Art History Greek Terms

satyrs

half-human and half-goat creature

Parthenon (Temple of Athena) Athens, Greece

-448-432 BCE -Classical -The proportions depart from the strict geometric regularity of the design. Stepped platform and entablature not entirely straight, columns lean inward. Deliberate exaggerations of optical illusions to make it seem longer and taller. -Doric with some Ionic Elements -Dedicated to Athena, Later used as a Christian church, then a Turkish mosque -In ruins since 1687—Venetians attacked Turks who had stored gunpowder in Parthenon

column

(architeture) a tall cylindrical vertical upright and used to support a structure

Doryphorous (The Spear Bearer)

-450-440 BCE -Classical -Roman marble copy of bronze original -Contrapposto is much more emphatic. -The differentiation between the halves of the body can be seen in every muscle. Renowned as the embodiment of the classical idea of beauty. -Cannon of proportions

Muse and Maiden

-ca. 440-430 BCE -Classical -Made by The Achilles Painter -With a few lines, the artist creates a 3 dimensional figure and reveals the body beneath the drapery. The effect is completed by the color. -White ground style -May have been used for oils/perfumes/wines/etc.

Riace Warrior

-ca. 450 BCE -Classical -Bronze original found in the sea -Combined with the detailed anatomy, they create an astonishing life-like presence. The contrast between individuality of the face and idealized treatment of the bodies is fascinating and disturbing. -Bone and glass eye, silver teeth, copper lips/nipples

Three Goddesses. East Pediment of the Parthenon

-438 BCE -Classical -Displays the birth of Athena--hearing the news of it. Turning bodies under the folds of their costumes make them seem anything but static. Figures are so freely conceived in depth that they create their own space. Wet drapery style shown. -Athena, Dione, Aphrodite -Marble

white-ground mosaic

??? muse + maiden?

red-figure

A style and technique of ancient Greek vase painting characterized by red clay colored figures on a black background (details freely drawn with brush, Red clay ground more suitable for representing figures naturalistically, Action takes place against dramatic black backdrop, Warm colors advance, cool colors recede)

black-figure

A style or technique of ancient Greek pottery in which black figures are painted on a red clay background (Partly in outline, Painted in slip, incised detailed added after firing, White/purple added to enhance detail)

entablature

In Classical architecture, the part of a building above the columns and below the roof. This part of a Classical temple includes the architrave, frieze, and cornice.

Zeus

King of the gods

Archaic

Lasting from 700 BC to 480 BC. Artists began working to recreate more realistic human forms. Some of this shows an Egyptian influence, certainly in regard to the placement of the feet

Hellenistic

Of or influenced by the Greek Empire. A type of culture typically referred to after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Entasis

a slightly convex curve given to the shaft of a column, pier, or similar structure, to correct the illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft

triglyph

a triple projecting, grooved member of a Doric frieze that alternates with metopes

Theseus

an Attic hero, the husband of Phaedra, father of Hippolytus, and slayer of the Minotaur and the robber Procrustes.

Artemis

an ancient Greek goddess, the daughter of Leto and the sister of Apollo, characterized as a virgin huntress and associated with the moon.

gorgons

any of three sister monsters commonly represented as having snakes for hair, wings, brazen claws, and eyes that turned anyone looking into them to stone. Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, was beheaded by Perseus.

Polykleitos

artist Dorphyorous (The Spear Bearer)

Charioteer Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi

ca. 470 BCE -Classical -Bronze original -Despite the long garment there is evidence of contrapposto. -The body and the drapery show new understanding of functional relationship--garment drapes according to body parts. Has pensive, serious look--idealized mask of the classic era. -Lost wax method

ionic order

classical Greek architectural style that features a fluted column shaft, capitals with volutes (spiral scroll-like ornaments) and a large base

kylix

drinking vessel

Orientalizing

early phase of Archaic Greek art (seventh century BC) so named because of the adoption of forms and motifs from the ancient Near East and Egypt

centaurs

half-human and half-horse creature

Odysseus

king of Ithaca; son of Laertes; one of the heroes of the Iliad and protagonist of the Odyssey: shrewdest of the Greek leaders in the Trojan War.

foreshortening

method of representing objects so that they are seen at an angle and appear to receded in The Battle of Issos

doric order

the simplest of the classical Greek architectural styles, featuring unadorned columns with no base

Athena

the virgin deity of the ancient Greeks worshiped as the goddess of wisdom, fertility, the useful arts, and prudent warfare. At her birth she sprang forth fully armed from the head of her father, Zeus.

