Greek and Roman Art Test 1
running frieze
low relief structure under pediment, above metope; generally, any horizontal band of relief sculpture or painted decoration
painting and male and female bodies
males darker females lighter
second palace
marine themes internationally known, famous for refinement, potters wheel crete thinner vessels and finer walls, later are more naturalistic than abstract
fresco
means fresh wet on wet medium
Minoan second palace
most ruins and objects from his period, fired destruction not clear though.
minoan late palace
mynoceans controlled
stylized
art that represents objects in an exaggerated way to emphasize certain aspects of the object
Mesopotamia
"land between the rivers"
peristyle
(external columns on all 4 sides archaic
episthodomos
(rear porch - mainly for symmetry)
Archaic Period
About 750 BC there began a period of consolidation of the diverse influences that had been entering Greek art at a rapid rate over the previous 100 years;It was an age of preoccupation with domestic troubles brought on by the new prosperity rather than an age of reaching out to other cultures. It was also the age of tyrants, whose individual rules were often supported by arms and by the allegiance of the merchant classes. The courts of these tyrants became the significant cultural centres, and there was an increase in the demand for art of all kinds; demonstration of the rulers' wealth and power took the form of temple building more ambitious than in almost any other period of Greek art, while in sculpture there was a growing use of expensive and elaborate statuary for dedication and for marking tombs.During this period the arts of sculpture, vase painting, and bronze working reached a level of technical mastery and imaginative freedom that brought narrative action and even emotion under the command of figural representation. Simultaneously, out of extensive experimentation with the architectural innovations of the later 7th century, the Classical Doric and Ionic orders were fully established and largely standardized. In the 6th century the western Greek colonies claimed a position of importance in the history of Greek art. The colonies in southern Italy and Sicily had grown as strong and rich as many cities in the motherland and had made demonstrations of wealth by dedicating treasuries in the national sanctuaries and by building many lavish temples at home. The temples were generally in the Doric style, but they often bore Ionic details. In their sculpture and architecture the colonies were handicapped by the lack of local sources for fine white marble, and they relied more on painted and stuccoed limestone; the lack of marble, however, stimulated their production of major sculptural works in fired clay to a degree not matched at home. The colonial art centres seem to have been Syracuse, Selinus, and Acragas in Sicily and Poseidonia, or Paestum, Sybaris, and Tarentum in Italy. Although the Greek colonies seem to have attracted artists from the homeland, all their art tends to a largeness of scale and of detail that often contrasts with popular notions of Greek monumental art. For example, the most striking ancient building on Sicily is the colossal Doric temple of Olympian Zeus at Acragas, begun in about 500 BC and left unfinished a century later. To carry the weight of the massive entablature, the outer columns were not freestanding but were half-columns engaged against (that is, partially attached to) a continuous solid wall. An earlier Sicilian variant of this use of the plastically molded wall mass with the orders applied decoratively can be seen in the columnar curtain walls of Temple F at Selinus, begun about 560 BC. The engaged columns of Acragas were echoed in the late 5th century by the architect Ictinus in the cella of the Temple of Apollo at Bassae and half a century later by the sculptor Scopas in the Temple of Athena at Tegea. All these buildings suggest that the 18th-century Enlightenment idea of Greek architecture as a system based solely on post-and-lintel construction, in which the columns carried the load, was erroneous.Because temples constructed entirely of stone were expensive, they were not replaced without a compelling reason; in many central and southern Greek cities, therefore, the robust Archaic forms of the Doric temples dominated the townscape through the Classical and later periods. The forms were heavy, with plump columns and capitals and brightly coloured upperworks. Although little change was made in the basic order in the 6th century, there was a gradual refinement of detail and proportion approaching the form of the Classical order.The more exotic Ionic order of eastern Greece was slower to determine its forms; the order developed through the so-called Aeolic capital with vertically springing volutes, or spiral ornaments, to the familiar Ionic capital, the volutes of which spread horizontally from the centre and curl downward. There were also several distinctive local methods of treating bases or entire plans. The Ionic order was always more ornate and less stereotyped than the Doric, yet it was still limited to monumental plans, and the Ionic temples of the 6th century exceed in size and decoration even the most ambitious of their Classical successors. Such were the temples of Artemis at Ephesus in Asia Minor and the successive temples of Hera on the island of Samos, all of which were more than 300 feet (90 metres) long and set with forests of more than 100 columns standing in double and triple rows around the central rectangular room (cella), where the cult image stood. At the same time, masons developed and refined the carved cyma (double curve) and ovolo (convex curve) moldings, which are two profiles that have remained part of the grammar of Western architectural ornament to the present day.
Krater
An ancient Greek wide-mouthed bowl for mixing wine and water.
Classicism
An approach to aesthetics that favors restraint, rationality, and the use of strict forms in literature, painting, architecture, and other arts. It flourished in ancient Greece and Rome, and throughout Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries refers either to the art produced in antiquity or to later art inspired by that of antiquity; Artists began to emulate classical art in form, symmetry, balance, and an overall sense of order.
minoan culture
Apparently peaceful maritime culture on the Aegean Islands Old Palace Period - destroyed in earthquake/tidal wave c. 1700 BCE (?) Second Palace Period - most ruins and objects are from this period (reasons for destruction [fire] not clear; old idea of Thera (Santorini) discredited) Late Minoan Period - Mycenaeans controlled from 1400 - 1200 BCE
cycladic art
Cyclades, derived from the word kuklos, a "circle," around Delos. • They also formed part of early patterns of communication between Greece and Asia Minor • Limited information • Mainly sculptural works from gravesites • Mostly female figures but not exclusively - Figurine of a Woman, c. 2500-2200 BCE - Male Lyre Player, c. 2800-2700 BCE
black figure style
Greek vase painting style featuring black figures painted on a red clay background with details incised to reveal the red clay below
Kouros
Greek word for "male youth." An Archaic Greek statue of a standing, nude youth.
Arcadian
It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological figure Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan.
crete
Minoan, the largest Greek island in the Mediterranean
athenians
People living in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens. were willing to change. clan like allegiances, 10 people chosen to participate in the electoral body.
Archaic Sculpture
Proportional bodies; Males were Kouros, were nude, and were inspired by Egypt; Women were Kore and were clothed monumental sculpture inspired by egypt increasing naturalism, new tools
Minoan Sculpture
Sculptures of snake-goddesses(faience). Materials used were terracotta, faience, ivory and bronze.
