Greek Art 600 BCE - 30 BCE: Comprehensive Study Notes

Time Periods

  • GEOMETRIC ART: 1000−700  BCE1000-700\;\text{BCE}

  • ARCHAIC ART: 600−480  BCE600-480\;\text{BCE}

  • CLASSICAL ART: 480−323  BCE480-323\;\text{BCE}

  • HELLENISTIC ART: 323−30  BCE323-30\;\text{BCE}

  • In 480 BCE, the Greeks defeated the Persian fleet (Xerxes) off Salamis in the largest naval battle of the ancient world.

Enduring Understandings: Art

  • Greek art is characterized by a pantheon of gods celebrated in large civic and religious buildings.

  • Greek art is studied chronologically according to changes in style (Time Periods = Art Styles).

  • Greek works are studied by stylistic patterns rather than by dynastic rule (unlike Egypt).

  • Greek art is renowned for idealization and harmonic proportions (perfection is central).

  • Greek art has significantly influenced European art, particularly in the 18th century (foreshadowing future influence).

Enduring Understandings: Culture

  • Ancient writing survives in literature, law, politics, and business; these documents illuminate Greek civilization and art.

  • Greek writing contains some of the earliest contemporary accounts about art and artists.

  • Epics form the foundation of Greek writing; texts were first transmitted orally, then written down.

Historical Background

  • CITY-STATES: small, competing polities; same language, but wary of outsiders.

    • Examples: Athens, Sparta, Corinth.

  • MAJOR ENEMIES: Persian Empire (Greco-Persian Wars, Achaemenid Dynasty vs Greek city-states).

  • Inter-city conflicts: Athenians and Spartans fought in the Peloponnesian War (roughly 5th century BCE).

  • Inter-city rivalries persisted; city-states often fought each other in addition to external threats.

People to Look Out For

  • HISTORY: Pericles; Alexander the Great

  • ART: Phidias; Iktinos & Kallikrates; Polykleitos

  • MYTHOLOGY: Zeus; Athena; Nike (Victory)

Ancient Greek World: City-States

  • Overview of the polis as the central political/social unit in ancient Greece.

Time Periods & Years

  • GEOMETRIC ART: 1000−700  BCE1000-700\;\text{BCE}

  • ARCHAIC ART: 600−480  BCE600-480\;\text{BCE}

  • CLASSICAL ART: 480−323  BCE480-323\;\text{BCE}

  • HELLENISTIC ART: 323−30  BCE323-30\;\text{BCE}

  • Note: The defeat of the Persian fleet at Salamis occurred in 480 BCE.

Greek Stylistic Traits

  • NUDES: Great focus on the perfection of the human body; early emphasis on male nudity, with later inclusion of female figures.

  • FREE-STANDING SCULPTURES: Sculptures detached from stone, enabling freer composition; large bronzes pursued for lighter weight and experimental form.

  • CONTRAPPOSTO: Relaxed, fluid stance with bent knees and tilted shoulders; used mainly in Classical & Hellenistic periods (not in earlier Egyptian-like stances). (Note: This concept is foundational and later echoed in Renaissance as well.)

Greek & Roman Art (Intro)

  • Focus for now on the Greek part of the broader Greek & Roman art discussion.

Athenian Agora: Concepts & Vocabulary

  • AGORA: A public plaza for commerce (stoa), politics (bouleuterion/tholos), religion, and social life.

  • BOULEUTERION: Assembly house; council of 500 citizens.

  • PANATHENAIC WAY: Ceremonial road for processions honoring Athena during a festival.

  • STOA: Covered walkway with columns on one side and a wall on the other; used for commerce/social/political activities.

  • THOLOS: Circular building for emergency government meetings.

  • AMPHIPROSTYLE: Temple with columns at the front and rear.

  • TRIGLYPH & METOPE: Decorative/metopic elements on the frieze of a temple.

Athenian Agora: Reconstructions & Visuals

  • Images show the Agora site plan (Archaic - Hellenistic, 600 B.C.E. – 150 C.E.) and modern ruins, illustrating civic, social, and religious spaces.

Temporal & Terminology: Architecture & Sculpture (Toolkit)

  • 3 ORDERS OF GREEK COLUMNS:

    • DORIC: Grooved columns; no base; plain architrave; metopes on the frieze.

    • IONIC: Columns with volutes (scroll capitals); friezes often high-relief.

