The Art of Ancient Greece Honors Humanities

The Acropolis

A Timeline of Culture & Art Stauette of woman 3rd millenium BCE Trojan War, c1250 BCE Cycladic culture Let’s apply this timeline to art! Early Minoan Middle Minoan Late Minoan Minoan culture flourishes Knossos destroyed by Greeks, c.1400 BCE c.2800 BCE c.1000 BCE c.3000 BCE Athenian Golden Age Archaic Period Hellenis-tic Era Classical Age Persian Defeat, 479 BCE Alexander the Great dies. 323 BCE

The Acropolis theoretical reconstruction

Evolution of the Male Form in Greek Sculpture

Evolution of the Female Form in Greek Sculpture

Archaic Greek Sculpture Kouros. Archaic period, from island of Samos

Archaic Greek Sculpture Kore. Young female, Archaic, c.530 BCE Note the Egyptian influence.

Archaic Greek Sculpture Kouros (male youth) c.600 BCE This is exceptionally forward-looking for the Archaic period.

Archaic Greek Sculpture Composition – posture and gesture. Look at vertical axis – even distribution of weight, providing symmetry in balance Archaic Anavysos kouros c.530 BCE

Archaic Greek Sculpture “Kritios Boy” 480 BCE Acropolis

Archaic Greek Sculpture Peplos kore, Archaic c.530, Acropolis, Athens Bright, painted colors would adorn the surface of this marble kore, while standing at the Acropolis.

Archaic Greek Sculpture Close-up of the “Archaic smile” “Archaic smile” Apollo, terra-cotta, c.500 BCE

Archaic Greek Sculpture “Dying Warrior” – Archaic Period. c.490 BCE

Archaic Greek Sculpture Relief Sculpture: Sculpture in which form projects from a background. Three degrees: High relief  forms stand far out from the background Low relief (bas-relief)  forms are shallow Sunken relief (intaglio)  backgrounds are not cut back and the points in highest relief are level with the original surface “Hera Unveiling Herself to Zeus” - Archaic 470-460 BCE

Archaic Greek Art Concentric circles with vertical wavy lines Neck-handled, protogeometric, 1050-1000 BCE.

Archaic Greek Art Athena springing from head of Zeus Attic black figure, panel amphora, c.540 High Archaic

Archaic Greek Art Herakles wrestling the Nemean Lion, Attic black figure, 520-500 BCE Archaic

Transitional or Early Classical Herakles and Atlas. Temple of Zeus, Olympia, c.460 BCE

Transitional or Early Classical “Charioteer of Delphi” Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, c.470 BCE, bronze, height 5'11"

Transitional or Early Classical Riace Warrior c.460-450 BCE bronze w/bone and glass eyes, silver teeth, height 6'8" Note the contraposto form.

Transitional or Early Classical From the sea off Cape Artemision. Bronze, c.460 BCE. Zeus apparently hurling trident, or thunderbolt, with right hand. One of few bronze votive statues from 5th century BCE still extant. H. 2.09 m. National Museum, Athens.

Classical Period of Greek Art Phidias and assistants, Acropolis: Parthenon Horsemen, north frieze, c.447-432 BCE

Classical Period of Greek Art Contraposto pose: by standing on one leg, the body shifts throughout, avoiding too much symmetry and implying motion. Polykleitos – “Doryphoros” (Spearbearer), Roman marble copy, c.450 BCE reconstructed copy

Classical Period of Greek Art Dionysos with maenads and satyrs, Attic Red figure, 440-430 BCE, Classical

Classical Period of Greek Art Herakles killing an Amazon.

Classical Period of Greek Art Wounded Amazon, 440 BCE. Polykleitos took 1st prize in a competition at Ephesos with this sculpture of an Amazonian woman.

Classical Period of Greek Art Once again, remember ancient Greek sculpture and reliefs featured brightly painted colors.

Classical Period of Greek Art “Discobolus” (Discus Thrower) – Myron, marble, c.420-410 BCE Etruscan wall painting

Late Classical Period Lysippos – Apoxyomenos (The Scraper) Roman marble copy, c.330 BCE

Late Classical Period Praxiteles – Hermes and the infant Dionysus – Roman marble copy, c.325 BCE The content for much of Greek art, including sculpture, focused on heroes, warriors, and the Olympian gods and goddesses. This subject is typical of ancient Greek art.

Late Classical Period After Praxiteles, “Aphrodite of Knidos” - Roman marble copy c.340 BCE Did the Greeks believe in the same aesthetic principle for the female form as the West does today? What can the aesthetic principle of a culture tell us?

Late Classical Period Herakles carrying Palaimon – Attic red figure, c.350 BCE Late Classical

Hellenistic Period Nike (Athena) of Samothrace “Winged Victory” marble, c.200-190 BCE Yes, this is the source for naming the shoe.

Hellenistic Period

Hellenistic Period

Hellenistic Period Look at the facial structure. Does it look “Greek”? From Pergamon in modern Turkey, this sculpture may be a Roman copy of a 3rd century BCE bronze statue that was part of a group commem- orating a Hellenistic victory over the Galatians, Celtic settlers in Asia Minor. It may also be the original. “The Dying Gaul” marble, c.230-220 BCE Look at the facial structure. Does it look “Greek”?

Hellenistic Period

Hellenistic Period Aphrodite (Venus de Milo) 130-120 BCE

Hellenistic Period Hagesandros, Polydoros, and Athanadoros – “Laocoon and His Sons” - c.80 BCE, marble, height of 8 feet.

All good and great things come to an end, including this PowerPoint and Ancient Greece. Rome is rising on the horizon, a new sun lighting civilization. And Rome will shine brightly.