Aegean - Ancient Greece Art
What were the different vase painting styles used during the Archaic period called?
1. Black silhouetted figures 2. Corinthian - figures against floral, ornamented background 3. Athenian - Linear and larger black figures 4. Red-Figure - Red-Figured painted on black background
What were the dates of the three Greek Classical Periods? Classical Period: 475-323
1. Early: 475-448 BCE 2. Middle: 448-400 BCE 3. Late: 400-323 BCE
What are the Mycenaeans noted for?
1. Elaborate tombs and burial practices 2. Mastery in goldsmithing 3. Relief sculptures
What notable works come from the Hellenistic Period?
1. Sculpture Aphrodite of Cyrene 2. Sculpture Aphrodite of Melos - Venus de Milo 3. Laocoon Group
What surrounded Mycenae?
20 feet thick protective walls - huge stone blocks
When did the Cycladic culture flourish?
3200 to 2000 BCE
When was the Hellenistic Period?
331-23 BCE
After the Mycenaean civilization collapse, what happened in Greece?
400 year period called the Dark Ages of Greece
When was the Classical Period?
475-323 BCE
When was the Greek Archaic Period?
660-475 BCE
Where did the Cycladic culture flourish?
A group of islands in the Aegean called the Cyclades
What declined during the Late Classical Period? Why?
Architecture; Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian War
When did the Mycenaean civilization collapse?
Around 1200 BCE
How do the Minoans portray themselves?
As peaceful people who appreciated natural beauty
How many major palaces did Minoans build?
Four major; Built in light, flexible, and organic style (completely unfortified)
What type of statues were made and what pose was used?
Freestanding; frontal Egyptian pose
What were the two Minoan painting types?
Frescoes on palace walls and pottery designs
What Cycladic art form is mentioned in the basic guide and what is significant about it?
Geometric nude female figures that are much like modern abstract art
What were Archaic Greek sculptures were made from?
Carved in marble and limestone
Where does the best known Greek art come from?
City State of Athens during the Classical Period
Classical Greek pose where the human body is put into an S-curve
Contrapposto
What type of columns became more popular?
Corinthian columns
What were the three major cultures that flourished along the Aegean coast?
Cycladic culture, Minoan culture, and the Mycenaean culture.
Which was the earliest?
Cycladic.
What the enormous stone blocks in the walls called today?
Cyclopean stones
What other Cylcadic art is mentioned?
Decorated pieces of pottery and marble bowls
What do many historians think happened to the Minoans?
Destroyed by the warlike Mycenaean culture; possibly combined with natural disaster
What type of temple columns were used during the early Classical Period?
Doric
Archaic temples were built using what column types?
Doric and Ionic
What were the three Greek Classical Periods called?
Early, Middle, Late
Which outside influence increased during the Hellenistic Period?
Easter civilizations - Asia Minor
How do most art historians divide up ancient Greek art?
Into four stylistic periods: 1. Geometric 2. Archaic 3. Classical 4. Hellenistis
Where did the Minoan culture develop?
Island of Crete
What was the Greek Geometric Style of Art?
It featured triangles, concentric circles, and checkerboard shapes on vases
Why do we know a great deal about early Greek culture?
It was depicted in elaborate paintings on clay vases.
What was the central Minoan city?
Knossos
What culture supplanted the Cycladic?
Minoan
What mythical creature is half man & half bull and ate those who entered his maze?
Minotaur
How did Greek Archaic sculptures differ from Egyptian ones?
More dynamic with greater emphasis on human features
What was the main Mycenaean city?
Mycenae on the Greek mainland
When the ancient Greeks found the city, who did they think built the walls?
One-eyed giants called Cyclops (thought the walls were too big for human builders)
Who are the Greek philosophers mentioned in the basic guide?
Plato and Aristotle
Why was it called the Dark Ages of Greece?
Population declined and the arts of reading and writing were lost.
Why are the Aegean island cultures important to art history?
Precursors of the Greeks
What does Minoan art depict?
Sea life; statues of female snake goddess
When did the Minoan culture reach its peak?
Second millennium BCE
What was the purpose of the Contrapposto pose?
Shows the body in a more natural-looking pose; Weight on one leg, other side relaxed
What sea life is depicted on one Minoan jar?
Smiling octopus with tentacles around the jar
What characterized the Early Classical Period sculpture?
Solemnity, strength, and simplicity of form; most often focused on a figure or scene either in the moment before or the moment after an important action
What influenced Greek sculpting during the Archaic Period?
Stone sculptures of Egypt and Mesopotamia
What temple was restored in 447 BCE after being destroyed by the Persians?
The Parthenon