Mycaneans
The Mycenaeans are named after the city-state of Mycenae, a palace city and one of the most powerful of the Mycenaean city-states. The Mycenaean civilization was located on the Greek mainland, mostly on the Peloponnese, the southern peninsula of Greece. The Mycenaeans are the first Greeks, in other words, they were the first people to speak the Greek language. The Mycenaean civilization thrived between 1650 and 1200 BC. The Mycenaeans were influenced by the earlier Minoan civilization, located on the island of Crete.
mycenaean culture
This culture arose and replaced the Minoans. 2000-1100bce various people on the mainland since the paleolithic age. mycenaeans appeared in 2000 bce
dark ages
The first part of the Middle Ages from around 500-1000 A.D.
minoan crete
The great maritime civilization of Crete crystallized around palaces such as those at Knossos, Phaestus, Ayía Triáda, Mallia, and Tylissos. The immensely important Palace of Minos at Knossos, excavated and reconstructed early in the 20th century by Sir Arthur Evans, offers evidence of unbroken architectural and artistic development from Neolithic beginnings, culminating in a brilliant display of building activity during the third phase of the Middle Minoan period (1700-1580 BC) and continuing until the invasion of the Achaeans in the 12th century.The development of funerary architecture in Crete proceeds from the old chamber ossuaries of the Early Minoan period (2750-2000 BC) to the developed tholoi, or beehive tombs, of the Mesara plain and the elaborate temple-tombs of Knossos that appeared at the end of the Middle Minoan period.On the crest of Minoan prosperity came a great crash. An invasion from the mainland about 1400 BC destroyed the palaces and resulted in the removal of power to Mycenaean Greece.
persia
The greatest empire in the world at the time of the Persian Wars. built my cyrus
cycladic
The prehistoric art of the Aegean Islands around Delos, excluding Crete.
pronaos
The space, or porch, in front of the cella, or naos, of an ancient Greek temple
Mycenaean greek
The sudden architectural awakening of the Mycenaean Greek mainland is intimately connected with the zenith and decline of Minoan Crete and can only be understood against the background of a long Cretan development. Unlike Minoan Knossos, the archaeological remains on the mainland are fragmentary. Knowledge of at least three sites—Mycenae, Tiryns, and Pylos—suggests a picture of Mycenaean architecture. The important architectural monuments visible today date largely from Late Helladic times (1580 to c. 1100 BC), and little earlier architecture is preserved.
Stylobate
The uppermost course of the platform of a Greek temple, which supports the columns.
Hydra
Water
antiquity
ancient times refers to the distant past, meaning the period between about 4,500 BCE (the beginnings of Western civilization) and about 450 CE (the beginning of the Middle Ages). The two principal civilizations of early Antiquity are those of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
dome
arch spun 360 ways
iktinos and Kalikrates Mnesikles Phidias
architects of the parthenon acropolis temple of athena nike 477 bce nike fastening her sandal iconic order because of eternity the acred ground or she is coming out
Greek gods and goddesses
Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite
dipteral
a double row of columns archaic
Caryatids
a female figure that functions as a supporting column
peplos
a garment worn by women in ancient Greece, usually full length and tied at the waist
corbel
a projection jutting out from a wall to support a structure above it. vaulted casement inside the ring wall where hercules grew up
peripteral
a single row of columns on all sides archaic
Inian tribe
biggest and most important tribe
vase paintings until the late 6th century
black figure style
how where females referred to
by their outfits
realistic
closely resembling real life
3 major cultures
cycladic crete minoan or greek mainlands
western greeks
exceptional architecture
in antis
inside the front porch
sculptures and painting
painted with bright colors to be more realistic as well as to see details better
bronze age
the period in ancient human culture when people began to make and use bronze. mesopotamia(persia), phoenicians, egypt greeks traded with mesopotamia Metalworking improved and promoted the progress of the western Mediterranean lands, which developed maritime relations that joined them to one another and bound them to the eastern Mediterranean. Several great centres displayed considerable architectural activity, of which some splendid evidence remains.
What pose are the Egyptians known for
the walker profile pose
classic orders
three major are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The orders describe the form and decoration of Greek and later Roman columns, and continue to be widely used in architecture today. The Doric order is the simplest and shortest, with no decorative foot, vertical fluting, and a flared capital. archaic
oinoche
used for pouring
buon fresco
water based pigment applied to fresh plaster (true fresco) extremely permeant technique hates humidity, needs to be in very dry places
vatruvian style
we are still in a way dependent on it example style of banks, or style of pogue library
Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens
447-(438) -432 BCE, (Iktinos and Kallikrates) high classical art temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century BCE and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos ("Athena the Virgin"). The temple is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders. Directed by the Athenian statesman Pericles, the Parthenon was built by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates under the supervision of the sculptor Phidias. Work began in 447 BCE, and the building itself was completed by 438. The same year a great gold and ivory statue of Athena, made by Phidias for the interior, was dedicated. Work on the exterior decoration of the building continued until 432 The Parthenon remained essentially intact until the 5th century CE, when Phidias's colossal statue was removed and the temple was transformed into a Christian church. By the 7th century, certain structural alterations in the inner portion had also been made. The Turks seized the Acropolis in 1458, and two years later they adopted the Parthenon as a mosque, without material change except for the raising of a minaret at the southwest corner. During the bombardment of the Acropolis in 1687 by Venetians fighting the Turks, a powder magazine located in the temple blew up, destroying the centre of the building. In 1801-03 a large part of the sculpture that remained was removed, with Turkish permission, by the British nobleman Thomas Bruce, Lord Elgin, and sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London. Although the rectangular white marble Parthenon has suffered damage over the centuries, including the loss of most of its sculpture, its basic structure has remained intact. A colonnade of fluted, baseless columns with square capitals stands on a three-stepped base and supports an entablature, or roof structure, consisting of a plain architrave, or band of stone; a frieze of alternating triglyphs (vertically grooved blocks) and metopes (plain blocks with relief sculpture, now partly removed); and, at the east and west ends, a low triangular pediment, also with relief sculpture (now mostly removed). The colonnade, consisting of 8 columns on the east and west and 17 on the north and south, encloses a walled interior rectangular chamber, or cella, originally divided into three aisles by two smaller Doric colonnades closed at the west end just behind the great cult statue. The only light came through the east doorway, except for some that might have filtered through the marble tiles in the roof and ceiling. Behind the cella, but not originally connected with it, is a smaller, square chamber entered from the west. The east and west ends of the interior of the building are each faced by a portico of six columns. Measured by the top step of the base, the building is 101.34 feet (30.89 metres) wide and 228.14 feet (69.54 metres) long.The Parthenon embodies an extraordinary number of architectural refinements, which combine to give a plastic, sculptural appearance to the building. Among them are an upward curvature of the base along the ends and repeated in the entablature; an imperceptible, delicate convexity (entasis) of the columns as they diminish in diameter toward the top; and a thickening of the four corner columns to counteract the thinning effect of being seen at certain angles against the sky.The sculpture decorating the Parthenon rivaled its architecture in careful harmony. The metopes over the outer colonnade were carved in high relief and represented, on the east, a battle between gods and giants; on the south, Greeks and centaurs; and on the west, probably Greeks and Amazons. Those on the north are almost all lost. The continuous, low-relief frieze around the top of the cella wall, representing the annual Panathenaic procession of citizens honouring Athena, culminated on the east end with a priest and priestess of Athena flanked by two groups of seated gods. The pediment groups, carved in the round, show, on the east, the birth of Athena and, on the west, her contest with the sea god Poseidon for domination of the region around Athens. The entire work is a marvel of composition and clarity, which was further enhanced by colour and bronze accessories.
