CLASSICAL GREEK ART

GREEK ART SURVIVAL HANDBOOK Today you will create a visual handbook that will serve as a visual reference to Greek Art. To earn a an A on this assignment, the handbook must define and contain colored and detailed depictions of the following terms: The Greek classical orders: Doric, Ionic & Corinthian The main artistic facets of the following periods: Geometric, Classical, Hellenistic Definitions and drawings for: Black Figure Style, Red Figure Style, Contrapposto, Humanism, Kore, Kouros, Krater Handbooks missing terms and images will be deducted a letter grade for each infraction.

--- Greeks defeat Persians 480-479 BCE --- Can be classified into the following categories: Geometric Period ca. 900-700 B.C.E. Orientalizing Period ca. 725-600 B.C.E. Archaic Period ca. 625-480 B.C.E. Early Classical Period ca. 480-450 B.C.E. High Classical Period ca. 450-400 B.C.E. Late Classical Period ca. 400-330 B.C.E. Hellenistic Period ca. 330-31 B.C.E. --- Greeks defeat Persians 480-479 BCE --- Greek Art is studied chronologically according to changes in style

High Classical Period ca. 450-400 B.C.E. GREEK ART BACKGROUND Early Classical Period ca. 480-450 B.C.E. Defeat of Persians, Use of Bronze Sculpture, more detail in sculpture High Classical Period ca. 450-400 B.C.E. Parthenon & Erectheion, Doric and Ionic Orders, Caryatids, Canon of Polykleitos Late Classical Period ca. 400-323 B.C.E. Sparta beats Athens, Corinthian Order, ends with the death of Alexander the Great; Praxiteles redefines Polykleitos’ figures; sculptures are created with a more 360-degree interest Hellenistic Period ca. 330-31 B.C.E. Considered the period between the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) and the beginnings of the Roman Empire (146 BC); Sculpture demonstrated individual and specific actions, individual emotion, pathos and melodrama

Historical Background GREEK ART BACKGROUND Historical Background Greek civilization was arranged into small, competing political entities known as City-States. Greek states were forced to unite in order to fight off Persian Empire in the 5th century BCE. ….. Then they went back to fighting themselves. Alexander the Great united the Greek states …. Until he died at 33. After Alexander’s death, the Greek city states lasted until the Roman empire absorbed them around the 3rd Century BCE.

Patronage & Artistic Life GREEK ART BACKGROUND Patronage & Artistic Life Artists were well known and well recognized. Many artists were theoreticians as well as sculptors and architects. Polykleitos wrote a book on human proportions Iktinos wrote on the nature of ideal architecture Humanism – the pursuit of human potential – was ever present in Greek art and society. It was reflected in society and art through the idea of HUMANISM. They signed their work as both a symbol of accomplishment AND as a way to advertise their work. HOWEVER, do not assume that they had a distinguished status.

The Discus Thrower. What do you think this nude represents? How so?

Main Qualities of Greek Sculpture NUDITY Unafraid of the human form Men & Women are depicted naked HOWEVER – there is a reluctance to show full female nudity Large Greek marble sculptures sculptures are cut away from the stone behind them. NOT ENGAGED! Greek art within Classical and Hellenistic periods began to use CONTRAPPOSTO. They signed their work as both a symbol of accomplishment AND as a way to advertise their work. HOWEVER, do not assume that they had a distinguished status. Zeus, from the sea off Cape Artemision. Greece, ca 460-450 BCE

Charioteer, ca. 470 BCE, Bronze. Early Classical or Transitional Period The use of HOLLOW-CASTING BRONZE developed toward the end of the Archaic Period made for more complex, detail poses. Charioteer, ca. 470 BCE, Bronze.

Early Classical or Transitional Period Using bronze allowed such an extensive study of the anatomy that it paved the way for the achievements of the CLASSICAL period. Riace Warrior, ca. 470-460 BCE, Bronze. With Copper lips and nipples.

KNOW YOUR “K” WORDS! Early Classical or Transitional Period Anavysos Kouros and Peplos Kore, marble and paint, Athens, ~530 BCE. KNOW YOUR “K” WORDS! KOUROS KORE Archaic Archaic

Praxiteles, Apollo Sauroctonos LATE CLASSICAL GREEK Qualities of Classical Sculpture Greek art within Classical and Hellenistic periods began to use CONTRAPPOSTO. Forms became highly idealized Greek canon of proportions, defined by Polykleitos. Head should be 1/7th of the body Greek figures, regardless of age, began to assume a heroic form. Bodies alternated relaxed and tensed poses Praxiteles, Apollo Sauroctonos LATE CLASSICAL GREEK

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Polykleitos Wrote the treatise “Canon of Polykleitos” – set of mathematical rules or laws for human sculpture Doryphoros – The ‘Spear-Bearer’ Polykleitos, Doryphoros, marble c450-440 BCE HIGH CLASSICAL GREEK

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Polykleitos Wrote the treatise “Canon of Polykleitos” – set of mathematical rules or laws for human sculpture Doryphoros – The ‘Spear-Bearer’ Polykleitos, Doryphoros, marble c450-440 BCE HIGH CLASSICAL GREEK

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Parthenon Plaque of the Ergastines (Parthenon frieze), c. 447-432 BCE. HIGH CLASSICAL GREEK This sculpted plaque is a perfect example of Classical Greek art from the frieze decorating the exterior of the Parthenon, built between 447 and 432 BCE to glorify Athens and its divine protector, Athena. It shows one of the high points of the Great Panathenaea festival held every four years in Athens. Here, six Ergastines (young women in charge of weaving the peplos overgarment offered to Athena) are greeted by two priests as they walk in procession towards the assembly of the gods.