    • CORINTHIAN: Similar to Ionic but capitals with acanthus leaves.

  • Other temple vocabulary:

    • AMPHIPROSTYLE, ARCHITRAVE, CORNICE, ENTABLATURE, FRIEZE, METOPE, TRIGLYPH, PEDIMENT, PORTICO, PERISTYLE, CELLA.

  • The three temple types (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian) were placed on an acropolis or hillside site such as the Acropolis in Athens.

Classical Greek Architecture: Temples & Acropolis

  • TEMPLES: Earthly homes of the gods; access to deities was restricted; entrance often reserved for those with credentials.

  • FRONT & BACK of temples are nearly identical in plan.

  • TEMPLE TYPES: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian.

  • ACROPOLIS: A sacred hill above the city; major temple complexes located here (e.g., The Acropolis, Athens).

  • Examples: Parthenon (Temple of Athena Parthenos); Temple of Athena Nike; Erechtheion; etc.

Doric Temple (Visual Overview)

  • Characteristics: sturdy, simple capitals, no base, metopes in the frieze; sturdy, masculine aesthetic.

Ionic Temple (Visual Overview)

  • Characteristics: more slender columns, bases, volutes on capitals; sculptural friezes in the frieze.

Corinthian Temple (Visual Overview)

  • Characteristics: ornate acanthus-capital arrangements; later adoption in classical architecture.

The Parthenon & the Acropolis (Key Works)

  • Parthenon (Temple of Athena Parthenos), Athens, Classical Greece, 447-432 BCE (authors: Iktinos and Kallikrates; sculptor: Phidias).

  • Ground plan and cella (naos): main room housing the deity; peristyle surrounds the temple.

  • Exterior and interior: 3D reconstructions show the Parthenon interior and exterior on the Acropolis.

  • The Parthenon’s sculptural program includes multiple elements:

    • EAST PEDIMENT: Birth of Athena; figures include Athena with attendants (Dione, Hestia, Aphrodite), Helios and horses; Dionysus possibly present; center features Athena and Zeus missing in the center.

    • PANATHENAIC FRIEZE: Recounts the Panathenaic procession; plaque of the Ergastines; figures including Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis; paralleled by the overall frieze composition in the Parthenon.

    • INTERNAL FRIEZE: Reconstructed portion showing Panathenaic procession motifs.

    • Cella: Main room housing the cult statue of Athena Parthenos.

    • PERISTYLE: Row of columns surrounding the temple periphery.

  • Nike (Victory) of Samothrace and other sculptural programs demonstrate Phidian style and the use of wet drapery to imply motion and life.

  • The Parthenon’s exterior and interior artworks reflect the Classical emphasis on ideal proportions, contrapposto, and harmony of opposites.

Key Interior & Exterior Elements (Parthenon-Related)

  • CELL A: The main room where the god is housed.

  • PERISTYLE: A surrounding colonnade.

  • EAST PEDIMENT: Birth of Athena; missing center figures (Athena and Zeus).

  • PANATHENAIC FRIEZE: Frieze depicting the Panathenaic procession; original and reconstructed versions.

  • Nike (Victory) adjusting her sandal: an example of Phidian style and amphiprostyle design.

Erechtheion & Caryatids

  • ERECHTHEION (Temple on the Acropolis): Noted for Caryatid columns (female figures used as supporting columns).

  • PORCH OF MAIDENS: Caryatid figures represent both architectural function and sculptural decoration.

Temple of Athena Nike

  • Exterior view highlights Nike adjusting her sandal; use of paraperi and parapet; example of amphiprostyle design.

Classical Sculpture: Key Works & Terms

  • Kritios Boy (ca. 480 BCE): Early Classical; first known use of contrapposto; weight shift to left leg; head turns right; absence of Archaic smile.

  • Riace Warrior (ca. 460-450 BCE): Bronze statue; famous for idealized musculature; many classical bronzes survive today only in Roman marble copies; used lost-wax casting.

  • Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) by Polykleitos (c. 450-440 BCE): Bronze original; Roman marble copy; Canon of Proportions established by Polykleitos; contrapposto; perfect harmony of body parts; head ratio to body: rac17rac{1}{7} of the body height.

  • Canon of Proportions (Polykleitos): 1 body = 7 heads tall; expressed as extheadlength=rac17imesextbodyheightext{head length} = rac{1}{7} imes ext{body height}.