Moschophoros (Calf Bearer)
560 bce archaic One of the earliest dedications on the Acropolis. The bearded man carries a calf for sacrifice. The inscription reads from right to left: Rhombos, son of Palos, dedicated (the statue)
peplos kore
Athens, c. 530 BCE archaic is a statue of a girl and one of the most well-known examples of Archaic Greek art. The 118 cm-high (46 in) high white marble statue was made around 530 BC and originally was colourfully painted.[1] The statue was found, in three pieces, in an 1886 excavation north-west of the Erechtheion on the Athenian Acropolis and is now in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.[2] The Peplos Kore (peplos being the type of robe or shawl-like fabric draped over the figure and kore meaning a girl or young female) stands at approximately 1.18 m (3 ft 10 in) high. It is carved from fine grained Parian marble.[3] Traces remain of the original paint.
4 major tribes of greeks
dorian ionian aeolian arcadian
late classical
With growth now concentrated in outlying areas, there was understandably less temple building in mainland Greece in this period than there had been in the 5th century, but the Doric temples at Tegea and Nemea in the Peloponnese were important, the former for admitting Corinthian capitals to columns engaged on its interior walls. In eastern Greece, on the other hand, there began a series of new temple constructions rivaling those of the Archaic period that consciously copied the Archaic in their plan and elaboration of detail. Some are simply replacements, such as that at Ephesus replacing an earlier temple destroyed by fire, or the rather later one at Didyma. Similarly, the town of Priene in Ionia, although built on a new foundation after the mid-4th century, was laid out as a grid of streets on a principle developed by the 5th-century architect Hippodamus, who had applied the same scheme to his home city, Miletus, and to the port of Athens, Piraeus. The new Athena Temple at Priene is the best example of classic Ionic known, with no eccentricity of plan or detail. The eastern Greeks had long worked for their neighbours in the Persian towns of Lycia and Caria, supplying monumental tombs of native pattern decorated with sculpture in Greek style. At Xanthus, the capital of Lycia, a tomb resembling a Greek temple raised high on a platform had been built by the end of the 5th century; similar structures were made there in the 4th century, culminating in the great tomb built in midcentury at Halicarnassus for King Mausolus of Caria, a king who has given his name to all such monumental mausoleums. The fine architectural detail and the sculpture executed by Greek artists of the first rank show a total Hellenization of local taste and exemplify the high quality that Greek art in foreign lands had attained at this time.The 4th century saw much greater diversity of architectural forms than ever before. Theatres received marble seats and elaborate stage buildings. Circular temples (tholoi) appeared in mainland Greek sanctuaries that were Doric in style but with the new Corinthian columns within. A small-scale tholos with Corinthian columns was also used for the choragic monument of Lysicrates in Athens. The two-storied stoa became an essential element in the planning of marketplaces or administrative areas. Architects were at pains to adapt the rigid orders to architectural forms and needs more complicated than those of the basic Greek temple plan.
entasis
a slight convex curve in the shaft of a column, introduced to correct the visual illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft.
aeolian
as an area that comprised the west and northwestern region of Asia Minor, mostly along the coast, and also several offshore islands
bronze casting
bronze figures had a low survival rate, greeks used the lost wax technique, you wouldn't cast a figure in one piece
what type of medium did greeks prefer
bronze rather than marble hollow cast used for bronze large sculptures not made in once peice fewer metal pieces left than marble pieces
Praxiteles, Hermes and the Infant Dionysos,
c. 340 BCE late classical art changed proportions, hermes appears to work out less, slimmer, purposely used marble, he liked it. Statues would not be painted, teasing toddler with grapes, playful human connection. by praxiletes
naos
cella (central room for the cult statue)
protocorinthian olpe
chigi vase 650 bce orientalizing art The so-called "Chigi Vase" is an example of the Greek oinochoe pottery form dating to the first half of the 6th century BCE. Although a late proto-Corinthian form, it was found in an Etruscan (central Italian) context and serves as an indicator of the trade relations along the Mediterranean Sea, particularly among various elites for burial assemblages. The vase is an early instance of narrative art; the lower areas of oinochoe pottery forms of the Archaic period were now becoming utilized for painting and decoration. This was an attempt to illustrate a story, and later, writing was implemented to assist in the storytelling. This marked a departure from the previous Geometric period forms in that pottery was now being used to reference specific stories and myths, with representations of different figures or characters. The decorations on the Chigi Vase itself are rather sophisticated, as it is graced with narrative scenes, incised lines and varied coloration. Polychromy, where the use of multiple colors is employed, was another improvement upon the previous Geometric period. The first representation of the hoplite phalanx on pottery, appears on this vase. Individual hoplite warriors in formation, as well as the hoplon (soldier's shield) and other armaments are clearly visible. This example of vase painting gives modern viewers a brief look into ancient Greek military organization. Such groupings indicate a level of social cohesion where Greeks came together to unite as equals. Of course, this was only for a select few (elite Greek males), as women, slaves, and the poor were denied equal status.
naturalistic
derived from real life or nature, or imitating it very closely
Cycladic art
don't know much about them, mostly made only female figurines, looked pregnant or post pardom, blank canvas that could be painted. derived from the word kuklus, a circle around delos. formed part of early patterns of communication between greece and asia minor. most dangerous time for women was child birth so possible these figures are of dead pregnant women. mainly sculptural works from grave sites
minoan art
focused on movement and expression, unique among the ancient world, fresco paintings- palace rituals and largest art form, sea motifs on vases, sculptures were small scale, lots of colors, geometric patterns, second palace period. traded seafaring toreador(bull leaping) fresco landscape with swallow santorini young fishermen santorini appreciation of nature and life
megaron
great, central hall of the house, usually containing a center hearth
Amphirostyle
having four columns in the front and rear of a temple archaic
ionic order
iffers from the Doric in having more flutes on its shaft and in the scrolls, or volutes, that droop over the front and rear portions of the echinus in the capital. The echinus itself is carved with an egg-and-dart motif. The height of the entire Ionic order—column, base, capital, and entablature— is nine lower diameters. The base of the column has two tori (convex moldings) separated by a scotia. The shaft, which is eight lower diameters high, has 24 flutes. On the entablature, the architrave is usually made up of three stepped fasciae (bands). The frieze lacks the Doric triglyph and metope, and hence this area can hold a continuous band of carved ornament, such as figural groups. archaic
opisthodomos
in ancient Greek architecture, a porch at the rear of a temple, set against the blank back wall of the cella
temple types
in antis prostyle amphiprostyle peristyle perpetual dipertal
greek art is
increase naturalism focus on human figure especially male perfect form: symmetry, harmony, idealism, emotional restraint classical ideal of beauty
what system did the egyptians invent
modular system, with of palm or fist
minoan architecture
palace complex, knossos crete, 4 story tall, decorated with double headed axe, several palaces
types of women garments
peplos chiton mantle
fresco secco
pigment applied to dry wall
Leochares apollo belvedere
late classical art 340-320 BCE) Greek sculptor to whom the Apollo Belvedere (Roman copy, Vatican Museum) is often attributed. About 353-c. 350 BC Leochares worked with Scopas on the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Most of his attributions are from ancient records. The base of a statue inscribed with his name, however, was found in Athens. This work, a bronze lion hunt of Alexander, was executed by Leochares and Lysippus at Delphi. He was commissioned by King Philip of Macedon to produce gold and ivory statues of the king's family, which were installed in the Philippeum at Olympia about 338 BC. The Vatican statuette of Ganymede and the Eagle is thought to be a copy of a work by Leochares. The Greek god Apollo is depicted as a standing archer having just shot an arrow. Although there is no agreement as to the precise narrative detail being depicted, the conventional view has been that he has just slain the serpent Python, the chthonic serpent guarding Delphi—making the sculpture a Pythian Apollo. Alternatively, it may be the slaying of the giant Tityos, who threatened his mother Leto, or the episode of the Niobids. The large white marble sculpture is 2.24 m (7.3 feet) high. Its complex contrapposto has been much admired, appearing to position the figure both frontally and in profile. The arrow has just left Apollo's bow and the effort impressed on his musculature still lingers. His hair, lightly curled, flows in ringlets down his neck and rises gracefully to the summit of his head, which is encircled with the strophium, a band symbolic of gods and kings. His quiver is suspended across his left shoulder. He is entirely nude except for his sandals and a robe (chlamys) clasped at his right shoulder, turned up on his left arm, and thrown back. The lower part of the right arm and the left hand were missing when discovered and were restored by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1507-1563), a sculptor and pupil of Michelangelo.
