Hellenistic Art History

Stoas

A stoa, in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually of the Doric order, lining the side of the building; they created a safe, enveloping, protective atmosphere.

Amphora

Amphora, ancient vessel form used as a storage jar and one of the principal vessel shapes in Greek pottery, a two-handled pot with a neck narrower than the body.

Antis

Antis, in which the side walls protrude to flank the columns on the porch in front)

red-figure calyx krater by the Niobid Painter

Apollo and Artemis killing the children of Niobe, red-figure calyx krater by the Niobid Painter, c. ...

Archaic Art: Orientalizing Phase

Archaic Art, from c. 700 - 480 BC, began with an Orientalizing Phase (735 - 650 BC). In this, elements from other civilizations began to creep into Greek art. The elements were those of the Near East (not exactly what we think of as "Oriental" now, but remember the world was a lot "smaller" in those days). Temples, sculpture, borrowing and adapting middle eastern ornament with a certain bias. *Corinthian orientalising jug, c. 620 BC, Antikensammlungen Munich

Ancient Greek: Archaic

Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC) - The Archaic Period in Greece refers to the years between 750 and 480 B.C., more particularly from 620 to 480 B.C. The age is defined through the development of art at this time, specifically through the style of pottery and sculpture, showing the specific characteristics that would later be developed into the more naturalistic style of the Classical period. The Archaic period saw advancements in political theory, especially the beginnings of democracy, as well as in culture and art. The knowledge and use of written language which was lost in the Dark Ages was re-established.

"Pioneer Generation" c. 525-490

Athenian Tyrants (Peisistratids) and foundation of democracy, 509. Experimentation with extreme movement and activity, freedom of movement

Later Archaic, c. 600-500/480

Athens, wealthy Ionian cities, militaristic Sparta, supercedes Corinth. Ionia science and pre-Socratic philosophy. Art: brief period of imitation of Egyptian figural styles, then a "progressive" development of naturalistic appearances, reliance upon "schemata" to express content.

Bell Krater

Bell krater, a bowl used in ancient Greece for diluting wine with water.

Classical Art

Classical Art (480 - 323 BC) was created during a "golden age", from the time Athens rose to prominence, to Greek expansion and right up until the death of Alexander the Great. It was during this period that human statues became so heroically proportioned. Of course, they were reflective of Greek Humanistic belief in the nobility of man and, perhaps, a desire to look a bit like gods - as well as the invention of metal chisels capable of working marble.

Archaic

rendering motion through schemata *there's a gradual conquest of visual appearance (6th c BC)

symposia

social events with food and wine, were held in this room

andron or andronitis

the part of the house reserved just for men. Men used this room to entertain their friends and business associates

Organic Motion

white on black foreshadowing (?) violent motion twist and turn

Ancient Agora of Athens

late fifth/fourth century; mid second century

Homer

A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Early classical or "severe style"

(c. 480-450 BC) *new seriousness, consciousness of liberty and responsibility, anxiety *contrapposto - natural movement of the human form *articulated - see the individual parts but they are a whole *pathetic/somatic ??? - projecting life into the inanimate

Order vs. Vitality

*chaos *metastasis - reversal of state *kosmos - motion of stars -something inanimate can breath

Ancient Greek: Classical

Classical Period (500-336 BC) - Classical period of ancient Greek history, is fixed between about 500 B. C., when the Greeks began to come into conflict with the kingdom of Persia to the east, and the death of the Macedonian king and conqueror Alexander the Great in 323/330 B.C. In this period Athens reached its greatest political and cultural heights: the full development of the democratic system of government under the Athenian statesman Pericles; the building of the Parthenon on the Acropolis; the creation of the tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides; and the founding of the philosophical schools of Socrates and Plato.

Geometric, c. 1000-c. 725/700

Collapse Mycenaean Bonze Age reduces palace culture to lowest common denominator. Eighth B.C., Essentially a new start to physical culture. Pottery, independent decorative vocabulary ("sort of "geometric"), population rise, colonization, Homeric epics composed and written down, writing, (based on Phoenician script), colonization, in black Sea and West (Sicily, Italy). Development of towns, courtyard houses replace simple huts, temples monumentalize hut simple shapes. Idea that beauty is an appropriate attribute of, or tribute to, divinity. Humanistic conception.

tombs

During the early Archaic period, Greek cemeteries became larger, but grave goods decreased. This greater simplicity in burial coincided with the rise of democracy and the egalitarian military of the hoplite phalanx, and became pronounced during the early Classical period (5th century BC).[4] During the 4th century, the decline of democracy and the return of aristocratic dominance was accompanied by more magnificent tombs that announced the occupants' status.

Epictetus

Epictetus, (flourished c. 520-480? bc) Greek potter and painter who worked in Athens. His work is praised for its care, grace, vitality, delicate line, and fine draftsmanship. He signed his works as both maker and decorator.

Etruscan History

Etruscan history is the written record of Etruscan civilization compiled mainly by Greek and Roman authors. Apart from their inscriptions, from which information mainly of a sociological character can be extracted, the Etruscans left no surviving history of their own, nor is there any mention in the Roman authors that any was ever written. Remnants of Etruscan writings are almost exclusively concerned with religion.