Pediment

triangular gable on a roof or facade

krater

vessel in which wine was diluted with water

lekythos

vessel used for storing oil, offerings

Horsemen, Parthenon

wtf is this shit

Pericles

Athenian leader noted for advancing democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon.

Dionysos

the god of fertility, wine, and drama; Bacchus

Alexander the Great

(356 BCE-323 BCE) He conquered most of the ancient world from Asia Minor to Egypt and India, which began the Hellenistic culture which was a blending of Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian influences.

Laocoon group

-1st century BCE -Hellenistic -Laocoon's fate forewarned Aeneas of the fall of Troy and prompted him to flee in time. Laocoon was the priest who was punished by the gods for telling the Trojans not to admit the Greek's wooden horse into the city.

Temple of Aphasia at Aegina (reconstruction, Dying Warrior, Herakles)

-490 BCE -Archaic -Marble -Shows Athena standing in the middle over the battle between the Greeks and Trojans. Symmetrical arrangement creates a balanced design but forces us to see the statues as elements in ornamental pattern. Elevation of historical events was typical of the ancient greek mentality.

Dipylon Vase

-8th century BCE -Geometric -Krater -Athens, Greece -Served as grave monument. Holes in bottom where libations could filter down to the dead. -Vase shows figures raised in a gesture of morning over dead figure. The purpose is to commemorate the dead, not depict the afterlife. -Broken up into registers. Figures themselves are very geometric. -Narrative

common Greek vessel forms

-Amphora = 2 handled vase for storing wine or oil. -Krater = vessel in which wine was diluted with water. -Lekythos = vessel used for storing oil, often used for burial rituals/offerings -Kylix = drinking vessel

Herakles Temple of Aphaia Aegina

-Archaic -Marble -Can tell it is Herakles from the lion skin on his head. Lean muscular figure who sees marvelously functional and organic. Great command of human form in action. Spirit of incredibly nobility--gives off sense that they are dying with extraordinary dignity and resolve. Can see him straining through his muscles. -East pediment

Elevation of Temple of Artemis at Corfu (frontal view of the west front of Artemis, Corfu)

-Archaic -Doric Order -columns do not have base, rest completely on stylobate

plan of the Acropolis

-Classical -Unconventional in plan, it has an unusually wide cella and an almost disappeared pronaos. Extra row of columns in the entrance. The architrave is more Ionic than Doric due to continuous frieze.

Alexander the Great with Amun horns

-Hellenistic -Alexander displays the horns that identify him with the ram-headed Egyptian god Amun. His "inspired" expression, conveyed by the half-open mouth and the upward looking eyes is characteristic of the emotionalism of Hellenistic art.

Battle of Issos

-Hellenistic -Roman floor mosaic based off of hellenistic greek painting. The crowding, the air of frantic excitement, the powerfully modeled and foreshortened forms, and the precise shadows make the scene far more complicated and dramatic than any other known work of greek art.

Pergamon altar: restored, plan, frieze

-Hellenistic -The huge figures are cut so deeply that they are almost detached from the background, have the scale of pedimental statues but are placed in the frieze. -The carving of the frieze has dramatic force. The subject-the battle of the gods and giants is a tradition for Ionic friezes. -Altar of Zeus

Temples at Paestum

-Temple of Hera I c.550 BCE; Archaic -Temple of Hera II c. 460 BCE; Classical -Temple of Hera I is Doric but seems low and sprawling because the columns are much wider with heavier tapering. -In Temple of Hera II the exaggerated curvature have been modified and the closer spacing of the columns brings the stresses between supports and weight into more harmonious balance.

