APAH: Ancient Greece

essential knowledge of Greek art

Greek art is characterized by a pantheon (more than one) of gods celebrated in large civic and religious buildings

Much ancient writing survives in the fields of literature law, politics, and business. These documents shed light on Greek civilization as a whole and on Greek art in particular.

greek art is studied chronologically according to changes in style

greek works are not studied according to dynastic rule, as in Egypt, but according to broad changes in stylistic patterns

greek art is most known for its idealization and harmonic proportions both in sculpture and in architecture

greek art has had an important impact on European art and architecture

greeks are a seafaring culture, will take over Mesopotamia and Egypt

gods serve as showing bad behavior, as what not to do

greeks traded heavily with Egypt

democracy comes out of Greece

Athenian Agora:

• limestone

• first multifunction (plaza and city) center for people to meet (place for the people = democracy

• setting for Panathenaic festivals and many altars for other greek gods

  • once a year all citizens held a parade, entering at the Dipylon Gate, walking up the holy side (Acropolis; sacred space) to give the statue of Athena a new garment (peplos) on her birthday

• plaza was surrounded by a bouleterion (city hall) used by council, tholos temples (round temples/gazebos) and stoas (covered walkways with columns on one side and a wall on on the other)

• rebuilt and remodeled numerous time across many periods

Anavysos Kouros: (Archaic)

• marble and paint (was brightly painted)

• heavily appropriates from Egyptian sculpture (square shoulders, 1 step forward)

• funerary; a grave marker for a young man killed in battle

  • not a portrait; idealization of an ideal warrior

• kouros: naked youth

• rigidly frontal

• idealizing democracy and sacrifice, not idealizing rich pharaohs in Egypt

• “Archaic Smile”

• Athens

Peplos Kore: (Archaic)

• marble and paint (was brightly painted)

• not funerary; hand appearing out of sleeve was some sort of tribute or offering

• peplos is the garment she’s wearing

• breaks mold of archaic statuary with arm extending away from body

• may have been representation of a goddess due to extended arm

  • Artemis (bow and arrow) or Athena

Niobides Krater: (Classical)

• clay

• found in Italy, showing greek trade

• first time in greek vase paintings that the heads of the figures are not on the same level

• Archaic: black figure technique (large figures in black on the natural red surface of clay)

• Classical: Anokides introduces red figure technique (vases painted black and natural red surface of clay depicted the figures)

• greek myth of killing of Niobi’s children

  • Niobi bragged about her fertility with 7 daughters and 7 sons

  • Leto heard the bragging, used her only two children (Artemis and Apollo) to kill Niobi’s children

• other side could be Hercules surrounded by heroes and Athena, or warriors of Marathon placing themself under Hercules’ protection

Doryphoros (Spear Bearer): (Classical)

• Polykleitos

  • Polykleitos made formula for human form: The Canon (based on Phythagoras)

• roman marble copy of a greek bronze original

• lost wax technique: 

  • forms sculpture with wax, puts it in a box open at the top, box filled with plaster, wax inside melted, then turn plaster upside down to fill with bronze

• distinct from Archaic for being more nature with contrapposto pose (putting our weight on one side then switching to the other)

• considered ideal male form by Spartans (warrior + athlete)

  • found in Pompeii in an athletic/recreational complex (people would work out and aspire for his perfect figure)

• held spear in left hand

• not intended to look at the viewer (stoic and contemplative)

Greek architecture (capitals + structure)

Doric/Tuscan: top row

• most strong

• fluting: indents in columns

• frieze: three long stones → metope (image telling a story) → three more stones…

Ionic: second row

• looks like a scroll

• smooth frieze, no metope or stones

Corinthian: last row

• least strong

• most decorative

stylobate: foundation of building (could be stairs)

pediment: triangle roof-top

Acropolis/Parthenon: (Athenian Agora; Classical)

• Marble

• 1st sacred space in Europe (hypostyle hall)

• interior has ionic order (built later), outside is doric order

• architects: Iktinos (made doric) and Kallikrates (made ionic)

• patron: citizens of Athens through leadership of Pericles

  • originally built in archaic, destroyed when Persians sacked Athens

• Delian League: Pericles used funds donated by all greek city states incase Persians returned

• cela had massive gold and ivory statue of Athena that is lost

• greeks skilled at geometry and algebra, shown in design of Parthenon (to connect with the divine)

  • no right angles

• when ottomans took over Greece they blew apart the inside

Helios, Horses, and Dionysos: (Parthenon; Classical)

• east pediment of the Parthenon

• marble 

• may have been sculpted by Phidias

• story of birth of Athena

  • born from the head of Zeus, other deities are watching

• Dionysus: god of wine and leisure (bachelor, unmarried man)

• seated figures: goddesses Demeter and Persephone

• numerous contrapposto poses

Plaque of Ergastines: (Parthenon; Classical)

• portion of inner ionic frieze of the Parthenon

• marble

• depicts Panathenaic Procession held every year to honor Athena

  • in the procession the people of Athens enter at the Dipylon Gate and end at Athena, giving her a new peplos