Euphronios

Euphronios, also spelled Euphronius (flourished c. 520-470 bce) one of the most celebrated Greek painters and potters of his time. He experimented with new ideas, forms, and designs within the context of the Archaic tradition, especially the adoption and exploration of the new red-figure technique. His signature has been identified on a number of vessels, 8 signed by him as painter and at least 12 as potter. Generally, Euphronios's earlier works were signed as painter and his later works as potter.

Euthymides

Euthymides, (flourished c. 515-500 bc) an early adopter of the Athenian red-figure technique, a contemporary and perhaps rival of Euphronius. He is admired for his explorations in foreshortening and for his studies in movement, both departures from Archaic convention.

Early Classical: "Severe Style", 490-450 BC.

Generation of the Persian Wars, rice of dominance of Athenian imperial democracy (the "Delian League"). Rise of sophist philosophy, Athenian tragedy. The discovery of organic motion, rhythmic and compensatory correspondences over an inner skeletal structure. "Consciousness," Severity, seriousness of consciousness off liberty.

What are the three elements that compose a Greek structure?

Greek architecture followed a highly structured system of proportions that relates individual architectural components to the whole building. This system was developed according to three styles, or orders. Each order consists of an upright support called a column that extends from a base at the bottom to a shaft in the middle and a capital at the top — much like the feet, body, and head of the human figure. The capital was often a stylized representation of natural forms, such as animal horns or plant leaves. It, in turn, supports a horizontal element called the entablature, which is divided further into three different parts: *The architrave (lowest part) *The frieze (middle) *The cornice (top)

Doric

HEAVY SIMPLICITY

Hellenistic Art

Hellenistic Art (323 - 31 BC) - quite like Mannerism - went a wee bit over the top. By the time Alexander had died, and things got chaotic in Greece as his empire broke apart, Greek sculptors had mastered carving marble. They were so technically perfect, that they began sculpt impossibly heroic humans. People simply do not look as flawlessly symmetrical or beautiful in real life, as those sculptures - which may explain why the sculptures remain so popular after all these years.

Ancient Greek: Hellenistic

Hellenistic Period (336-146 BC) - period between the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great and the establishment of Roman supremacy, in which Greek culture and learning were pre-eminent in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. It is called Hellenistic (Greek, Hellas, "Greece") to distinguish it from the Hellenic culture of classical Greece.

free (citizen) men's "symposium"

In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Symposiums are often featured on Attic pottery.

Greek courtyard townhouse/country house

In most of ancient Greece, a house was built around an open air courtyard. Houses were built of stone, wood, and clay bricks. They were sturdy and comfortable. Larger homes might have several bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathing room, a woman's sitting area, a men's dining room, and one or two rooms for storage.

Red Figure Pottery's Early Period

In the early vases—the subjects of which included heroic and Dionysiac scenes as well as scenes from daily life—the details are added in black pigment or in dilutions of black that appear brown. The artists had mastered foreshortening and could convey the illusion of a third dimension without violating the two-dimensional surface of the vase. The figures were decorative rather than naturalistic.

Early Roman Republic (about the time of Ancient Greek: Classical)

It all began when the Romans overthrew their Etruscan conquerors in 509 B.C.E. Centered north of Rome, the Etruscans had ruled over the Romans for hundreds of years. Once free, the Romans established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf. A republic is quite different from a democracy, in which every citizen is expected to play an active role in governing the state.

Ionic

It is called Ionic because it developed in the Ionian islands in the 6th century B.C. Roman historian Vitruvius compared this delicate order to a female form, in contrast to the stockier "male" Doric order.

Krater

Krater, also spelled crater, ancient Greek vessel used for diluting wine with water. It usually stood on a tripod in the dining room, where wine was mixed. Kraters were made of metal or pottery and were often painted or elaborately ornamented.

Corinthian

LEAFY BUT NOT AS POPULAR, the Corinthian is similar to the Ionic order in its base, column, and entablature, but its capital is far more ornate, carved with two tiers of curly acanthus leaves.

Pre-Hellenistic

LandscapeP Poor/Harsh, but beautiful Compartmentalized - See limits/measurable Polis - mountains/plain shore Colonization - 7th Century BC - Population

Etruscan Kings of Rome (about the time of Ancient Greek: Archaic)

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus (616-579) Servius Tullius (578-535) Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (535-510/509) BC

Red Figure Pottery's Early Period Artists

Oltos, Epictetus, Euphronius, Euthymides, Onesimos, Douris, and the Brygos Painter.

Marble statue of a kouros (youth)

Period: Archaic Date: ca. 590-580 B.C. Culture: Greek, Attic Medium: Marble, Naxian This noble figure of a youth is one of the earliest freestanding marble statues from Attica, the region around Athens. It is a type of sculpture known as a kouros (male youth), characteristically depicted nude with the left leg striding forward and hands clenched at the side.

