

Corinthian Style Greek Order - not just for interiors anymore

Early Classic 480-450

Defeat of Persians, Use of Bronze Sculpture, more detail in sculpture

Athena Battling Alkyoneos ca 175 BC HELLENISTIC

Describes the battle between 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 parallel to Alexander the Great's defeat of the Persians Deeply carved figures overlap and show mastery of depth, space, drama and musculature

Exekias, Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game. Vulci, Italy ca. 540 -530 BC

Detail from an Athenian black-figure amphora created by Exekias (painter and potter) Exekias was considered by the Greeks to have been a Master of black figure painting. No series of horizontal bands- instead a simple large band that contains the didactic image. The earliest of these types of vase paintings were called bilingual due to their depiction of the same subject on both sides of the vase. One in red-figure, and the other in black-figure. The "calm before the storm", a concept that is repeated throughout the history of art.

Praxiteles

Developed more extensive rules based on Canon of Polykleitos (e.g. - body is 8 heads tall instead of 7) Hermes and Infant Dionysus - 343 BCE Roman Copy He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue

Ancient Greek Chronology

Geometric Period Orientalizing Period Archaic Period Early Classical Period High Classical Period Late Classical Period Hellenistic Period

Early Classical or Transitional Period

Greek city-states banded together and defeated the Persians in 479 BCE This victory gave them a self-confidence that accelerated their society and art. Lasted until about 450 BCE

Caryatids

Greek columns shaped like women... In Egypt, they had similar columns of MEN called ATLANTIDS. These ladies are seen on the Porch of the Maidens at the Erechtheion.) By Mneslkes

sanctuaries

Holy site and/or places of worship. Most famous is the sanctuary of Apollo Delphi. Home of Oracles or people who could see the future. -At Delphi, volcanic fumes probably made people hallucinate or "see visions" -Site was supposedly where the serpent son of the earth goddess/titan (Ge or Gia) was slain by Apollo (metaphor for the patriarchal dominate Greeks overcoming a matriarchal neolithic culture in the area?). -Was also thought to be the 'navel' of the earth that connected to the sky (gods).

Greek interests

Humanism (#1 interest) #2 Rationalism -Logic, Facts #2 Idealism - The most perfect form of an idea or object

classical

Idealism -Humanism -Rationalism Capture the Ideal and Perfect Heroic Serenity and Peace -Horizontal and Vertical elements -Smooth reflecting surface -Stability/Composure -In own space -Homogeneity/cultural unity -Intellectually stimulating -perfected form

Peplos Kore Athens, Greece ca. 530 BC

Kore: Female Statue from the Archaic Period Titled "Peplos Kore" because of the peplos that the figure is wearing. ( a simple, long, woolen belted garment that gives the female figure a columnar appearance. This sculpture was damaged during the sack of the Acropolis in 480 BC by the Persians. This sculpture once stood as a votive offering in Athena's sanctuary.

Know your k words

Kouros, Kore, Kroisos, Kristos Boy

Kouros Greece ca. 600 BC

Male figures called kouros meaning "youth" were always depicted nude. This particular kouros figure was said to have a funerary purpose, as it once stood over a grave in the countryside near Athens. Statues such as this replaced the Geometric vases as the preferred form of grave marking. Almost similar to the Egyptian prototype. (Archaic greek)

West pediment from the Temple of Artemis Corfu, Greece ca. 600 - 580 BC...continued

Medusa assumes the Archaic bent-leg, bent-arm, pin wheel position pose that indicates running or ,in this case, flying. The two giant felines that flank Medusa serve as guardians of the temple. Similar to the part feline Sphinx that guarded Khafre's tomb in Egypt. To the right is Zeus slaying a kneeling giant with his thunderbolt. The gigantomachy (battle of the gods and giants) was a popular theme in Greek art from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods. It signifies the triumph of order over chaos.

The TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE

Nike means "Victory" in Greek, and Athena was worshiped in this form, as goddess of victory, on the Acropolis. Her temple was the earliest Ionic temple on the Acropolis. Here the citizens worshipped the goddess in hope of a prosperous outcome in the long war fought on land and sea against the Spartans and their allies. The Temple of Athena Nike was an expression of Athens' ambition to be the leading Greek city state in the Peloponnese.

High Classical period 450-400

Parthenon & Erectheion, Doric and Ionic Orders, Caryatids, Canon of Polykleitos

Aphrodite Taking a Bath - 350-40 BCE Roman Copy

Praxiteles. nother copy. But one more accurate to how the other statue was probably found. It was popular in the 1700-1800's to piece together full marble statues from multiple Roman Copies. This practice might have made a full statue, but it also destroyed others used to assemble it. This is no longer practiced.