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Parthenon Phidias, Helios, Horse, and Dionysos marble, c. 448-432 BCE. HIGH CLASSICAL GREEK These sculptures are from Phidias, a Greek sculptor, painter and architect, who lived in the 5th century BCE, and is commonly regarded as one of the greatest of all sculptors of Classical Greece. These sculptures were originally created an placed in the triangular pediment atop the Parthenon.

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Temple of Athena Nike Victory Adjusting Her Sandal, from the Temple of Athena Nike Complete 420 BCE, marble, Acropolis. To prevent people from falling from atop the hill, a large parapet (a wall) was added around 410 BCE. On it contained numerous reliefs, including this one of Athena Nike adjusting her sandal.

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Grave Steele of Hegeso (Atrributed to Kallimachos) Marble and paint, ca 410 BCE., Athens The main relief (on the right) shows a mature Athenian woman (Hegeso) wearing a chiton and himation, seated on a chair with her feet resting on an elaborate footstool. In her left hand, she holds an open pyxis (small container), and in her right she holds a piece of (missing) jewelry that was originally painted, at which she is directing her gaze. Opposite her, on the left, stands a maidservant wearing a tunic and a headdress described as either a snood or sakkos. The maidservant is presenting the pyxis, on the knees of Hegeso. On the epistyle there is an epitaph, “ΗΓΗΣΩ ΠΡΟΞΕΝΟ”, stating that the deceased is Hegeso, daughter of Proxenos. Grave markers like these which much more personal, thus costing far more money than figure vases.

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Grave Steele of Hegeso (Atrributed to Kallimachos) Marble and paint, ca 410 BCE., Athens While Hegeso's relief may show a purely domestic scene, the virtues it honors may not have been solely for private use. Rather than simply celebrating the lives of certain women, the presence of stelae similar to that of Hegeso serve to define the female within a social framework. From 450 BCE on, a law by Pericles stated that any Athenian citizen needed to have a mother who was the daughter of another citizen. This law gave more importance to the child-bearing role of women (since their children would later select the gravestones) as well as the importance of marriage and familial relationships, since marrying non-Athenian women was so discouraged.

Athena Battling Alkyoneos Pergamon, Turkey, Marble ca 175 BCE. HELLENISTIC Describes the battle between gods and the giants. The giants, as helpless tools, were dragged up the stairs to worship the gods The gods’ victory over the giants offers a parallel to Alexander the Great’s defeat of the Persians Deeply carved figures overlap and show mastery of depth, space, drama and musculature

Nike of Samothrace, Samothrace, Greece, martble ca. 190 BCE The wind sweeps her drapery. Her himation bunches in thick folds around her right leg, and her chiton is pulled tightly across her abdomen and left leg. The statues theatrical effect was amplified by its setting. This sculpture was part of a two-tiered fountain. In the lower basin were large boulders. The fountain’s flowing water created the illusion of rushing waves dashing up against the ship. The sound of splashing water added an to the sense of drama. Art and nature were combined.

Laocoön and his sons Early 1st century CE HELLENISTIC GREEK A Roman poet vividly described the strangling of Laocoön and his two sons by sea serpents while sacrificing at an altar. The gods who favored the Greeks in the war against Troy had sent the serpents to punish Laocoön, who had tried to warn his compatriots about the danger of bringing the Greeks’ wooden horse within the walls of their city. Everything about this piece speaks to the Hellenistic ideal. The facial expressions are exaggerated, the muscles fully flexed, dramatic movement is indicated, and strong diagonals dominate the composition. Laocoön and his sons Early 1st century CE HELLENISTIC GREEK

Old Market Woman ca. 150-100 BC HELLENISTIC GREEK This is one of a series of statues of old men and women from the lowest rungs of the social order. Shepherds, fishermen, and drunken beggars are common- the kind of people who were pictured earlier on red-figure vases but never before were thought worthy of monumental statuary. Hellenistic art reflects a new and unstable social climate in Greece. Social instability gave way to the depiction of a much wider variety of physical types, including different ethnic types. Old Market Woman ca. 150-100 BC HELLENISTIC GREEK

Seated Boxer Bronze, c100 BCE. Hellenistic sculptors often rendered the common theme of the male athlete in a new way. This boxer is not a victorious young athlete with a perfect face and body, but rather a heavily battered, defeated veteran whose upward gaze may have been directed at the man who had just beaten him. This boxer’s broken nose, distorted face, bleeding wounds and “cauliflower ears” add the sense of realism that the Hellenistic artists sought.

