The Parthenon

South Metopes (Centauromachy) Parthenon Akropolis, Athens (Greece), 447-432 BCE ( Greek, High Classical Period)

Clash between chaotic centaurs and calm heroic Athenians, heroic nudity, precarious positions

Background Knowledge

Dedicated to Athena Parthenos, "Athena the Virgin", patroness of Athens Temple that houses the Goddess, would originally be able to find her cult statue After the Classical period was used as a Byzantine Church, Church of the Orthodox Order Church further remodeled, converted into a Catholic church After the Ottoman Empire ruled, then became a Turkish Mosque

East facade of the Parthenon, 447-332 BCE

Doric structure, metope and frieze Constructed from Pentelic marble at mount Penteli, local marble, creamy white Larger than any other doric temple Upward curvature, stylobate and foundation is bowed, curves upwards, curvature is about 2 inches higher in the center of the short ends and 4 inches higher in the center of the long ends, columns are slightly incline, have a bit of swelling and curvature Complexity and expense to the building process, huge temple, very deep foundations Columns not evenly spaced, closer at the corners, further apart at the centers

Artemis with sakkos (detail), slab 6, East Frieze Parthenon

Smooth unbroken line, drapery, smaller chin Tunic slipping off, desire to conceal female form but to reveal the female form through the drapery

Figures K, L, and M (Three Goddesses), East Pediment, Parthenon, Akropolis, Athens, ca. 447-332 BCE (Greek, High Classical Period)

Sophisticated representation of the human body, all carved from the same stone Wet drapery folds, deeply carved, use of drill to carve deep pockets of shadow, real texture and depth Clings to the female form Reclining one looks like Aphrodite, shape of body is revealed, suggestive display of drapery and female form May be reclining on Hestia, goddess of house and home

Grounplan and Sculptural Program of the Parthenon

92 Metopes in total, Sack of Troy, Centauromachy, Gigantomachy, and Amazonomachy Battling mythological/foreign entities, chaotic, uncivilized, all defeated by the Athenians Panathenaic Procession Frieze wraps around the cella on all 4 sides 4 spaced out columns in the cella= Ionic

Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, Akropolis, Athens (Greece), 447-432 BCE (Greek, High Classical Period)

Actually know the specific details of when individual parts were built Parthenon was a mosque during the 17th century, was then blown up, finally became a ruin

Figure O (Horse Head from the Chariot of Selene), East Pediment

Almost illusionistic effect of horse head as it disappears out of frame Very expressive strain in horse's face, veins, mouth open Despite the flaw in the marble, has used the flaws within the stone to create a sense of modeling and form

Fragments of the East Pediment (left side) of the Parthenon on display in the British Museum in London

Framing element that is able to show a gradual incline in the pediment of the figures, frame suggest the dawning of a new day Framing device suggests an event that has historical significance, changes the course of human history Dionysos or Herakles, reclining nude figure, carved in the round, over life size Reclining on the pelt of an animal, seems to be a feline skin, possibly a lion

Slab 2 West Frieze, Parthenon (London, British Museum)

Heroic nudity, all young men, highly idealized, same proportions, same physique, same face, each figure=individually very real and naturalistic, as a group=highly idealized Deeply cut folds in cloak indicate movement Use of the drill=very sophisticated, shadows Many workers working on the frieze, some different details on animals 3/4 view, torso twisting around, a figure that turns in space in a naturalistic way Rapid movement, inclusion of movement and sense of time passing, effective display

Slab 47, North Frieze, Parthenon (London, British Museum)

Horse fades in the background, figure standing back, arm to forehead Boy helping tie a tunic in the front, younger figure has same proportions as the adult, stand in the same contropposto pose, 1 leg trailing behind, heel off the ground, more implied movement that happens

Poseidon and Apollo, Slab 6, East Frieze, Parthenon

Increasing sense of texture and form, not only do we see drapery, but sense of underlying form

Parthenon Frieze Background Info

Parthenon incorporates a continuous frieze, 524 ft long, carved in a low relief, most friezes in British museum, intact frieze on the Parthenon is the west side Still in situ, very dirty and damaged Begins in NW corner, then splits, moving from left to right, right to left across the west, converging (horsemen, chariots, water jar carriers) Eastern side (Olympian Gods assembly, in the middle (peplos scene)

Slab 5 (center part), East Frieze, Parthenon

Priest, Priestess, sacrificial assistants possibly folding up an old/new peplos (theory) Parthenon would be unusual if it depicted a scene from everyday life, everything else is mythological A king, queen of Athens depicted, 3 daughters, Erectheius, had to sacrifice his daughter, the daughters had a pact, all 3 would be sacrificed, for the good of the polis Fit with other examples of Greek mythology, helps understand features of the Parthenon that are difficult to explain