  • Late Classical shift: Praxiteles’ canon (1:8 head ratio) representing a more humanizing anatomy; calmer expressions; Nudity continues; new standard of adult-child interaction.

  • Hellenistic Style: Drama, pathos, movement, and environment; figures depicted with age variety; dynamic compositions; strong use of negative space and diagonal lines; sexual and theatrical expressiveness; commonly in works like Laocoön and His Sons, Nike of Samothrace, and the Pergamon frieze.

  • Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace: Hellenistic sculpture, c. 190 BCE; in situ in the Louvre. A classical example of drama and movement in sculpture.

  • Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon: Hellenistic; Gigantomachy frieze; dramatic composition and dynamic figures; c. 175 BCE; architecture and sculpture in marble; examples housed in Berlin and other institutions.

  • Seated Boxer: Hellenistic bronze (c. 100 BCE) with inlaid copper and other materials; shows realism and emotion.

  • Aphrodite (Venus de Milo): Hellenistic marble statue (ca. 150-125 BCE); famous for its form and missing arms.

  • Old Market Woman: Hellenistic marble statue (c. 150-100 BCE).

  • Laocoön and His Sons: Hellenistic sculpture (early 1st century CE) in marble; complex composition and intense emotion; from Rhodes, copies in Rome.

Lost-Wax Casting & Metalwork Techniques

  • LOST WAX CASTING: Bronze casting method; steps:

    • Model figure in clay.

    • Cover with wax to create a wax model.

    • Encase in clay and fire; wax melts away, leaving a clay mold with a cavity.

    • Pour molten bronze into the cavity to form the statue.

    • Modern chasing techniques refine the surface after casting.

  • CHASING: Ornamenting metal by indenting its surface with a hammer to refine details after casting.

  • Resources and demonstrations show the process with modern adaptations.

Notable Figures and Terms (Recap)

  • Artists/Architects: Phidias; Iktinos; Kallikrates; Polykleitos; Praxiteles; Kallimachos (artist associated with the Grave Stele of Hegeso).

  • Mythic Figures: Zeus; Athena; Nike; Hermes; Dionysus; Pan; Aphrodite.

  • Architectural Terms: Cella, Peristyle, Amphiprostyle, Pediment, Frieze, Metope, Triglyph, Architrave, Cornice, Entablature, Portico, Triglyph, Metope.

  • Sculpture Terms: Contrapposto, Isopsephalism (heads aligned at a common level), Canon of Proportions, Isocephalism, Wet Drapery (Phidian style).

Vocab Recap

  • BOULEUTERION: assembly house for the council of citizens.

  • PANATHENAIC WAY: ceremonial procession road.

  • STOA: covered multi-purpose walkway; social/political/mercantile activities.

  • THOLOS: circular meeting place.

  • A variety of temple features (AM P H I P R O S T Y L E, ARCHITRAVE, CORNICE, ENTABLATURE, FRIEZE, METOPE, TRIGLYPH, PEDIMENT, PORTICO).

  • AMPHIPROSTYLE: four front and rear columns on a temple.

Connections and Relevance

  • Greek art set standards in ideal proportion and anatomical harmony that influenced later European art (notably in the 18th century).

  • The rise of city-states and civic spaces like the Agora and Acropolis reflect the social and political life of ancient Greece.

  • The evolution from Archaic stiff stances to Classical contrapposto and then to Hellenistic dramatic expressions tracks a shift toward naturalism, emotion, and theatricality, paralleling changes in society and political power.

Ethical, Philosophical, and Practical Implications

  • The portrayal of the human body as idealized yet highly expressive raises questions about beauty, virtue, and the relationship between physical form and moral character (Kalokagathia).

  • The curation and location of sacred artworks (temples housing cult statues) reflect the interplay between religion, state power, and public life.

  • The use of public monuments to convey political ideology (e.g., Panathenaic Frieze, Gigantomachy scenes) demonstrates the role of art in nation-building and identity formation.

Quick Reference: Key Dates & Milestones

  • 480 BCE: Salamis naval battle; Persian threat reduces.

  • 447-432 BCE: Parthenon construction and decoration.

  • 175 BCE: Great Altar of Zeus & Athena at Pergamon (Hellenistic)

  • 1st century BCE – 1st century CE: Laocoön & His Sons; Laocoön’s era sculpture marks Hellenistic drama.

  • ca. 150-125 BCE: Aphrodite (Venus de Milo) created (Hellenistic).