middle east art
preference towards non rationalistic explanations for things
early columns
re construction inspired by egyptian columns, looks kind of like a tree trunk temple of athena smyrna
aegean art
refers to works produced by civilizations that developed in the basin of the Aegean Sea between 3200 - 1000 BCE cycladic minoan mycanean
ionian
said to have migrated to western Anatolia from Attica and other central Greek territories following the Dorian immigration
greek colonies
settled in different areas due to population increase, and eventually began making products to sell to Persia and give the money to mainland Greece. With 400+ founded colonies, the Greeks facilitated trade among the Mediterranean region and its inhabitants, spreading the Greek language and its cultural traditions and also stimulating development of surrounding areas.
Minoan Culture
shared many religious practices with the Ancient Egyptians. 3000-1400 bce developed the potters wheel old palace period destroyed by earth quake or tidal wave.
amphora
storage
Carytid
structual column sculpted in the form of a draped female body
mésopotamien art
stylization, abstraction, rule oriented, organization
egypt
the most stable and lasting influence especially after the greek settlements in the delta or nile. cannon of art making ,rule oriented. epically the Egyptian habit of using a very rigid set of proportions. They would look at what was before and develop it further EX. the wheel. facial features in sculptures are recognizable. stable for 3000 years
acroplis
the religious center of Athens high classical art Acropolis, Athens UNESCO World Heritage Site The Acropolis of Athens viewed from the Hill of the Muses (14220794964).jpg The Acropolis of Athens, seen from the Hill of the Muses Location Athens, Attica, Greece Criteria Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv, vi Reference 404 Inscription 1987 (11th Session) Area 3.04 ha Buffer zone 116.71 ha Coordinates 37°58′15″N 23°43′34″ECoordinates: 37°58′15″N 23°43′34″E Acropolis of Athens is located in GreeceAcropolis of Athens Location of Athens in Greece The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word acropolis is from the Greek words ἄκρον (akron, "highest point, extremity") and πόλις (polis, "city").[1] Although the term acropolis is generic and there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as "The Acropolis" without qualification. During ancient times it was known also more properly as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man, Cecrops, the first Athenian king. While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495 - 429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site's most important present remains including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.[2][3] The Parthenon and the other buildings were damaged seriously during the 1687 siege by the Venetians during the Morean War when gunpowder being stored in the Parthenon was hit by a cannonball and exploded.[4]
Archaic Art, ca. 600-480 BCE
• Around 600 BCE, the first life-size stone statues appeared in Greece. The earliest kourio emulated the frontal poses of Egyptian statues, but artists depicted the young men nude, the way Greek athletes competed at Olympia. • During the course of the sixth century BCE, Greek sculptors refined the proportions and added "Archaic smiles" to the faces of their statues to make them seem more lifelike. • The Archaic age also saw the erection of the first stone temples with peripheral colonnades and the codification of the Doric and Ionic orders. changes in politics
Myron, Discobolos
.early classical art 460 BCE expresses rhythmos (shape or pattern; dance steps to the beat) providing rational order to motion, rest implying the range of motion early classical art. s a Greek sculpture completed at the start of the Classical Period, figuring a youthful ancient Greek athlete throwing discus, circa 460-450 BC. The original Greek bronze is lost but the work is known through numerous Roman copies, both full-scale ones in marble, which was cheaper than bronze,[1] such as the first to be recovered, the Palombara Discobolus, and smaller scaled versions in bronze. A discus thrower depicted is about to release his throw: "by sheer intelligence", Kenneth Clark observed in The Nude, "Myron has created the enduring pattern of athletic energy. He has taken a moment of action so transitory that students of athletics still debate if it is feasible, and he has given it the completeness of a cameo."[2] The moment thus captured in the statue is an example of rhythmos, harmony and balance. Myron is often credited with being the first sculptor to master this style. Naturally, as always in Greek athletics, the Discobolus is completely nude. His pose is said to be unnatural to a human, and today considered a rather inefficient way to throw the discus.[3] Also there is very little emotion shown in the discus thrower's face, and "to a modern eye, it may seem that Myron's desire for perfection has made him suppress too rigorously the sense of strain in the individual muscles,"[2] Clark observes. The other trademark of Myron embodied in this sculpture is how well the body is proportioned, the symmetria. The potential energy expressed in this sculpture's tightly wound pose, expressing the moment of stasis just before the release, is an example of the advancement of Classical sculpture from Archaic. The torso shows no muscular strain, however, even though the limbs are outflung.
Hercules (Farnese Type)
320 bce late classical Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Farnese Hercules is his sheer size: he stands at 3.15 metres, almost ten-and-a-half feet. This fine example of Roman sculpture shows the Greek hero - he is sometimes known by his Greek name, as the Farnese Herakles - leaning on his customary wooden club, here cushioned by a lionskin. His downcast eyes, together with his pose, suggest that Hercules has been exhausted by his Labours - and it is on account of this that the sculpture has gained another name, the Weary Hercules. Farnese Hercules long shotIn case we were to think that his latest Labour had gotten the better of him, though, there's a surprise in store when we look behind the back of the statue: two golden apples. These apples reveal that, weary or not, Hercules has nevertheless accomplished his assigned task, in this case by holding up the skies in place of the god Atlas. Still, despite his size, the emphasis on his tiredness after the hard work of hefting up the heavens indicates that the Farnese Hercules is a very human hero. This particular marble statue was found in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, although it is most likely a version of a bronze statue attributed to the Greek sculptor Lysippus, who lived in the fourth century BCE. It is not uncommon in ancient Roman art to find sculptors producing 'free copies' of earlier Greek sculptures, but the act of replication and re-display always changes the way the statue is viewed - Hercules might be made very big, or very small. The sheer number of other versions or replicas of the Farnese Hercules suggest it was almost as famous in antiquity as it has been in Western art, since its rediscovery in 1546.
Apoxyomenos (the Scraper)
330 bce late classical is one of the conventional subjects of ancient Greek votive sculpture; it represents an athlete, caught in the familiar act of scraping sweat and dust from his body with the small curved instrument that the Romans called a strigil.