Prostyle

Prostyle is an architectural term defining free standing columns across the front of a building, as often in a portico. The term is often used as an adjective when referring to the portico of a classical building which projects from the main structure.

Red Figure Pottery's Two Time Periods

Red-figure pottery can be roughly divided into two periods: the first from about 530 to 480 bc, the second from about 480 to 323 bc.

Red Figure Pottery

Red-figure pottery is a type of Greek pottery that flourished from the late 6th to the late 4th century bc. During this period most of the more important vases were painted in this style or in the earlier, black-figure style. In the latter, figures were painted in glossy black pigment in silhouette on the orange-red surface of the vase; details were added largely by incising. In the red-figure style, decoration was also outlined in black, but the background outside the outline was filled in with black, leaving the figures red. Details were painted rather than incised, thus allowing more flexibility in the rendering of human form, movements, and, above all, expressions and allowing scope for shading and a more satisfactory kind of perspective. Since most of the ornamentation on Greek pottery was narrative rather than purely decorative, such technical advantages were of utmost importance.

Early Archaic or "Orientalizing" Period, c. 725/00- c. 600 B.C.

Rise of "tyrannies" as charismatic, anti-aristocratic polis leaders, aggressively proactive political leaders. Contact and trading with Near East, acquisition of figural styles, and Near Eastern Floral motifs as decoration, contact with Egypt, c. 630, c. 600 sudden creation of stone monumental colonnaded architecture, (Doric "order", c. 600, Ionic c. 570). Domination of Corinth.

Greek Culture

Rises from the void of the collapse of Mycenaean Greek palace culture after collapse of c. 1100 BC *loss of palace culture, writing, almost pottery

Archaic Art

The Archaic phase, from c. 700 - 480 BC, is best known for the beginnings of realistic depictions of humans and (no coincidence) monumental stone sculptures. It was during the Archaic that the limestone kouros (male) and kore (female) statues were created - always showing young, nude, smiling persons.

areopagus

The Areopagus is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. In classical times, it functioned as the court for trying deliberate homicide.

Corinthian Order

The Corinthian order is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The Corinthian, with its offshoot the Composite, is the most ornate of the orders, characterized by slender fluted columns and elaborate capitals decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls. There are many variations.

Doric Order

The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek or classical architecture. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of columns. It was the earliest and in its essence the simplest of the orders, though still with complex details in the entablature above.

Doric Column

The Greek Doric column was fluted, and had no base, dropping straight into the stylobate or platform on which the temple or other building stood. The capital was a simple circular form, with some mouldings, under a square cushion that is very wide in early versions, but later more restrained. Above a plain architrave, the complexity comes in the frieze, where the two features originally unique to the Doric, the triglyph and guttae, are skeuomorphic memories of the beams and retaining pegs of the wooden constructions that preceded stone Doric temples.[1] In stone they are purely ornamental.

Ionic Order

The Ionic columns are the thinnest and smallest columns out of the three canonic orders. The Ionic capital is characterized by the use of volutes. The Ionic columns normally stand on a base which separates the shaft of the column from the stylobate or platform; the cap is usually enriched with egg-and-dart.

Parthenon

The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order.

Entablature

The entablature, a horizontal element, is divided further into three different parts: the architrave (lowest part), the frieze (middle), the cornice (top). These elements, in turn, were further elaborated with decorative moldings and ornamentation. Each component of a classical order was sized and arranged according to an overall proportioning system based on the height and diameter of the columns.

Neck Amphora

The neck amphora is common from the Geometric period (c. 900 bc) to the decline of Greek pottery

The one-piece amphora

The one-piece amphora appeared in the 7th century bc.

peristylium

The peristylium (sometimes called the peristyle in English) was in effect the garden of the house. Though in the case of the Roman house, it was incorporated into the house itself and was usually surrounded by columns supporting the roof.

Sanctuaries: Athens, Acropolis

The slopes, caves and plateaus of the Acropolis hill were the settings in which gods, heroes and nymphs were worshipped. The south slope was home to two of the most important sanctuaries of the city, those of Dionysos Eleuthereus and Asklepios. It was also the site of several other temples, smaller in size, yet of great importance to the Athenians.

Types of Amphora

There are two types of amphora: the neck amphora, in which the neck meets the body at a sharp angle; and the one-piece amphora, in which the neck and body form a continuous curve.

gynaikon or gynaikonitis

This was the room set aside only for women. This is where the women of the house entertained their women friends and relatives. This was also the room where they did their weaving and spinning to create fabric. They looked after their children in this room as well. The Gynaikon was upstairs on the second floor, as far away from the downstairs Andron as possible.

Elements of City

Wall Tombs Agora Acropolis Areopagus Domestic vs. Monumental Symposium (drink and talk) Andron (men's place) - main entertainment room Gynaikon (women's quarters)

agora

a central spot in ancient Greek city-states

acropolis

a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill.

polis

a city state in ancient Greece, especially as considered in its ideal form for philosophical purposes.

Articulation

analysis into component parts, syntax

realism theaters pattern

every part of the body moves

Ethos vs. Pathos

experimentation with expressing state of emotion; confidence and doubt