ART 1001 - Module 3 (Spieth)
Art and Architecture of Classical Greece:
- Archaic Period (ca. 700-480 B.C.E.) - Classical Period (ca. 480-323 B.C.E.)
The rise of Alexander the Great concludes the transition from the Classical to the
- Hellenistic Period (ca. 323-30 B.C.E.)
Where was the Minoan civilization located?
- Island of Crete
The Chimera sculpture
- It is a hybrid of demonic types, which plague the dead in the underworld
Art and Architecture of Pre-Classical Greece:
- Minoan culture (ca. 2500-1400 B.C.E.) - Mycenaean culture (ca. 1400-1200 B.C.E.)
Riace Warriors
- authentically Greek works - on board of a ship that sank off the coast of Italy and they survived on the bottom of the sea, until they were discovered on the seabed in 1972 - life-size bronze warriors - produced using the lost-wax casting method
Temple of Hera at Paestum (near Naples), Italy, ca. 460 B.C.E.
- construction is dry-jointed and metal cramps were used to hold construction elements - exhibits provincial conservatism and backwardness
The Capitoline She-Wolf
- depicts the founding myth of Rome in which twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were the offspring of a Vestal Virgin (priestess) and Mars, the god of war, were abandoned and suckled by a she-wolf in the wilderness. - in a dispute, Romulus killed Remus
Female figures in sculpture
- rare in the Classical tradition from the time of the Acropolis. If they are depicted at all, they were typically clothed in a tunic.
Doric order.
Associated with mainland Greece. It is simpler, massive, older, rustic; distinctive features: plain, cushion-like capitals, triglyph and metope on alternative on the frieze
megaron
Chief or throne room of the palace in Mycenaean Architecture
Mycenaean culture collapsed after 1200 B.C.E. The possible reason was the invasion of
Dorian people equipped with iron weapons superior to the softer bronze of the Mycenaeans.
Individuality.
Emphasis on individuality and the accomplishments of the individual
notable example of red figure pottery
Euphronious Krater
two principle structures of Mycenaean culture:
Heavy fortification walls and a defensive character - seen in the palaces of Tiryns and Mycenae
Literature.
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey become first works in the canon of Western literature; birth of mythology
Ionic order.
Imported from Asia Minor (today's Turkey); decorative, recent, seems lighter, sophisticated; distinctive feature: volutes mimicking acanthus leaves
Political organization.
Independent city states, earliest form of democracy, emergence of the Athenian polis (body of full citizens in a Greek city-state with voting rights)
Scientific discoveries.
Mathematics and natural science are on the rise, e.g. Pythagoras
Peaceful colonization.
Mostly peaceful colonization of the Mediterranean basin, especially Italy
_______________ culture began to blossom at the about the moment when Crete and neighboring islands went through their final crisis.
Mycenean
One aspect of Greek culture that resonates with the contemporary world is the
Olympic Games. - invented in the classical world as a sports competition among the Greek city states.
The Minoans founded the first highly developed, urban culture in the Western hemisphere. The most significant architectural site of the Minoans is found on the island of Crete, the so-called ...
Palace of Knosso
The oldest and largest of the buildings on the Acropolis was the what? And what did it represent?
Parthenon and it represents the epitome of the Classical ideals of architecture.
example of an Archaic temple in the Doric order
Temple of Hera at Paestum
The invention of money/currency.
The Greeks were the first to mint and circulate coins for payment and financial transactions
Classical period
The Greeks would eventually achieve a complete and correct understanding of human anatomy and proportions - followed the conclusion of the Persian Wars
Mastery of ship building.
This facilitated commercial exchanges and geographical expansion of Greek culture
characteristic for Etruscan culture
Tumulus (earth mount) tomb structures - feature brightly painted plaster reliefs representing weapons, tools, kitchen utensils, etc - known for their funerary sarcophagi
kylix
a flat, dish-like vessel mounted on a "foot," which is held, when used, by the handles on the sides. (Greek drinking cup)
Minoan culture declined after 1400 B.C.E. for a variety of reasons. Two hypothetical reasons:
a volcanic eruption on Thera, or incursions of Mycenaean people from the mainland.
Acropolis
an ensemble of structures built during the Classical period on a plateau overlooking Athens.
Mycenaean culture:
culture of the Greek mainland associated with Mycenae
Venus of Milo
depicts Aphrodite, who was the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and was produced in Melos (Milo), which was an Aegean island
Geometric Krater
described as "geometric" because of the type of decoration found on pottery from this period: meander, wedge-shaped, and checkerboard patterns are prevalent
International trade (limited at this point to the Mediterranean basin)
e.g. with Italy, Asia Minor, north Africa, Egypt, etc.
As opposed to the Minoans, the Myceneans feared ...
enemies.
Discobolos, or Discus Thrower
highly dramatic sculpture as the athlete is shown at the moment of just about releasing the discus, when the musculature is at its most tense. - survived only in the form of such Roman copies, like many greek sculptures
Minoan culture:
located on the island of Crete (so-called after legendary King Minos), ca. 2800-1450 B.C.E.
naos of the Parthenon was subdivided into
one half contained a giant cult statue of Athena-Parthenon - other housed the treasury of the Delian League, or the war chest of this military alliance over which Athens presided.
earliest examples of Greek art produced after the Doric invasion was
pottery
design for _____________________ was obtained by scraping outlines with a syringe-like instrument, and later applying an engobe slip for the parts that appear in black.
red-figure pottery
Cycladic culture:
refers to Greek islands
Helladic culture:
refers to Greek mainland
Palace of Knosso
sprawling structure with throne rooms, reception halls, a drainage system, and extensive storage facilities for wine, grain, oil, honey, etc. - bull iconography - lacked fortifications
Metropolitan Kouros was conceived as a funerary monument
to a young man who died a hero's death in battle.
krater is a term for a
vessel used for mixing wine and water.
Anthropocentric (human-centered)
world view