greek art

Classical Archaeology: Its Name and Significance

ἀρχαιολογία

ἀρχαῖος ( «ancient») + λόγος ( «discourse» , «study»)

Modern Archaeology

Historical science which studies human cultural activities through material remains. Scientific analysis of the past, aimed at reconstructing the past by examining material evidence in all their ambiguities. Context is essential for meaningful interpretation

Final goal: Historical reconstruction

Archaeological Evidence

Artifacts or monuments: Any human-made object, any remains (not only structures) communicating a message (neutral terms, avoids artistic judgment)

Archaeology

Broad, interdisciplinary field

History of Ancient Art

Specialized study. It is an essential part of Classical Archaeology that cannot be ignored. Collaboration between both disciplines enhances understanding of the past

pliny the elder

Roman author, naturalist, natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic Naturalis Historia (Natural History) — more stuff but basically important guy

Pausania, Sanctuary of Olympia (Ἑλλάδος Περιήγησις, books 5-6)

Heraion. Hermes sculpted by Praxiteles

praxiteles

most renowned of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue. While no indubitably attributable sculpture by Praxiteles is extant, numerous copies of his works have survived; several authors, including Pliny the Elder, wrote of his works; and coins engraved with silhouettes of his various famous statuary types from the period still exist.

attic sculputors

basically those in the athenian (?) peninsula

apollo belvedere

The work has been dated to mid-way through the 2nd century A.D. and is considered to be a Roman copy of an original bronze statue created between 330 and 320 B.C. by the Greek sculptor Leochares.

Ideas Derived from Winckelmann’s Work That Influenced the Taste and Interpretation of Ancient Art for a Long Time

Biological Vision of Ancient Art

Art Ultimately Striving for the Perfection of the Human Figure, Pursuing an Idealized Beauty

OVERCOMING WINCKELMANN'S INFLUENCE

Artworks should not only be seen as monuments but

but as a document, firmly tied to the historical period

in which they were created.

• Not only aesthetic evaluation but analysis of

technique, stylistic and iconographic features

• Equal consideration of all artistic objects,

recognizing no hierarchy between major and minor

arts, and rejecting the ideas of "progress" and

"decline," giving all historical periods equal value.

Franz Wickhoff (1853-1909)

VIENNA SCHOOL!

3 main aspects that distinguished Roman art

from Greek art:

realistic portraiture,

spatial conception,

historical narration

Alois Riegl (1858-1905)

VIENNA SCHOOL

Analysis of everyday objects

absolute chronology vs relative chronology

Specific information derived from literary sources and inscriptions — vs — Contextualization through excavation, stylistic analysis, and typology.

Ernest Langlotz

crazy chronology thing he made idk (on slide its for Late Archaic art)

treasuries

lots of documentation on TREASURY OF THE SIPHNIANS AT DELPHI

TREASURY OF THE SIPHNIANS AT DELPHI — Herodotus: 526-520 BC: build by the Siphnians using a tithe of the profits from its silver mines — HELPED DATE THE BEGINNING OF RED FIGURE PAINTING!!!!!!

Andokides Painter, 530- 525 BC Münich, Staatliche Antikensammlungen — BILINGUAL VASE

Andokides

ancient Athenian vase painter, active from approximately 530 to 515 BC.^[1] His work is unsigned and his true name unknown. He was identified as a unique artistic personality through stylistic traits found in common among several paintings.

bilingual vase painting

vases painted with both black figure and red figure techniques

red figure painting

sometime around 525 BC. The evidence for this date lies in the connections between the Andokides Painter's work and a datable monument: the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi.

cicero had a similar opinion

to winkelmnn or whatever

THE PROTOGEOMETRIC AND GEOMETRIC PERIOD

refers to the early phases of Greek pottery where simple geometric shapes and patterns were used, spanning approximately from 1050 to 700 BC.

timeline in the protogeometric and geometric period

The Decline of Mycenaean Civilization

(13th – Mid-12th Centuries BCE)

what caused myceanean decline

•Key Changes:

• Collapse of the palatial system

• Loss of writing (Linear B script)

• Disappearance of monumental stone architecture and frescoes

•Possible Causes:

• A combination of factors, including:

• Natural disasters (earthquakes, droughts)