Discobolos (The Discus Thrower)

-ca 450 BCE -Classical -Roman Marble copy -The pose conveys the essence of the action by presenting the coiled figure in perfect balance.

Nike of Samothrace

-ca. 190 BCE -Hellenistic -The style is Rhodian and the statue may well have been carved by Pythokritos. -The invisible force of onrushing air becomes a tangible reality. Active relationship between the statue and the space around it unlike we have ever seen before. -celebrates the naval victories, the victory goddess seems to be landing on the prow of a ship, as if to bestow a crow of victory upon Eudamos. She could be about to take flight as well due to her massive wings stretched out behind her

Dying Trumpeter

-ca. 230-220 BCE -Hellenistic -Roman copy of bronze original -Displays a celtic man (ethnic type is carefully rendered in the facial structure and in the bristly shock of hair) -Shares heroic nudity of Greek warriors. -Agony seems very realistic but still with a great dal of dignity. Death as shown here is a very concrete process.

Apoxomenos (The Scraper)

-ca. 330 BCE -Classical -Made by Lysippos -Scraping oil off of himself because he is an athlete. Slightly taller, more elegant. Bold thrust of arms into space is a major feat; endows the figure with a new capacity for three-dimensional movement. Similar freedom is suggested by the diagonal line of the free leg. -nude cannon, tussled hair, completely in movement

Cnidian Aphrodite (Aphrodite of Knidos)

-ca. 340-330 BCE -Classical - Made by Praxiteles -She is known as a synonym for perfection. The first completely nude monumental cult statue of a goddess in Greek art. Maintains a modesty despite her nudity. -Roman marble copy

Nike, Temple of Athena Nike

-ca. 410-407 BCE -Classical -Taking off shoes before she steps on holy ground. Her wings help keep her balanced so that she can take off her shoe with grace and elegance. Drapery style that resembles that of the parthenon goddesses. -marble

Porch of the Maidens, Erechtheum

-ca. 421-405 BCE -Classical -One of the porches at the Erechtheum. The exquisite refinement of the Ionic order conveys a "feminine" quality. Apart from this porch, sculptural decoration was confined to the frieze at Erechtheum. -Caryatids

Temple of Athena Nike

-ca. 427-424 BCE -Classical -Ionic-running frieze and capitals on column base, columns are longer and thinner. -Athena Nike = Goddess of Victory

Dionysos East Pediment of the Parthenon

-ca. 438 BCE -Classical -Marble

Lapith and Centaur, Parthenon

-ca. 440 BCE -Classical -Example of a metope sculpture. Sculptor had remarkable success given the circumstances. It was placed high off of the ground where it could barely be seen, so the figures fill up as much of the field as possible and are carved deeply. Although the actions seem somewhat forced in both pose and expression, it was made to be viewed from far away.

Dying Niobid

-ca. 450-440 BCE -Classical -Niobid had humiliated mother of Apollo and Artemis and in return they killed all of her children. Niobid is shown after she is shot in the back. The movement of her arms has caused her clothing to slip off--nudity is a dramatic device, part of the narrative, justifies it. -Earliest known large female nude in Greek art. -Pathos, narrative

Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs West Pediment of Temple of Zeus at Olympia

-ca. 460 BCE; Classical -Marble -Centaurs got drunk at the wedding and -began fighting with the Lapiths. Apollo is at the center, he is commanding and part of the drama but is above it. Passionate struggle is expressed through the emotions in the face of the centaur. -Pediment stands for the victory of humanity's rational and moral sides over its animal nature.

Zeus

-ca. 460-450 BCE -Classical -Bronze original found in the sea (originally thought to be Poseidon throwing a trident, but it is Zeus throwing lighting bolt) -Stability in the midst of action is impressive. -Pose reveals the power of the god.