Erechtheion
430s-406 BCE, Kallikrates high classical art was built to accommodate the religious rituals that the old temple housed. Construction of the Erechtheion began in 420 while the Peloponnesian war was interrupted by the Peace of Nikias and continued through some of the most difficult times for the Athenians at war. During this time the Athenians suffered a devastating defeat at Syracuse, saw their empire unravel through consecutive revolts, had their cherished democracy replaced by a brief oligarchy, and endured major defeat. The Erechtheion construction was concluded in 406 BCE, and soon thereafter, in 403 BCE Athens fell to the Spartans. None of the dramatic events that marked the fall of Athens are present in the elegant Ionic lines of the Erechtheion. It seems that the cultural maturity of Athens as expressed through art was reaching a new apogee, just as the forces and institutions that made it possible were unraveling. The Erechtheion is an intricate temple. It sprang from a complex plan that was designed to accommodate the radically uneven ground on the site, and to avoid disturbing sacred shrines like the altars to Poseidon (Erechtheus), and Hephaestus, or the spot where Poseidon hit the Acropolis with his trident. Other shrines that needed to be accommodated included the sacred olive tree, a well containing sea water (the Erechtheian Sea), the tomb of Kekrops, and the Pandrosion sanctuary. The elegance and delicate forms of the Erechtheion contrast sharply with the neighboring Parthenon that counter-balances the architectural complex with its majestic, Doric presence. The temple faces east and its entrance is lined with six long Ionic columns. To the north and west the wall of the temple drops dramatically to almost twice the altitude of the front and south side's. The temple is unusual in that it incorporates two porches (prostaseis); one at the northwest corner which is supported by tall Ionic columns, and one at the south-west corner which is supported by six massive female statues, the famous Caryatids. The Erechtheion was built as a replacement for the "Old Temple" (the foundations of which now lay between it and the Parthenon), and to house all the shrines and rituals that once took place there. The east end of the Erechtheion was dedicated to Athena Polias (protector of the earth and fertility) and housed the ultra-sacred wooden diipetes (fallen from the heavens) xoano (statue) of Athena. The west part of the building was devoted to Poseidon-Erechtheus, and sheltered the marks on the rock where Poseidon struck with his trident during his contest with Athena, the Erechtheian Sea fountain, and several altars to Hephaestus, and a legendary Athenian hero named Boutos.
Polykleitos, Doryphoros [Spear Bearer] (Canon)
450-440 BCE high classical art more than 50 copies exist Polykleitos is one of the best known Greek sculptures of classical antiquity, depicting a solidly built, muscular, standing warrior, originally bearing a spear balanced on his left shoulder. Rendered somewhat above life-size, the lost bronze original of the work would have been cast circa 440 BCE,[1] but it is today known only from later (mainly Roman period) marble copies. The work nonetheless forms an important early example of both Classical Greek contrapposto and classical realism; as such, the iconic Doryphoros proved highly influential elsewhere in ancient art. The Doryphoros is a marble copy from Pompeii that dates from 120-50 BCE. The original was made out of bronze in about 440 BCE, but is now lost (along with every other bronze sculpture made by a known Greek artist). Neither the original statue nor the treatise have yet been found; it is widely considered that they have not survived from antiquity. Fortunately, several Roman copies in marble—of varying quality and completeness—do survive to convey the essential form of Polykleitos' work. The sculpture stands at approximately 6.6 feet tall. Polykleitos used distinct proportions when creating this work; for example, the ratio of head to body size is one to seven. His head turned slightly to the right, the heavily-muscled but athletic figure of the Doryphoros is depicted standing in the instant that he steps forward from a static pose. This posture reflects only the slightest incipient movement, and yet the limbs and torso are shown as fully responsive. The left hand originally held a long spear; the left shoulder (on which the spear originally rested) is depicted as tensed and therefore slightly raised, with the left arm bent and tensed to maintain the spear's position. The figure's left leg pushes off from behind the right foot; the leg bears no weight and the left hip drops, slightly extending the torso on the left side. The figure's right arm hangs positioned by his side, perhaps held slightly away from the torso for balance, but otherwise bearing no load—the right shoulder is therefore slightly lowered. The figure's right leg is shown as supporting the body's weight, therefore tensed, with the right hip raised and the muscles of the right torso shown as contracted. The resulting characteristic of Polykleitos' Doryphoros is classical contrapposto, most obviously seen in the angled positioning of the pelvis. In the surviving Roman marble copies, a large sculpted tree stump is obtrusively added behind one leg of the statue in order to support the weight of the stone; this would not have been present in the original bronze (the tensile strength of the metal would have made this unnecessary). A small strut is also usually present to support the right hand and lower arm.[3]
Kritios Boy
480 BCE sense of functioning anatomy beyond the sense of capacity for movement cf. Kouros CONTRAPOSTO early classical art The Kritios or Kritian Boy dates to the Late Archaic period 490-480 B.C.E. The statue is thus named because it is attributed to Kritios, who worked along with Nesiotes, or their school of teaching. The statue is made of marble and is smaller than life-size. The statue was found in various pieces. The torso was found in 1865 during excavations of the foundation of the Athenian Acropolis. The head was found twenty-three years later near the museum and the south wall of the Acropolis which was in the latest stage of rubble of destruction that had occurred during the Persian War.This was the first statue in which the Greek artist mastered a "complete understanding of how different parts of the body act as a system" (wikipedia). The left leg of the statue supports the entire weight of the statue while the right leg is bent at the knee and relaxed. This depiction of weight shift starts the change in the body's position. The pelvis is pushed diagonally upward on the left side and the right buttock is relaxed. As a result of this the body assumes the position of an "S" curve, and the shoulder drops on the lefts side. This is referred to as the "contrapposto" stance, and the Kritios boy is the first example of this. The muscular and skeletal structure are depicted with great accuracy and are not forced as previous sculptures were. The rib cage is naturally expanded to create the illusion of breathing, which is accompanied by the relaxed hips which are narrower. The "archaic smile" of previous periods has been replaced by the "severe" style in which the lips are more accurate and have an austere expression.
Temple of Aphaia in Aegina
500-490 BCE) plus sculptural details archaic The Temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina, dating to the end of the Archaic period, circa 500 BCE, represents the completion of the setting down of the basic tenets of the Doric order of Greek architecture (Biers, p. 157). It was built of limestone after the previous temple on the site, made of wood and constructed circa 570 BCE, burned down around 510 BCE. The temple is dedicated to a local goddess.The Temple of Aphaia on Aegina made use of new construction technologies. Previously, temples had been constructed chiefly through the use of ramps and levers. With the invention of the pulley, however, it was possible to construct temples from smaller blocks of stone hoisted into place. This new technology is reflected in the columns of the temple. Some of them are traditional, one-piece columns probably levered into place. Others, however, are composed of column drums, lifted into place through the use of pulleys. A cut-away view of the temple THE PEDIMENTS The pediments of the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina are the temple's most interesting features. Pieces of three sculptural sets have been preserved, and together they show how the temple straddles the divide between the archaic and classical periods. Both pediments were lavishly decorated, filled to the edges with carefully planned sculptural scenes. The execution of each side, however, differs greatly from that of the other. On the west pediment is the archaic sculpture, shown here by the warrior without a shield. Although he lies at the right corner of the pediment, his feet point inwards, opposite from how they would lie if following the pediment's outline, demonstrating the failure of the archaic designer of this plan to fully comprehend the best way to fill the triangular space of the pediment. This soldier wears the archaic smile, and his hair is styled in carefully sculpted, unnatural rings. The original sculptures from the east pediment were damaged, and replaced sometime in the fifth century. The fifth century replacement constitutes the majority of the remains available today from the east side of the temple. The years separating the creation of the east and west pediments are clearly evident, and can be easily seen by comparing the soldier with a shield, from the east pediment, to his shield-less counterpart from the west. Here we see primitive attempts to sculpt realistic expression, and a body that is more rounded, lifelike, and naturalistic. The sculpture of the east pediment comes from the Early Classical Period (Biers, p.s 176-177).
