greek art

cornice

corner

stereobate

stairs

types of columns

corinthian = most ellaborate, RUNNING FREEZE (sculptures all the way across the pediment), outer islands/provinces (panhellenic)

ionic = curved, RUNNING FREEZE, outer islands/provinces (panhellenic)

doric = DON’T HAVE A BASE, simple capital (top portion of column), triglyphs, metope

triglyphs

3 little scratches

metope

sculptural decoration

running freeze

sculptures all the way across

axonometric view

cuts the building in half vertically (dollhouse view), shows how many levels there are, details of construction, etc.

pediment

roof

cella/naos

inner chamber of an ancient greek or roman temple

true worship area, STATUES of GODS/GODDESSES located here with an altar for sacrifices

pronaos/antis

type of structure w/2+ columns or caryatids in the ____, placed between the columns

room to get to cella or naos

entablature

 made up of decorations, never plain

side portion of roof, sits on columns

stylobate

final stair/where temple is built on

____ formed first, then _____

greece, rome

kylix

drinking glass, sides = handles, bottoms of kylix’s were painted with an image → stimulated conversation at drinking parties                (SYMPOSIA)

amphora

• vessel itself takes on the characteristics of the human body ⇒ bottom = foot, middle = belly, shoulder = nearing the neck, neck = near the top, mouth = actual top/opening  → used for STORAGE of olive oil, ashes, markers, etc. [used as MONUMENT in CEMETERIES] 

krater

• Painted in center, large surface area for painting and story telling 

• Wide opening 

acanthas line

ivy appearance

rosette

star/snowflake/flower appearance

order of greek art development

1) geometric

2) archaic

3) classical (more naturalistic, realistic, human looking)

4) Hellenistic

geometric

geometric figures engraves/painted

black figure vs red figure

black figure —> scratching away surrounding pigment to remove mistakes and create a clean, black figure

red figure =  instead of scratching away pigment from BACKGROUND, you scratch away pigment for the FIGURES 

• Advantages → less time, more detailed, more aligned with the greek’s skin tone, more room for error (you can always make them bigger if you make a mistake)  

what became the preferred style for vessel making?

red figure

Achilles and Ajax plaing dice

• play a game together, take a break from atrocities, stress, and trauma of war ⇒ in this moment of ‘reprieve’ (helmets nearby still, sitting at edge of seat ready to pounce, etc.) 

  • Achilles wins the dice game, ajax loses → moments later, achilles is killed and ajax takes his lifeless body ⇒ testament to life and the way fortune works 

  • Politics, money, sex, etc. ⇒ greeks wanted to talk about these seemingly “inappropriate” topics  

zeus or poseidon

NATURALISM = life like and anatomically correct

contrapposto position

why can it be either or? NOT SURE WHAT HE WAS THROWING

• if lightning bolt, then zeus, but if trident, then poseidon 

  • Beard is lightly drippy and long = poseidon 

  • Hand seems like its holding a lightning bolt more than a trident = zeus  

The acropolis

• Source of many different temple structures situated on hills in Athens 

• Athenians required to pay tribute there annually 

• Greeks required to pay tribute every 4 years → panhellenic procession 

• Buildings made as symbolic representations → outlying greek provinces paid athens to defend their territories with their military (weaponry, etc.) if invasions occurred by surrounding areas 

• Goddesses decorated or made of very beautiful materials (ivory, gold, etc.) → how much money is being invested into defense over decorations? —> SO a treasury was built - small building that demonstrated to the islands that their investments were safe

Propelea

• place where greeks could rest from large trek uphill, enjoy some art before worshipping the rest of → front of image 

Parthenon

• most famous of all the structures (not the PANTHEON which is in ROME) 

  • Enormous statue of athena with ivory and gold, reflection pool in front of her, around 33 feet high 

caryatids, attached to the Aretheon

figures of women that looked our iver ruins of a temple that was sacked —> never to be another temple built in that area, job was to look out for and remember that temple) → remembering a site by its emptiness 

Aphrodite of Knidos

•  nude (taboo for women to be nude in art during this time) → goddess of love and beauty → born nude in a seashell, covered at shore 

• This work of art → SCANDALOUS 

  • Taking off clothes → disrobing 

  • Considered disrespectful 

  • She’s looking away → should the male be allowed to look at her without her knowing? Considered scandalous  

Nike of Samothrace

winged victory

• At the front of a boat 

• As sailors sailed out to war/conflict, she was the last thing they saw → wishing them success on their endeavors 

  • First thing to see as they returned home → welcoming them back home with the victory they hopefully achieved 

nike =

victory

archaic/classical vs hellenistic

• One on the left = smiling, hair texture, more muscle definition/fleshiness 

• One on right → sharp/angular, downcast eyes, grimacing, more naturalism in terms of dying position, anatomically correct, leg and arm over edge of pediment (seems as though he can topple over into the viewer ⇒ more dramatic) → Hellenistic (heightened era of greek sculpture)  

classical period

naturalistic, realistic, more human looking

hellenistic period

more dramatic, real

geometric to archaic

• Kouros figure has an ARCHAIC smile → alien eyes, empty and vacant → all of these sculptures are painted → polychromy (many colors, brightly colored) 

• Ribbon is his hair 

• metopee’s or running freeze’s painted similarly  

• Kouros → anatomical stance 

contrapposto position

counterpoise

• All of the weight of the figure is readjusted → in spine/back, subtle S-CURVE (when you drop the hips, rest of the body compensates for that adjustment), shoulders will then compensate for the curve too

doric style

ionic style

corinthian style