• Social unrest and uprisings

• Theories include the Dorian Invasion (debated)

Doric Invasion:

migration and colonization movement of the Peloponnesus by peoples of Doric origin, from districts in central-northern Greece.

pliny the younger ??? THERE’S TWO??????

was a Roman author and lawyer known for his letters that provide insight into Roman life, society, and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Ionic Colonization

permanent settlement of Greek groups from mainland Greece along the western coast of Anatolia (IX-VIII

century BC). North to south (Anatolian coast): Eolid (people from from Thessaly and Boeotia); Ionic dodecapolis (peoples from

Attica and Eubea); Doric district (Doric people from the Peloponnesus)

Cultural Changes at the Transition Between the 2nd and 1st Millennium BCE:

•Shift from bronze to iron in weapon manufacturing

•Changes in burial practices (from inhumation to cremation)

•Emergence of the polis (city-state)

Attic Ceramic Production

Protogeometric style: 1050–900 BCE

• Early Geometric style: 900–850 BCE

• Middle Geometric style (MG): 850–760/50 BCE

• Late Geometric style (LG): 760/50–700 BCE

Nestor’s Cup from Pithekoussai (Ischia), late 8th century

BCE.

(From 775–750 BCE, it served as an emporion facilitating

trade towards northern Tyrrhenian regions.)

AMPHORA (for storage)

Nikosthenic amphora, c. 530 BC.

what is a Nikosthenic amphora

attic amphora especially for export to etruria

Lebes Gamikos - for weddings, c. 340 BC

krater (for mixing)

kyathos (for mixing)

Psykter (for mixing)

Dinos (for mixing)

Kantharos type A

Kylix

Kassel cup - specifically attic

Komast cup - a cup shape at the beginning of the development of Attic drinking cups.^[1] Komast cups were widespread especially in Ionia and Corinth. Like other vase painters of the time, the Attic painters were under strong influence from Corinthian vase painting.

Skyphos, c. 740 BC

Oenochoe

stamnos (storage)

Alabastron, small holders for oil or perfume

Aryballos

Acorn lekythos — lekythos are specifically used for storing oil

Loutrophoros

difference between proto geometric athenian and early geometric?

The difference lies in the decoration and motifs; Proto-Geometric pottery features simple shapes and few decorations, while Early Geometric pottery showcases more complex patterns and a greater variety of designs. LOL BUT WHAT??

Middle Geometric Period I (850 -

800 BC),

exclusively geometric ornamentation.

Middle Geometric Period II (800-

760 BC)

emergence of human

figures in vase decoration.

Sometimes scenes with a clear

narrative development.

ATHENIAN MIDDLE-GEOMETRIC BELLY-

HANDLED AMPHORAE, 850–760 BCE .

Markers of Female Graves in the Kerameikos. — what makes this middle period where are the people? OH NVM NOT YET PEOPLE

THE EARLIEST FIGURATIVE SCENES

ca. 800-770 BC.

Middle-Geometric skyphos

from Eeleusis

LATE GEOMETRIC PERIOD

760/750 - 700 BC

Increase in population and in wealth (importation of

foreign luxury goods in Athens).

- Geometric decoration cover the entire surface of the vase

- Figurative scenes become more numerous (funerary

episodes; narrative scenes inspired by the heroes of

the Iliad and Odyssey (?)).

Belly-handel amphora, attributed to the

DIPYLON Master,, 760 BC circa

Athens, National Museum

Dipylon master

ancient Greek vase painter who was active from around 760–750 BC. He worked in Athens, where he and his workshop produced large funerary vessels for those interred in the Dipylon Gate cemetery, whence his name comes. His work belongs to the very late stage of the Geometric Style.

. LG KRATER, DIPYLON MASTER. Prothesis and Chariot Procession. Paris, Louvre, A 517.

ATHENIAN LG IbKRATER, New York. 750 BC.

HIRSCHFELD PAINTER.

Ekphora.