Anavysos Kouros
530 BCE cf. Egyptian Sculpture archaic , ca. 530 BC. The Kroisos Kouros (Ancient Greek: κοῦρος) is a marble kouros from in Attica which functioned as a grave marker for a fallen young warrior named Kroisos (Κροῖσος
"Basilica" in Paestum (Temple of Hera I
550 BCE early example, pronounced ENTASIS archaic art The earliest temple at Paestum dating to around 550 BC is the so-called Basilica. When it was first rediscovered in the eighteenth century it was thought not to be a temple at all, as none of the entablature that formed the pediment at the end had not survived. So it was named the Basilica, or town hall. However numerous little figurines of the goddess Hera, who was the wife of Zeus the King of the Gods, have been found. Hera was presumably the patron goddess of the city and thus it is generally assumed that this temple was dedicated to Hera.The Basilica is usually considered the least attractive of the three temples being rather too broad and squat as it has lost its entablature. It is however one of the most interesting. This view of the side shows an excellent example of what is called entasis, that is making the columns cigar shaped, curving in at the top and leaning in slightly at the bottom. This is something very common in the earliest classical Greek temples as the Greeks believed that it was an important optical illusion as it made the columns appear vertical. In later times the Greeks decided that this optical illusion did not really exist and therefore later columns are straighter sided.. Entasis therefore is generally considered to be a mark of early date. The Basilica has pronounced entasis and is therefore usually dated to the sixth century around 550 BC. archaic
kouros
600 bce Greek statue representing a young standing male. Although the influence of many nations can be discerned in particular elements of these figures, the first appearance of such monumental stone figures seems to coincide with the reopening of Greek trade with Egypt (c. 672 BC). The kouros remained a popular form of sculpture until about 460 BC. The large stone figures began to appear in Greece about 615-590 BC. While many aspects of the kouroi directly reflect Egyptian influence—especially the application in some kouroi of the contemporary Egyptian canon of proportions—they gradually took on distinctly Greek characteristics. Unlike the Egyptian sculptures, the kouroi had no explicit religious purpose, serving, for example, as tombstones and commemorative markers. They sometimes represented the god Apollo, but they also depicted local heroes, such as athletes. Another difference between the Egyptian and Greek figures is evident shortly after the first appearance of archaic Greek statues: the Egyptians had developed a formula for the human figure that—with rare exceptions—they followed strictly over a period of thousands of years; distinctions between individuals were indicated chiefly by facial features. The earliest kouroi closely followed the Egyptian geometric norm: the figures were cubic, starkly frontal, broad-shouldered, and narrow-waisted. The arms were held close to the sides, fists usually clenched, and both feet were firmly planted on the ground, knees rigid, with the left foot slightly advanced. As Greek understanding of human anatomy increased, the kouroi became increasingly naturalistic. By the end of the kouros period, the figures were no longer frontal, nor were the arms and legs rigid. Having mastered the anatomy of the human figure and the problem of balance, Greek sculptors turned their sights to gesture and the depiction of action. See also kore. archaic
Orientalizing Period
700-600 BCE increased colonization and resettlements influx of new ideas floral and figurative ideas motifs with volume and overlapping geometric was a very short period s the cultural and art historical period which started during the later part of the 8th century BC, when there was a heavy influence from the more advanced art of the Eastern Mediterranean and Ancient Near East From about 650 on, the Greeks began to visit Egypt regularly, and their observation of the monumental stone buildings there was the genesis of the ultimate development of monumental architecture and sculpture in Greece. The first step in architecture was simply the replacement of wooden pillars with stone ones and the translation of the carpentry and brick structural forms into stone equivalents. This provided an opportunity for the expression of proportion and pattern, an expression that eventually took the form of the invention or evolution of the stone "orders" of architecture. These orders, or arrangements of specific types of columns supporting an upper section called an entablature, defined the pattern of the columnar facades and upperworks that formed the basic decorative shell of the Greek temple building. The Doric order was invented in the second half of the 7th century, perhaps in Corinth. Its parts—the simple, baseless columns, the spreading capitals, and the triglyph-metope (alternating vertically ridged and plain blocks) frieze above the columns—constitute an aesthetic development in stone that incorporated variants on themes used in earlier wood and brick construction. Doric remained the favourite order of the Greek mainland and western colonies for a long time, and it changed little throughout its history. Early examples, such as the temple at Thermum, were not wholly of stone and still used much timber and fired clay.
Doric Order
7th century bc the simplest of the classical Greek architectural styles, featuring unadorned columns with no base cuisined capitals, fluted shafts, upper work writing glyphs and metopes
chiton
A Greek tunic, the essential (and often only) garment of both men and women, the other being the himation, or mantle.
dorian
A Greek-speaking people who migrated into mainland Greece after the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization.
minoan
A Neolithic people that started around 3000BC, supposedly the earliest people on the island of Crete. They were excellent sailors & traded w/ Egypt & the Fertile Crescent. Were conquered by mainland Greece. Prosperous civilization on the Aegean island of Crete in the second millennium B.C.E. Exerted powerful cultural influences on the early Greeks.
Iconic Order
A classical order that developed in the Greek colonies of Asia Minor in the 6th century BCE, characterized especially by the spiral volutes of its capital. The fluted columns typically had molded bases and supported an entablature consisting of an architrave of three fascias, a richly ornamented frieze, and a cornice corbeled out on egg-and-dart and dental moldings. Roman and Renaissance examples are often more elaborate and usually set the volutes of the capitals 45 degrees to the architrave. developed by eastern greeks, borrowed from oriental forms more freely.
prostyle
A classical temple plan in which the columns are only in front of the cella and not on the sides or back. only across the front archaic
Phoenicians
A maritime people who spread their alphabet to others including the Hebrews, Romans, and Greeks.