The General themes of Ancient Greece really comes to maturity in the Classical Age:

Rationalism - logic, facts Idealism - The best possible form of an idea or object Humanism - The study of humanity and its achievements

Late Classic 400-350

Sparta beats Athens, Corinthian Order, ends with the death of Alexander the Great; Praxiteles redefines Polykleitos' figures; sculptures are created with a more 360-degree interest. Lasted from about 400-330 BCE Sparta defeats Athens in Peloponnesian War Greek Art still flourishes with IONIC order, and even introduces CORINTHIAN order for interiors - Romans later copied it

Elgin Marbles

Statue Pieces from the Parthenon that Lord Elgin (Thomas Bruce) recovered from ruins and sold to British Government. The marble decoration of the Parthenon is now in the British Museum in London ("Elgin Marbles"). This is a fragment, showing reclining gods who are waiting for the beginning of a great procession.

Religious beliefs

The Olympians (sky gods) defeated the Titans (earth giants). Might have been a metaphor for Greek culture overcoming older neolithic cultures. Olympians live in the sky or on top of Mount Olympus. How to tell if the god is roman or greek: If the god has a planet named for it, it is probably Roman. Believed their gods took human form, and had perfect bodies. They were also prone to human emotions and weaknesses (i.e. adultery, jealousy, envy, lust, rage, love, etc). This motivates them to make the human body as accurate as possible.

Pottery emerges

The beginning of Greek art is found in painted pottery and small scale sculpture. Artists established different categories of shapes of ceramic vessels- most important was the amphora - two- handled vase used to carry wine and oil Around 800 BC, pottery began to move away from purely non-objective designs - ornamental figures.

Hero and Centaur ca. 750-730 BC

The image of the man is thought to be Herakles battling the Centaur. This image demonstrates the Geometric artist not being limited to depicting scenes from daily life. The centaur is a purely Greek invention that has obviously created a problem for this artist, as no such creature has ever been seen. Even at the beginning of Greek figural art, we can see the instinct for the natural beauty of the human figure. This concept is reflected in the fact that Greek athletes exercised without their clothes and even competed nude in the Olympic Games from very early times.

Nike of Samothrace Samothrace, Greece ca. 190 BC

The wind sweeps her drapery. Her himation bunches in thick folds around her right leg, and her chiton is pulled tightly across her abdomen and left leg. The statues theatrical effect was amplified by its setting. This sculpture was part of a two-tiered fountain. In the lower basin were large boulders. The fountain's flowing water created the illusion of rushing waves dashing up against the ship. The sound of splashing water added an to the sense of drama. Art and nature were combined.

Aphrodite (of Melos) Hellenistic greek

This demonstrates that the "undressing" of Aphrodite by Praxiteles had become the norm by this point in Greek art, but Hellenistic sculptors went beyond the Late Classical master an openly explored the female form's eroticism. Her left hand (separately preserved) holds the apple Paris awarded her when he judged her as the most beautiful goddess of all. Her right hand may have lightly grasped the edge of her drapery near the left hip in a halfhearted attempt to keep it from slipping farther down her body.

Black-figure Olpe with animal friezes Corinth, Greece ca. 650 - 625 BC

This demonstrates the Greek awareness of Eastern artworks (such as Assyria and Egypt) and the influence of that newly discovered work on the art of the Greeks. This is a wide mouth pitcher called an olpe. Eastern monsters and animals often appeared on the ceramics of this time. Such as lions, goats, goats, deer, bulls, boars, and swans. Mythical like Sirens, griffins and sphinx. This demonstrates black-figure painting , created by the Corinthians, in which the artist first puts down the black silhouettes on the clay surface , as in the Geometric times, but then used a sharp, pointed instrument to incise linear details within the forms, usually adding highlights in purplish red or white over the black figures before firing the vessel. The Athenians later copied this technique.

he Alexander Mosaic Roman Copy, Pompeii, Italy ca. 310 BC

This is a Roman Mosaic, but it was a copy of a painting from Greece.

Riace Warrior, ca. 470-460 BCE, Bronze. With Copper lips and nipples.

Using bronze allowed such an extensive study of the anatomy that it paved the way for the achievements of the CLASSICAL period.

Geometric

Vases in the Geometric style are characterized by several horizontal bands about the circumference covering the entire vase. Between these lines the geometric artist used a number of other decorative motifs such as the zigzag, the triangle, the meander and the swastika. Besides abstract elements, painters of this era introduced stylized depictions of humans and animals which marks a significant departure from the earlier Protogeometric Art. Many of the surviving objects of this period are funerary objects, a particularly important class of which are the amphorae that acted as grave markers for aristocratic graves, principally the Dipylon Amphora by the Dipylon Master

"The Canon" of Polykleitos

Wrote the treatise "Canon of Polykleitos" - set of mathematical rules or laws for human sculpture Doryphoros - The 'Spear-Bearer'

Geometric 1100-750 BCE

all empty spaces are filled with circles and M-shaped ornament. No open spaces.

Pericles

arguably the most prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during the Golden Age— specifically the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. He was descended, through his mother, from the powerful and historically influential Alcmaeonid family. Pericles had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, a contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens".[1] Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire, and led his countrymen during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War. The period during which he led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 BC, is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles", though the period thus denoted can include times as early as the Persian Wars, or as late as the next century.