HIRSCHFELD PAINTER

è il nome convenzionale assegnato ad un vasaio e ceramografo attivo in Attica. — La sua produzione rientra nello stile del Tardo geometrico I e il suo nome si deve all'archeologo Gustav Hirschfeld che per primo nel 1872 ne ha descritto l'opera principale ad esso attribuita, il Cratere del Museo archeologico nazionale di Atene NM 990. — picks up from Dipylon master

PROTOGEOMETRIC AND

GEOMETRIC SCULPTURE

•Small-Scale Sculpture

•Function:

• Votive offerings (sanctuaries)

• Funerary contexts

this is the stuff from the geometric and protogeometric period — also lots of metal work that looks like sardinian art

Two distinct architectural approaches during this period (proto geometric)

• one in the Doric area of mainland Greece

• the other in the Ionic area of eastern Greece.

there is specific architecture from geometric period that you should add

THE ORIENTALISING PERIOD: VII CENTURY BC

The importation of Eastern goods and commercial interactions with Cyprus, Cilicia, Syria, and Phoenicia

were already well established by the early 9th century BCE. However, these exchanges intensified

significantly between the late 8th century and the early 7th century BCE, marking a period of increasing

contact and trade with Eastern cultures.

• Foreign products reached Greece through Eastern merchants and Greek traders, with key trading hubs such

as Al Mina (Orontes Valley) and Naucratis (Nile Delta) playing a crucial role.

• Growing prestige of major Greek sanctuaries (such as Olympia, Delphi, Delos): they attracted offerings

from Eastern rulers

• The Assyrian expansion prompted migrations, leading to an influx of Eastern artisans into Greece,

contributing to cultural and artistic exchanges

Three major phenomena shaped Greek cities between the late 8th and the entire 7th century BCE:

1. The emergence of lawgivers (Lycurgus in Sparta, Draco in Athens, Zaleucus in Locri, and Pittacus in Mytilene )

2. The rise of tyranny (eg. n Corinth, Sicyon, Megara, Miletus, Ephesus, and Mytilene)

3. The intensification of colonization

CERAMIC PRODUCTION IN THE

7TH CENTURY BC

Various centers of production,

including Athens, Corinth, Cyclades,

Ionia, Aeolia, and the Greek colonies

of Magna Graecia and Sicily.

Migrant Painters: The Chessboard Painter (680 BC circa: a

Protoattic Painter migrated from Athens to Metaponto (Italy).

Athens, National Archaeological Museum,

Protoattic hydria by the Analatos

Painter (late VIII- Beginning of the VII

century BC)

Function: funerary. Three-handled water-pot with elongated neck. The 'snakes' and

fretwork handles indicate it was not made for daily use.

Technique: silhouette and outline

Style: Protoattic (Early). Date: early 7th c.

Decoration: male and female mourners (neck), lions confronting a floral (body)

Analysis: curvilinear floral motifs and lions (largely effaced) are indicators of a new

'Orientalising' style in Athens, whereas the largely silhouette figures (neck) combine the

old Geometric silhouette with outline.

PROTOATTIC Black & White Style. Neck-Amphora from

Eleusis. 680/670 BC. (middle protoAttic)

Secondary use as Container for Burial of a Child (enchytrismos) — what myth is this ?? who slays the giant? said Odysseus online

Bronze cauldron and stand from

Salamis, Cyprus. ca. 8th–7th century

B.C. Cyprus Museum, Nicosia. —little medusa vase pot thing (gorgons?) is that what they are called??

PROTOATTIC OINOCHOE, Berlin, Antikensammlung, Ram Jug Painter.

From Aegina. 650–640 BC — not sure what myth need to check?? Odysseus and ram or ox???

PROTO-CORINTHIAN POTTERY

• Early Proto-Corinthian (720–690 BCE)

• Middle Proto-Corinthian (690–650 BCE)

• Late Proto-Corinthian (650–630 BCE)

new shapes of pottery protocorinthian

Early Proto-Corinthian (720–690 BC)

No narrative focus, more decorative

No clear compositional order

Silhouette and outline technique

Protocorinthian aryballos attributed to the Evelyn Painter, c. 720–700 bc. (6.8

cm). London, British Museum, 1969,1215.1. Rider and warrior; lion and stag

evelyn painter

Protocorinthian vase-painter whose name is unknown. Nevertheless consistent individual characteristics of style suggest the existence of a unique artistic personality. He is called the Evelyn Painter, having been named after the former owner (W J Evelyn) of an aryballos subsequently acquired by the British Museum. He decorated the aryballos with animals, human figures and birds drawn in outline amid floral and other ornaments with a few touches of incision.