linear b
A set of syllabic symbols, derived from the writing system of Minoan Crete, used in the Mycenaean palaces of the Late Bronze Age to write an early form of Greek. It was used primarily for palace records, and the surviving Linear B tablets provide substantial information about the economic organization of Mycenaean society and tantalizing clues about political, social, and religious institutions. little more readable
Linear A
An undeciphered writing system used in Crete in the 17th century B.C., Minoa's first written language; has not been translated. unreliable
high classical
By far the most impressive examples of Greek architecture of the high Classical period were the buildings constructed under Pericles for the Athenian Acropolis. The Acropolis architecture, which is in several ways a clear display of civic pride, also exhibits considerable subtlety of design in its use of the Doric and Ionic orders. The ensemble of the major buildings—the Parthenon, a temple to Athena; the Erechtheum, a temple housing several cults; and the monumental gateway to the Acropolis, the Propylaea—shows the orders used in deliberate contrast: the Erechtheum provides a decorative Ionic counterpart to the severe Doric of the Parthenon, which itself has an Ionic frieze; and in the Propylaea, columns of both orders complement each other.The Parthenon, designed by the architect Ictinus, is a broader, more stately building than most Doric temples, with an eight-column facade instead of the usual six. With the four-square Doric style there had always been the possibility of giving an impression of dull immobility, a danger that was partially avoided in the Archaic period through the use of bulging columns and capitals. In the Classical period—and best observed in the Parthenon—a subtle deviation from strict linearity accomplishes the same correction. The Parthenon was the display place for a great statue of Athena by the sculptor Phidias, a statue that honoured the city goddess. Such obvious implications of civic pride are enhanced by the unparalleled portrayal of a contemporary event on the frieze of the building: the procession of citizens in the yearly festival in honour of Athena. The Erechtheum was a more complicated building than the Parthenon; built on an awkward site, it also had to serve different cults, which meant that its architect had to design a building with three porches and three different floor levels. Its caryatid porch, with figures of women for columns, makes use of an old Asian motif that had appeared earlier, in Archaic treasuries at Delphi. The Propylaea was designed by Mnesicles, who had to adapt the rigid conventions of colonnade construction to a steeply rising site. In the precision and finish of their execution, which complements the brilliant innovation of their design, these three buildings had no rival in the Greek world.By this time, use of the orders was no longer confined to temple buildings. The marketplace at Athens was adorned with various public buildings in which the orders were applied to structures of different plans: the colonnade stoa, or portico, a council house, and even a circular clubhouse for state officials. The stage buildings of theatres began to receive monumental treatment as well, although the action still took place on the flat circular orchestra and the seats were for the most part still wooden (or were missing—the audience sitting upon the bare hillside that was usually chosen for theatre sites) rather than stone. Several new Doric temples were also built in the lower city of Athens and in the Attic countryside. The Ionic order was used only for the smaller temples, as for the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis; but even though the Ionic was never to be used as the exterior order for major buildings on the Greek mainland, Athens did contribute new forms of column base to the order.At Bassae in remote Arcadia in the mountains of the Peloponnese, a Doric temple was built for Apollo incorporating unusual variants on the Ionic column in the interior and a new type of capital, which had two rows of acanthus leaves curling below the volutes—the first recorded Corinthian capital. This type was reputedly invented by the sculptor-architect Callimachus to provide an alternative for the Ionic order that could be viewed from any side and so placed at corners or in interiors. It was difficult to carve, however, and was slow to win favour in Greece.
aegean and easter mediterranean culture
The islands of the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea form a natural link between the landmasses of the Middle East and Europe. A westward expansion from the civilizations of western Asia and Egypt began about 3000 BC and led to settlements in Crete, the Cyclades, and mainland Greece. The fundamental difference between these and the earlier, Neolithic cultures is that stone tools and weapons were replaced by those made of copper and, later, bronze. The Chalcolithic (Copper-Stone) Age, lasting in the Aegean area from the early 3rd millennium BC to the beginning of the 2nd, is usually considered a part of the greater Bronze Age, which was superseded by the Iron Age from about 1200 BC. The hallmark of the Aegean civilizations was the facility with which Asiatic motifs and techniques were adapted to form original local styles. In architecture, by far the most important achievements were those of the civilizations of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece.
early classical period
The only significant architectural work of the early Classical period was at Olympia, where a great Temple of Zeus was built in about 460. This temple was the first statement of Classical Doric in its canonical form and one of the largest Doric temples of the Greek mainland. a new humanism began to find its aesthetic expression in terms of a perfect balance between verisimilitude and abstraction of form. the bodies, especially the sculpted pieces, show more realistic figures with the modeling of the anatomy. The pieces' poses start to become more lifelike as the style moves away from the stiff, blocky characteristics of the Archaic period. An example of this is seen in the bronze statue of Artemision Zeus or Poseidon. The god's pose is open and less rigid as the figure shifts his weight from his back leg to his front leg. An example of a popular way of portraying a more lifelike pose is seen in the Dionysus statue. The piece uses the relaxed, contrapposto pose.Another characteristic of this period is the Severe Style; the Severe Style gets its name from the serious facial expression of the subjects.[5] The Severe Style portrays males with closely cropped hair, blank facial expressions, symmetrical and generic features, and a rounded, square chin.[6] The style conveys "simplicity, strength, vigor, rationality, self-discipline, and intelligence".Artists during the Early Classical period used a variety of media from marble to ceramics to bronze to terracotta.A characteristic from the Early Classical period is generic, expressionless facial features. That means that the gods are usually identified by their iconography.
Lysippos
act. c. 360-306 late classical art Greek sculptor, head of the school at Árgos and Sicyon in the time of Philip of Macedon and especially active during the reign of Philip's son Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE). Lysippus was famous for the new and slender proportions of his figures and for their lifelike naturalism. Originally a worker in metal, he taught himself the art of sculpture by studying nature and the Doryphoros ("Spearbearer") of Polyclitus, whose canon of ideal male proportions he modified by creating a smaller head and slimmer body that increased his figures' apparent height. Lysippus is said by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) to have made more than 1,500 works, all of them in bronze. Of these, not one has been preserved, nor is there a completely reliable copy. There are, however, a few copies that may be ascribed to him with some certainty. The best and most reliable is that of the Apoxyomenos, a young male athlete, scraping and cleaning his oil-covered skin with a strigil. The original Apoxyomenos is known to have been transported to Rome at the time of the emperor Tiberius (reigned 14-37 CE), who placed it before Agrippa's bath. The Vatican copy of the Apoxyomenos is tall, slender, and elegantly shaped, the head small in proportion to the body. There is a precision of detail, especially in the hair and the eyes. Lysippus' portraits of Alexander the Great are many; he sculpted Alexander from boyhood onward, and Alexander would have no other sculptor portray him.
classical
associated with the classical period. In the Classical period there was a revolution in Greek statuary, usually associated with the introduction of democracy and the end of the aristocratic culture associated with the kouroi. The Classical period saw changes in the style and function of sculpture. Poses became more naturalistic and the technical skill of Greek sculptors in depicting the human form in a variety of poses greatly increased. From about 500 BC statues began to depict real people. The statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton set up in Athens to mark the overthrow of the tyranny were said to be the first public monuments to actual people. consciously to attempt to render human and animal forms realistically. This entailed careful observation of the model as well as understanding the mechanics of anatomy - how a body adjusts to a pose which is not stiffly frontal but with the weight shifted to one side of the body, and how a body behaves in violent motion. The successors to the archaic kouroi, mainly athlete figures, are thus regularly shown 'at ease', one leg relaxed, with a complementary shift in the shoulders, and the whole emphasized by contrasts of rigid and relaxed in limbs. Classical Art encompasses the cultures of Greece and Rome and endures as the cornerstone of Western civilization. Including innovations in painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and architecture, Classical Art pursued ideals of beauty, harmony, and proportion, even as those ideals shifted and changed over the centuries. While often employed in propagandistic ways, the human figure and the human experience of space and their relationship with the gods were central to Classical Art. strove for ever greater realism in anatomical depictions. This realism also came to encompass emotional and psychological realism that created dramatic tensions and drew in the viewer.