Frieze

decorative stone engravings that usually illustrate an event of story... also known as RELIEFS.

The PROPYLAIA

he Propylaia is the entranceway into the Acropolis Designed by Mnesikles and began construction in 437 BCE

Dying Gaul Pergamon, Turkey ca. 230-220 BC

he depiction of a variety of ethnic groups was a new concept in Greek art and one that would be pushed much further throughout the Hellenistic age. Again, this depiction is reflective of the drama seen on the stages of the Greek amphitheaters at this time. The dying Gaul winces in pain as blood pours from the large gash in his chest. The concept of pathos became increasingly popular toward the end of the history of Greek sculpture. The musculature was rendered in an exaggerated manner. Note the chest's tautness and the left leg's bulging veins ---- implying that the unseen hero who has struck down this noble and savage foe must have been an extraordinary man.

Old Market Woman ca. 150-100 BC HELLENISTIC GREEK

his is one of a series of statues of old men and women from the lowest rungs of the social order. Shepherds, fishermen, and drunken beggars are common- the kind of people who were pictured earlier on red-figure vases but never before were thought worthy of monumental statuary. hellenistic art reflects a new and unstable social climate in Greece. Social instability gave way to the depiction of a much wider variety of physical types, including different ethnic types.

Hellenistic 350-0

ideas still where here (Humanism stayed), but the feeling of desperation from the death of Alexander the Great threw the culture into an emotional tailspin Individual and Specific Individual Emotion Pathos and Melodrama Considered the period between the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) and the beginnings of the Roman Empire (146 BC) His death marked the beginning of the Hellenistic (or "Greek-like") period. -Diagonals -High relief, high contrast textures -Extreme expression/emotion -Reach out to environment/viewer -Multicultural -Viewers empathize, not intellectualize -realism not idealism

Polykleitos, Doryphoros c450-440 BCE HIGH CLASSICAL GREEK

known thru roman copy. quest to sculpt the ideal male.

3 basic Greek orders

slide 47-50

Optional correction

slide 54

ACROPOLIS FACTS

stablished for the patron Goddess Athena as early as the Archaic period (650-480 BC) THREE MAJOR SITES: PARTHENON ERECHTHEION TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE

Orientalizing (Corinthian Ware)

to produce smaller, highly detailed vases in the "proto-Corinthian" style that prefigured the black-figure technique.

Phidias

was a Greek sculptor, painter and architect, who lived in the 5th century BC, and is commonly regarded as one of the greatest of all sculptors of Classical Greece:[1] Phidias' Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias designed the statues of the goddess Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, namely the Athena Parthenos inside the Parthenon and the Athena Promachos, a colossal bronze statue of Athena which stood between it and the Propylaea,[2] a monumental gateway that served as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens

Dipylon Vase

was a grave monument - bottom has holes through which liquid offerings filtered down to the dead below- done in remembrance rather than to appease the soul of the dead. he vase functions as a grave marker depicting the funeral procession of an obviously well respected individual. The magnitude of his funeral procession speaks to the wealth and position of the deceased family in the community. Contains no reference to an afterlife The nature of the ornamentation of these early works has led art historians to designate these as GEOMETRIC. (all empty spaces are filled with circles and M-shaped ornament. No open spaces.)

White Ground Classic

white-ground technique is a style of ancient Greek vase painting in which figures appear on a white background. It developed in the region of Attica, dated to about 500 B.C.

Differences between Egyptian and Greek statuary

The Greek statues are liberated from the original stone block, where the Egyptian statues were not. This demonstrates the Greek idea of including motion rather than stability. The kouroi are nude and absent of any attributes The proportions of the body are slightly less idealized than those from Egypt.

Temple of Hera I Paestum, Italy ca. 550 BC

The Greek temple was the house of the God or Goddess, not of his or her followers. These temples were not places of worship, but rather places for the worshipped. Most of the temples would contain figural sculpture that would embellish the God's shrine as well as to tell something about the deity symbolized within. This temple is a prime example of early Greek efforts at Doric temple design. The entire area of the temple is 80 ft by 170 feet. Most of the frieze, pediment, and all of the roof , have vanished. The columns contained pronounced entasis, or swelling of the column at the middle. This bulky and less elegant architecture is result from the lacking architectural knowledge of the Archaic Greeks

Humanism

The study of Humans and their achievements (Greeks loved celebrating themselves)

Charioteer, ca. 470 BCE, Bronze

The use of HOLLOW-CASTING BRONZE developed toward the end of the Archaic Period made for more complex, detail poses.

Kritios Boy, ca. 480 BCE

early classical

Doric & Ionic Temples

slide #s 20-21

Black Figure Ware Greek Archaic Period

−Figures depicted in black, set against a reddish-orange background −The figures executed in a realistic and refined manner −Details were applied with a brush −After firing, the pottery's details were often added in white, red, purple, or blue

Red Figure Ware Greek Archaic Period

−Figures depicted in reddish-orange, set against a black background −Figures executed in a realistic and refined manner −Details were applied with a brush