Middle Proto-Corinthian Period (690–650 BC)

• Figures more clearly defined

• Explicit reference to mythological themes

• Figurative elements meticulously arranged within miniature friezes

• Black figure technique

Protocorinthian

alabastron

from Kamiros, 660–

650 bce (Middle

Corinthian period).

Griffins. 5.8 cm.

London, British

Museum 1860,0201.30.

Alabaston, Middle Protocorinthian

about 650 B.C., Chigi Group. Boston MFA

Late Proto-Corinthian (650-630 BC)

hunting scene late proto Corinthian

Chigi Painter

To create the detailed images in these registers, the artist who painted the Chigi Vase used a decorative technique known as black-figure. He first painted the figures in silhouette, filling them in as solid shapes against the lighter background of the clay. He then added details to the figures by scratching into them (and the surface of the vase) with a thin, sharp tool, creating incised lines.

Smarthistory – The Chigi Painter, The Chigi Vase

SCULPTURE DURING THE ORIENTALISING PERIOD

•A more defined sense of volume compared to the flat

votive figurines of the Geometric period

•Solid, three-dimensional forms that extend into space

•A strong axial structure with symmetrically added volumes

on both sides

Nude male (Apollo?) dedicated by Mantiklos,

early 7th cent. bce. 20, 3 cm. Boston, Museum of Fine Arts 03.997.

Inscription on the legs: «Mantiklos dedicated (anetheke) me as a tithe (dekatos) to Apollo of

the silver bow; do you, Phoibos, give some pleasing favor in return».

Daedalus:

Daedalus: The archetype of the artist, a prototype of creativity and craftsmanship

VII century BC:

Emergence of monumental sculpture

• emergence of artistic personalities: First artist signatures ( eg. Euthykaridas

dedicated to Apollo at Delos a statue of a young man, explicitly stating that

it was made by him)

DAEDALIC SCULPTURE

Typical elements of the Daedalic style:

frontality, composition based on geometric

volumes arranged around a central axis, wig-

like hairstyle, triangular face

Auxerre Lady. Paris, Louvre. Shortly

after 650 BC (probably 640-30 BC.

Likely Cretan workmanship. Limestone.

Height 75 cm (with base).

daedalic kore went

crazy! (if you dont remember what this is means u gotta study)

Egyptian influence on Greek Orientalising sculpture

(large, colossal free-

standing sculptures) (especially visible in the production of Cycladic Islands):

• Greek merchants and mercenaries in Egypt (direct vision of colossal sculptures)

• Egyptian objects dedicated in Greek sanctuaries

Egyptian influence is in particular visible

in the type of the "KOUROS" (naked

male figure with an upright stance, arms

straight or slightly bent at the sides, fists

clenched, and one leg—usually the left—

slightly advanced forward).

KOUROI

(from middle of the VII th cent. BC)

Frontal position

• Nudity

• Solid and compact structure, organized around a central axis

• The slight advancement of the left leg allows the figure to stand freely in

space, moving away from the rigid frontal pose characteristic of earlier

geometric bronzes. However, this is not a representation of actual

movement; it is just a suggestion of movement.

Chelidon and Aedon (Procne and Philomela) with the body of Itys (not visible). — I think part of the herion (you need to make a card on this) but has that one crazy myth fr

THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

(VI century BC)

Rising Influence and Prestige of Artisan Classes

Evolution of Trade and Craftsmanship

•Rapid and dynamic expansion of craftsmanship

•Expanding trade networks providing a stable market for goods

•Athens leading in ceramic production, while Corinth and Sparta dominate large-scale bronze work

6th Century Athens: Between Lawmakers and Tyrants

• Solon (archonship 594 or 591 BCE).

• Peisistratus (534- 528 BC)

• Athens expanded its influence in the Saronic Gulf, in Thrace, and in Euboea,

and it strengthened its influence over the sanctuary of Delos.

• Hippias (528-511/510 BC)

• Intense political debate (Cleisthenes VS Isagoras )

• Cleisthenes

6th Century Sparta: hegemonic influence in the Peloponnese

• Peloponnesian League

• significant economic vitality until mid VI century BC