About Hellenistic

Beings after the death of Alexander the Great.

• divided his kingdom into 3 parts.

Main focus:emotion, drama, naturalism.

Hellenistic: mixture of different styles.

Key words (Hellenistic)

Architecture:

• Columnade

• Frieze

• wet drapery

Artistic:

• high relief

• gigantomosy

• foreshortening

• mosaic

• teserae shard

Altar of Zeus (Pergamon, Turkey) ⚡

Located in Pergamon, Turkey. Dedicated to the god Zeus. Commissioned by King Attalos.

Main inspiration for the West front altar:

• Attalos I vs. Gauls ⚔

• Defeat of the Persians (Pergamenes over the Persians)🏆

• Battle between Gods and Giants 🌬

Narrative: Attalos defeated the Gauls/Persians; temple is meant to celebrate the victory.

• Altar was commissioned by King Attalos.

Key words:

Architecture:

• Columnade

• Frieze

• Frieze sculptures

• Ionic capital (not Doric)

• gigantomachy

• metope (contains statues)

Artistic:

• Power and authority

• high relief

Athena Battling Alkyoneos (Athens, Parthenon) ⚔

Narrative: Athena is taking Alkyones by the hair and dragging him, placed across the stairs of the Altar of Zues. Alkyones is humiliated by Athena.

Key characters:

• Athena and Athena Nike

• Alkyoneos the giant

• Gaia the earth Goddess (mother of Alkyones)

Key words:

Architecture:

• gigantomachy

• gigantomy scene

• overlapping

• wet drapery

Artistic:

• high-relief

• laurel crown (Given by Athena Nike to Athena)

• power and authority

The Alexander Mosaic (Pompeii, Italy - Battle of Issus) 🐎⚔

A decorative/utilitarian mosaic art piece depicting Alexander the Great in the chaotic battle of Issus 📮 on a chariot.

• This art piece was discovered in the House of Faun, Pompeii.

• Commissioned/created by citizens of Pompeii.

• meant to be placed in a home as floor/wall tiles.

• shows strong demonstrations of emotion.

Narrative: Alexander and his army is charging towards Darius III on a chariot. Darius’ army is also battling Alexander’s soldiers.

celebrates the victory over the Persians and the Battle of Issus 📮.

Key words:

Artistic:

• mosaic

• Tesserae (shards)

• prespective

• ground

• foreshortening

• foreground; middle ground; background (Advanced perspective)

• decorative / utilitarian

• crowded composition

• House of Faun, Pompeii

Key characters:

• Darius III

• Alexander the Great

• Charioteer

other facts:

first depictions of crowded composition

new words; advanced perspective, crowded composition

use of mosaic and tesserae again (used back in the Standard of Ur)

Nike of Samothrace (Victory of Samothrace, Greece) 🏆🥇

This 12 ft contrapposto wet-drapery marble sculpture was found with no head or arms. Patrons and artist is N/A.

• Conjectured to be a Masthead on a ship. (Victory monument).

• Made to celebrate naval battles on the island of Samothrace; is also apart of a fountain.

• wet-drapery are moving against the strong wind in front of her, as well as her wings. Victory is ready to take off.

• There were many depictions of how Athena Nike would’ve posed in this sculpture.

• Athena Nike is symbolic of Victory. 🏆

Narrative: The Nike of Samothrace was built to celebrate a naval battle at Samothrace.

this statue was apart of a Double-Tier fountain to create the illusion that Nike is on a boat.

• Nike of Samothrace was found on a fountain of 2 tiers (low; water and rocks > top tier; Athena Nike)

Key words:

wet-drapery

conrtapposto

double-tier (fountains)

marble

Seated Boxer (Quirinial - one of 7 hills, Rome) 🥊

• The bronze seated boxer sculpture depicts not of victory but of losing. Possibly an actual depiction of a real-life (famous?) athlete.

• Mostly inspired by the Lysippos (A statue that depicts a weary Hercules; Hercules is always depicted battling).

• All sections of the seated boxer is made from lost wax, then wielded together.

• Copper is used to depict blood, ear is in the shape of the cauliflower ears (type of boxing injury).

• Possibly a good luck charm for athletes. 🍀🥊

Key words:

lost wax

copper

bronze

stone

cauliflower ears

narrative: The seated boxer was a portrayal of a possibly real-life Greek athlete who lost a boxing match.

similar to the superstition of rubbing a statue of Hercules for luck in battle; the seated boxer also showed indications that people had been rubbing it’s foot for luck.

• shows a lot of emotion, drama, and naturalism.