    • Ergastines: women in Athens who wove Athena’s peplos

• unique: human event (not deities) shown in the temple

• depicting six Ergastines greeted by two priests

• Isocephalism: all the heads are at the same level

• viewed from the floor; figures become more three dimensional at higher parts of the relief

Temple of Athena: (Parthenon; Classical)

• Kalikrates

• Marble

• At Acropolis to commemorate the “victory” over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon

• Ionic period was firmly in place, columns and frieze (built when Parthenon was finished or close to) 

• Inside is a wood sculpture of Athena, dressed in new peplos in Panathenaic procession

• many sculptures of Nike (victory)

Nike Adjusting her Sandal: (Temple of Athena; Parthenon; Classical)

• marble

• high relief

• very deep drapery, looks as wet, revealing the body

• embodies characteristics of Classical sculpture

  • her balance is achieved through exaggerated contrapposto pose

Grave Stele of Hegeso: (Classical)

• Kallimachos

• Dipylon cemetery, Athens

• marble and paint

• funerary in classical period (very different from Kouros)

• regular woman’s gravestone, but comes from high status family

  • honors her and her father from the writing at the top (status of women)

• she’s being depicted in a house (women’s place was in the home)

  • greek woman couldn’t leave without a charperone

  • women who did go out alone = prostitutes

• Hegeso = seated woman examining a piece of jewelry brought by a servant (not visible, originally painted)

• significance: what is not shown

  • Dipylon cemetery included sculptures of men outdoors, engaging in professions (hunting, athletics, warfare)

hellenistic art

• 320-30 BCE

• Greek culture spreads out from the Balkan Peninsula into Asia and Africa

• blending of Greek classical art with art from the east (Turkey, Iraq,Iran)

• diffusion of greek culture through trade, Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire

• art shows movement, emotion, childhood, old age

  • shows wide range of human condition when classical sculpture only embraced stoic youthful

• Greek, but dramatic!

Nike of Samothrace: (Hellenistic)

• marble

• found in situ on Island of Samothrace (close to Turkey)

• found in a fountain with a boat like shape, meant to be the statue on the bow of a boat

• wet drapery look meant to imitate the water on the bow of a boat or from the fountain

• appears as if the wind was in the wings; slight twist in contrapposto pose as Nike lands her feet on the bow while adjusting for wind

• monumental in size

• right arm could have held a victory crown

• major greek naval battle occurred off of Samothrace, this sculpture may be commemorative of that victory

Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon, Coastal Turkey: (Hellenistic)

• marble

• narrative

• sacred space

• dramatic and steep flight of stairs leading to platform where fires burn in honor of Zeus (sacrifices and offerings made)

• ionic order throughout, telling story of story of Zeus and Athena wraps around the monument

• superiority of the Greek Gods to original gods

• one religion replacing a local religion

  • propaganda to locals

• only portion that is original is the frieze, temple is a recreation

• in Berlin today

Athena portion of Frieze: (Great Altar of Zeus and Athena; Hellenistic)

• superiority of the Greek Gods to original gods

• one religion replacing a local religion

  • propaganda to locals

• Athena victorious over a giant named Alkyoneos while his mother watches

• Alkyoneos being dragged up the stairs to worship Zeus

• Nike appears from behind to lay a victory crown on Athena’s head

• deeply carved, high relief, dramatic tension in body and faces

Seated Boxer:

• bronze; one of very few Greek bronzes to survive

• shows an aged boxer looking up at his opponent in defeat

  • smashed nose, blood runs in copper drips onto his face and arms

  • copper used as highlights on lips, nipples, straps on gloves, wounds on head

  • great emotion, agony of both physical and emotional defeat (don’t see that emotion in Classical)

• ancient romans most likely brought the sculpture from Greece to Rome

Alexander Mosaic From the House of Faun: (Hellenistic)

• a Roman copy floor mosaic Pompeii

• mosaics: small colored stones and shells to create a picture

• complex interweaving of figures

• battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia

  • Alexander at left, assured of his success

  • Darius reaches for Alexander but his charioteer commands retreat

• Greek wall paintings no longer exist, so this Roman copy is the closest thing to the Greek genre

• shows extreme attention to detail, emotion, directionality, multiple poses, foreshortening

• connect to Persepolis

Tomb Named Al-Khazneh, “The Treasury”: (Hellenistic)

• Nabataean Peoples

• Jordan

• Pre-Islamic/Greek influence

• rock cut tomb

• Hellenistic in style, both Greek and near eastern architecture

• figurative sculpture adorns the tomb, Amazons, Isis (Egypt)

• Greek/Roman influence on lower half

• Tholos on upper floor, broken pediment (unique)

• Corinthian columns, not evenly spaced 

Great Temple of Petra: (Hellenistic)

• Nabataean Peoples

• Jordan

• Pre-Islamic/Greek influence

• cut rock

• Hellenistic influence, but the culture is not necessarily Greek, influenced through trade

• Patron: Aretha IV

• Silk Road, merchant peoples

• Dead buried in rock cut tombs on hillside behind temple

• A combo Greek and Egyptian temple amongst a nomadic trading people showed the influence of Greek Hellenistic culture

• well developed metropolis