Kritios Boy

-ca. 480 BCE -Classical -Marble -First statue that actually stands on its own. --No longer as symmetric as previous statues in the Archaic period. -Example of chiastic pose

Dying Warrior Temple of Aphaia--east pediment Aegina

-ca. 490 BCE -Archaic -Marble -Lean muscular figure who sees marvelously functional and organic. Great command of human form in action. Spirit of incredibly nobility--gives off sense that they are dying with extraordinary dignity and resolve. -Archaic smile

Eos and Memnon

-ca. 490-480 BCE -Late Archaic -red-figure -Made by Douris -Shows Eos (goddess of he dawn) holding the body of her son who was killed/stripped of his armor by Achilles. Moving evocation of grief (pathos). Notable is the expressive freedom of the draftsmanship: lines are flexible as if they were drawn with a pen.

Herakles Wrestling Antaios

-ca. 510 BCE -Archaic -red-figure style -Made by Euphronios -Depicts Herakles doing his 11th labor, wrestling the large Antaios. He is able to win by lifting Antaios off of the earth--where he got his power. New red-figure style depends much less on profile view and internal lines are used to show boldly foreshortened and overlapping limbs, precise details, and facial expressions. -krater

Kore (from Chios?)

-ca. 520 BCE -Archaic -Layers of garment still loop around the body in soft curves, but play of richly differentiated folds, pleats, and textures. Color played an important role. -Marble, Ionian Style

Siphnian Treasury (plan, reconstruction, frieze)

-ca. 525 BCE -Archaic -Ionic-running frieze -Chief feature was two female caryatids that acted as columns. Figures are situated on ledge, like a stage for the narrative taking place.

Herakles strangling the Nemean Lion

-ca. 525 BCE -Archaic -black-figured -Made by Psiax -Amphora -Shows Herakles in the first of the hero's 12 labors. The two bodies are locked in combat so they grow together into a single unit. Athena is depicted as well as overseeing the battle. Both figures show a wealth of anatomical knowledge and skillful foreshortening that they give an illusion of existing in the round.

Krises (Kouros from Anavysos)

-ca. 525 BCE -Archaic -Traces of colors are found showing that it was painted. Now has swelling curves, with the body showing greater monumentality but also a new elasticity. Anatomical details are rendered more functionally than before. Has the "archaic smile". Funerary sculpture for Kroisos. -Naturalistic, marble, life size

Kore in Dorian Pelos

-ca. 530 BCE -Archaic -Still block-like, but the simplicity of garments is new--heavy cloth forms a distinct layer over the body, covering not hiding the rounded shapes beneath.More organic treatment of hair. Well preserved in a state of color. Without arm scholars can't confirm that she was a goddess. -Marble

Battle of Gods and Giants Siphnian Treasury Delphi

-ca. 530 BCE -Archaic -The most impressive part was the splendid frieze that depicts part of the battle of the Greek gods against the giants.Two lions who pull the chariot of mother goddess Cybele are tearing apart a lion, Apollo and Artemis advance together shooting their arrows. The ledge at the bottom is used as a stage in which the figures can be placed in depth. Creates a dramatic relationship between the figures never seen before in narrative reliefs. -Very high relief, archaic smile

Dionysos in a Boat

-ca. 540 BCE -Archaic -black-figured -Kylix that displays Dionysos in a boat after he had turned his pirate captors into dolphins who swim beside him.

Hermes

-ca. 570 BCE -Classical -Roman Marble copy -Made by Praxiteles -The sensuousness, lithe proportions, curve of the torso, play of gentle curves, and sense of complete relaxation are similar to the Cnidian Aphrodite. For the first time there is an attempt to give a statue a less stony look by creating the illusion of a surrounding atmosphere.