Just over 100 years separate these two statues. Identify these statues and their time periods. Compare and contrast the ways in which the human body is shown in these two sculptures. How does the representation of their bodies reveal change within Greek Culture?

The Three Basic Greek Orders (Keep in mind that CORINTHIAN wasn’t around at the beginning of the Classical Period.)

Lasted from about 450-400 BCE - Sparta and Athens became enemies High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Parthenon Lasted from about 450-400 BCE - Sparta and Athens became enemies ELGIN MARBLES – Statue Pieces from the Parthenon that Lord Elgin (Thomas Bruce) recovered from ruins and sold to British Government

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Parthenon Iktinos and Kallikrates, The Parthenon, completed in 438 BCE. Sculptural designs by Phidias. Uses a y=2x +1 math in architecture

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Temple of Athena Nike The TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE Complete 420 BCE, Acropolis. Nike means "Victory" in Greek, and Athena was worshiped in this form, as goddess of victory, on the Acropolis. Her temple was the earliest Ionic temple on the Acropolis. Here the citizens worshipped the goddess in hope of a prosperous outcome in the long war fought on land and sea against the Spartans and their allies. The Temple of Athena Nike was an expression of Athens' ambition to be the leading Greek city state in the Peloponnese.

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period Temple of Athena Nike The TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE Complete 420 BCE, Acropolis. Nike means "Victory" in Greek, and Athena was worshiped in this form, as goddess of victory, on the Acropolis. Her temple was the earliest Ionic temple on the Acropolis. Here the citizens worshipped the goddess in hope of a prosperous outcome in the long war fought on land and sea against the Spartans and their allies. The Temple of Athena Nike was an expression of Athens' ambition to be the leading Greek city state in the Peloponnese.

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Erechtheion The Erechtheion, completed in 438 BCE. Architectural design by MNESIKLES

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Erechtheion The Erechtheion, completed in 438 BCE. Architectural design by MNESIKLES

High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Erechtheion The Erechtheion, completed in 438 BCE. Architectural design by MNESIKLES

PARTHENON (Doric Order) ERECHTHEION (Ionic Order) High Classical or “Golden Age” Period The Erechtheion PARTHENON (Doric Order) ERECHTHEION (Ionic Order)

Sparta defeats Athens in Peloponnesian War Late Classical Period Lasted from about 400-330 BCE Sparta defeats Athens in Peloponnesian War Greek Art still flourishes with IONIC order, and even introduces CORINTHIAN order for interiors – Romans later copied it

Exekias, Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game, ca. 540 -530 BCE

Niobides Krater, ca. 460-450 BCE A krater vase comes from the Greek word meaning “to mix”. Because Greek wine was created with a much stronger alcoholic content, a krater vase usually mixed water and wine for serving. (A common practice was a 3:1 mix of water to wine.)

Niobides Krater, ca. 460-450 BCE The Niobid Painter decorated this exceptional krater with two scenes: On one side, Apollo and Artemis are shown decimating the children of Niobe with their arrows; on the other side is Heracles surrounded by Athena and heroes in arms, in a composition whose serenity is already classical, and whose meaning is still uncertain.

Considered the period between the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) and the beginnings of the Roman Empire (146 BC) The Alexander Mosaic (Roman Copy), Pompeii, Italy, c100 BCE. REPUBLIC ROMAN

Reconstructed West front of the Altar of Zeus, ca 175 BCE, marble Considered by many to be the most famous of all Hellenistic sculptural ensembles. The monument’s west front has been reconstructed in Berlin (this image). All around the platform was a sculptured frieze almost four hundred feet long populated by some one hundred larger-than-life size figures. The subject is the battle of Zeus and the gods against the giants. It is the most extensive representation Greek artists ever attempted of that epic conflict for control of the world. In the third century BC, King Attalos I had successfully turned back an invasion by the Gauls in Asia Minor. The large scale of the Altar of Zeus alluded to the Pergamene victory over those barbarians.

Athenian Agora, 600-150 BCE, Athens, Greece From the 6th and until the 1st century BCE the Agora served as the heart of the government, as a public place of debate, as a place of worship, as a marketplace, played a central role in the development of the Athenian ideals, and provided a healthy environment where the unique Democratic political system was allowed to flourish. The early buildings, mostly bunched on the west end of the Agora, were destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE, but soon afterward the entire area was rebuilt to include development in the north, west, and southern areas with the erection of three Stoas--the Poikile, the Southern, and the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios--, the Tholos, the New Bouleuterion, the Mint, The Dikastiria (law courts), several fountains, along an assortment of artisan workshops. The fine temple of Hephaestus was built on the low knoll of Kolonos Agoraios in 450 BCE as part of the extensive rebuilding of sacred places initiated by Pericles.