Riace Warriors
c.460-450? BCE early classical art 460 bce increasing understanding and anatomy found by scuba diver in 1972, cleaned extensively. little over 6ft tall, sleeve for shield on his arm, would be holding a real weapon, would be standing in gaurdway as permant gaurds. bronze wires for eyelashes ivory and glass for eyeballs lips copper teeth silver to appear more naturalistic are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460-450 BC[1] that were found in the sea near Riace in 1972. The bronzes are currently located at the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria, Italy. They are two of the few surviving full-size ancient Greek bronzes (which were usually melted down in later times), and as such demonstrate the superb technical craftsmanship and exquisite artistic features that were achieved at this time. The bronzes are on display inside a microclimate room on top of an anti-seismic Carrara marbled platform. Along with the bronzes, the room also contains two head sculptures: "la Testa del Filosofo" and "la Testa di Basilea", which are also from the 5th century BC. Although the bronzes were rediscovered in 1972, they did not emerge from conservation until 1981. Their public display in Florence and Rome was the cultural event of that year in Italy, providing the cover story for numerous magazines. Now considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated by a pair of Italian postage stamps and have also been widely reproduced. The two bronze sculptures are simply known as "Statue A", referring to the one portraying a younger warrior, and "Statue B", indicating the more mature-looking of the two. Statue A is 198 centimetres tall while Statue B stands 197 centimetres tall.
Geometric Period
classical greece 900-700 bce is the formative period of Greek art The Greek Dark Ages are also called the in reference to this characteristic pottery style, although the historical period is much longer than the art-historical period, being circa 1 BC. derives its name from the dominance of geometric motifs in vase painting. Monumental kraters and amphorae were made and decorated as grave markers. These vessels are characteristic of Geometric vase painting during this period. a time of dramatic transformation that led to the establishment of primary Greek institutions. cultural revival epic poetry and visual arts Evidence for the Geometric culture has come down to us in the form of epic poetry, artistic representation, and the archaeological record There are, however, few archaeological remains that describe everyday life during this period. Monumental kraters, originally used as grave markers, depict funerary rituals and heroic warriors. The presence of fine metalwork attests to prosperity and trade. In the earlier Geometric period, these objects, weapons, fibulae, and jewelry are found in graves—most likely relating to the status of the deceased. By the late eighth century B.C., however, the majority of metal objects are small bronze figurines—votive offerings associated with sanctuaries.
dipylon
geometric art, 750 bce. Style of Greek pottery that is associated with funerals and the vases most often used as grave markers. He worked in Athens, where he and his workshop produced large funerary vessels for those interred in the Dipylon Gate cemetery, whence his name comes. His work belongs to the very late stage of the Geometric Style.His vases served as grave markers and libation receptacles for aristocratic graves and as such are decorated with a depiction of the prothesis scene representing the mourning of the deceased. Almost 50 vases have been attributed to the Dipylon Master and his workshop.These vases are very large in size (nearly two meters) and were used as grave markers, with craters marking the places of males and amphorae marking those of females. The vases were originally found in the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens which is flanked by two pylons, hence the derivation of the term "dipylon". In addition to being grave markers, the vases could also be used as libation receptacles. They were made by being spun on a wheel and assembled in pieces and then painted in a Late Geometric style. Nearly fifty of these pieces have been attributed to the so-called Dipylon Master, who had a workshop that produced the vases between 760 and 735 BCE. The vases are covered in rows of patterns and shapes which is typical of the Geometric movement, but more importantly they include scenes of funerary practices with depictions of humans and animals at the handle level. The most common scenes are of protheses (the lying down of a corpse) or ekphorae (a corpse's procession with mourners on either side). In many representations one row is used to show the deceased on a bier flanked by mourners with sacrificial animals around while a second row below the first is used to show chariots, horses, and warriors with their figure-eight shaped shields. Made using black-figure techniques, each human consists of a triangle for a torso, a circle for a head, lines for the arms, and curved sections for the legs, which all provide a rather basic profile. In order to make their appearance recognizable, each figure is also given a sort of forward-facing position, as can be seen by the way the figures lying down are propped up on their sides. Indeed the idea of perspective became an issue when trying to represent a lot of things in the designs on these vases. The shrouds used to put over the deceased are represented as patterned veils painted literally above the lying down figures rather than over them so all parts can be seen. Also, even though horses are painted besides each other their legs are still all put in the same plane, showing that artists were still experimenting with demonstrating concepts like dimension and relative placement. Shapes are put in to fill any empty spaces in these scenes and the rest of the areas on the vases are also filled with rows of repetitive design, an element typical of the geometric movement.
classicism
in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained.
Contrapposto
in the visual arts, a sculptural scheme, originated by the ancient Greeks, in which the standing human figure is poised such that the weight rests on one leg (called the engaged leg), freeing the other leg, which is bent at the knee. With the weight shift, the hips, shoulders, and head tilt, suggesting relaxation with the subtle internal organic movement that denotes life. may be used for draped as well as nude figures. The Greeks invented this formula in the early 5th century BC as an alternative to the stiffly static pose—in which the weight is distributed equally on both legs—that had dominated Greek figure sculpture in earlier periods.
Doric order
is characterized by a slightly tapered column that is the most squat of all the orders, measuring in height (including the capital) only about four to eight lower diameters. The Greek forms of the Doric order have no individual base and instead rest directly on the stylobate, although subsequent forms of Doric frequently were given a conventional plinth-and-torus base. The Doric shaft is channeled with 20 shallow flutes. The capital, as stated before, consists of a simple necking; a spreading, convex echinus; and a square abacus. The frieze section of the Doric entablature is distinctive. It is composed of projecting triglyphs (units each consisting of three vertical bands separated by grooves) that alternate with receding square panels, called metopes, that may be either plain or carved with sculptured reliefs. The Roman forms of the Doric order have smaller proportions and appear lighter and more graceful than their Greek counterparts. archaic
corinthian order
is the most elegant of the five orders. Its distinguishing characteristic is the striking capital, which is carved with two staggered rows of stylized acanthus leaves and four scrolls. The shaft has 24 sharp-edged flutes, while the column is 10 diameters high archaic
Mantiklos Apollo
orientalizating art 700-675 bce 7in This figurine is a dedication to Apollo sculpted by artist from Mantiklos; it is an earlier representation of the human form. It shows the movement of the rigid daedalic figure to a more natural representation. Here, you see rounder forms. The shoulders, thighs and buttocks are more curvaceous than previous representations. There is still a fair amount of rigidity to this piece. The triangular chest, for example, is much more angular than the more naturalistic forms we will see later on. There are also the iconic characteristics of the daedalic style. The figure has a triangular face, large eyes, heavy and thick strands of hair, and the iconic belt. This piece dates to 700 BCE.
most important to the art world out of the 4 philosphers
plato and aristotle\effects on art: subject forms to a similar reality, not by copying but as it was meant to be