Kouros (standing youth)

-ca. 600 BCE -Archaic sculpture -Similar to Egyptian sculptures in that it is very block like, frontal, hair is very wig like, one leg is forward. But unlike Egyptian sculpture it is truly freestanding; tense and full of hidden life-direct stare of huge eyes. Male statues are always in the nude. -almost completely symmetrical

Temple of Artemis at Corfu Island of Corfu

-ca. 600-580 BCE -Archaic -Carvings are in high relief where they are so strongly undercut that they nearly detach from the background. Displays Medusa with an archaic smile that is a hideous grin. her purpose and that of the lions is to ward off evil from the temple and the sacred image of the goddess within. Pediment also shows Medusa's children Pegasus and Chrysaor on either side as well as Zeus and Poseidon battling Titans. -Central Portion of West Pediment, limestone, 9' 2" -Symbolism of snakes, heraldic composition

Female Figure (kore)

-ca. 650 BCE -Archaic sculpture -Similar to Egyptian sculptures in that it is very block like, frontal, hair is very wig like, one leg is forward. But unlike Egyptian sculpture it is truly freestanding; tense and full of hidden life-direct stare of huge eyes. Female statues are always clothed.

Blinding of Polyphemos and the Gorgons

-ca. 675-650 BCE -Orientalizing -Amphora -Geometric ornament is confined to the foot, handles, and lip and the narrative is given to the major areas. The narrative depicts the scene in the odyssey when Odysseus blind Polyphemos. Also depicts the slaying of the Gorgons--sisters of Medusa who are beheaded by Perseus with help from the gods. Animals show relationship with middle east -Registers -Trade with east

Portrait head from Delos

-ca. 80 BCE -Hellenistic -The fluid modeling of the somewhat flabby features, the uncertain mouth, and the unhappy eyes under furrowed brows reveal an individual beset by doubts and fears--a very human, unheroic personality. -might portray a trader, -Fused heroic qualities of Alexander's likeness (the whimsical turn of the head and the full head of hair) with modeled surfaces

in antis

2 columns between the 2 walls in the cella

amphora

2 handled vase for storing wine or oil

portico (pronaos)

A covered walkway Porch

acropolis

A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city

Medusa

A gorgon with snake for hair, would turn people into stone if they looked into her eyes, was killed by Perseus

architrave

A square beam that is the lowest of the three horizontal components of a Classical entablature.

Iktinos and Kallikrates

Architects of the Parthenon.

Frieze above western entrance of the cella of the Parthenon

Classical Doric Temple, has interior Ionic frieze marble

Geometric greek

Greek art which had more of a simple geometric focus. a lot of greek vases (krater vases) funerary ornaments

cella

The chamber at the center of an ancient temple; in a classical temple, the room (Greek, naos) in which the cult statue usually stood.

adyton

The innermost sanctum or holy room in a temple usually separated from the cella by a wall with a doorway

shaft architecture

The shaft, which rests upon the base, is a long, narrow, vertical cylinder that in some orders is articulated with fluting (vertical grooves). The shaft may also taper inward slightly so that it is wider at the bottom than at the top.

stylobate

The uppermost course of the platform of a Greek temple, which supports the columns.

Classical

the art of ancient Greece and Rome, in which harmony, order, and proportion were emphasized

Herkales

a celebrated hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, possessing exceptional strength: among his many adventures were the twelve labors for his cousin Eurystheus, performed in order to gain immortality.

Perseus

a hero, the son of Zeus and Danaë, who slew the Gorgon Medusa, and afterward saved Andromeda from a sea monster.

capital

orms the topmost member of a column (or a pilaster). It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface.

frieze

ornamental horizontal band on a wall

metope

panel between the triglyphs in a Doric frieze, often sculpted in relief

cornice

projecting molding on building (usually above columns or pillars)

peristyle (colonnade)

row of columns

Lysippos

sculpter Apoxyomenos (The Scraper)

Phidias

sculptor of Zeus, Athena, Parthenon

Praxiteles

sculptor of the Aphrodite of Knidos

Apollo

the ancient Greek and Roman god of light, healing, music, poetry, prophecy, and manly beauty; the son of Leto and brother of Artemis.