CRAM

Week 6: Classical Greek Art

Overview

  • Focus on classical Greek art emphasizing the ideals of perfection in architecture (temples) and sculpture (statues).

  • Introduction to some of the world’s earliest forms of art, categorized and discussed in a structured format.

Key Art Forms

  • Black-Figure Vase Painting

    • Notable Artist: Exekias

    • Technique: Figures are painted in a black slip which turns glossy upon firing, creating contrast against the red clay.

  • Red-Figure Vase Painting

    • Notable Artist: Euphronios

    • Technique: Details are painted in red slip on a black background, allowing greater detail and complexity in depictions than black-figure technique.

Types of Vases and Their Functions

  1. Krater

    • Purpose: Mixing wine and water.

  2. Amphora

    • Purpose: Storage of goods, particularly liquid substances.

  3. Kylix

    • Purpose: Drinking wine; shallow cup with a stem.

  4. Jug (Oinochoe)

    • Purpose: Serving wine.

  5. Lekythos

    • Purpose: Storing oil; often used in funerary contexts.

Architectural Influences

  • Numerous contemporary buildings resemble ancient Greek temples, sending messages of power, stability, and security.

  • Examples of such buildings include:

    • Banks

    • Museums

    • Government buildings

    • Universities

    • Libraries

Example: Temple of Hera, Paestum, Italy (ca. 460 BCE)

Contexts for Greek Art and Architecture

  1. Sacred Spaces

    • Sanctuaries for worship and connection to the divine.

  2. Civic Spaces

    • Agora (marketplace) serving as a social hub.

  3. Domestic Spaces

    • Houses representing everyday life.

  4. Funerary Spaces

    • Graves and cemeteries, referred to as necropolis (city of the dead).

Sacred Spaces

  • Sanctuary: A place of worship consisting of:

    • Temenos: Boundary marker and entry points.

    • Altar: Dedicated for sacrifices.

    • Temple: House for the deity, containing their cult statue.

    • Theatre: For performances.

    • Race Track: For athletic events.

    • Treasuries: Buildings to store and display votive offerings.

  • Panhellenic Sanctuary: These are sanctuaries considered sacred for all Greeks.

Important City-States and Religious Sites

  • Key City-States:

    • Athens

    • Sparta

    • Corinth

  • Important Religious Sites:

    • Olympia: Sanctuary to Zeus, known for the Olympic Games.

    • Delphi: Sanctuary to Apollo, recognized for the Pythian Games.

Architectural Development of Greek Temples

Early Greek Temples

  • Originated as wooden and mud-brick structures with thatched roofs; featured a central row of columns supporting the roof.

  • Influences stem from:

    • Mycenaean architecture (Megarons).

    • Egyptian stone structures.

  • Later developments included use of marble and terracotta tile roofs.

Temple Features

  • Standard Temple Plan:

    • Columns in Antis: Columns located at the front of the temple, flanking the entrance.

    • Cella (Naos): The main room housing the cult statue.

    • Peristyle: External colonnade surrounding the temple.

    • Stylobate: The top step on which columns stand.

    • Pronaos: The entrance hall.

Architectural Orders

  • Doric Order:

    • Characterized by cushion-shaped column capitals and a frieze split into metopes and triglyphs.

  • Ionic Order:

    • Identified by volute scroll-shaped capitals and continuous friezes.

Artistic Techniques and Styles

Filling a Pediment

  • Commonly included:

    • Large central figure with smaller figures along the sides, often portraying seated or reclining poses.

    • Example: West pediment from the Temple of Artemis, Corfu, ca. 600-580 BCE, featuring The Gorgon, Medusa.

Archaic-Style Sculpture

  • Kouros: Grave markers or votive offerings depicting youthful male figures, characterized by stiff poses and archaic smiles.

  • Example: Kouros from Anavyssos, ca. 530 BC, showcasing traditional features like long hair and a left foot forward stance.

Transition from Archaic to Classical Style

  • Notable Shift around 480 BCE following major historical events (Persian invasions) that emphasized rational thought and control over fate, valorizing human intellect and order.

Classical Style Features

  1. More naturalistic body representations with dynamic poses.

  2. Use of Contrapposto: A stance where weight is placed on one leg, creating a sense of movement.

    • Example: Kritios Boy from Athens, 480 BC.

Severe Style Characteristics

  • Notable for the transition to a more serious expression and simple drapery in clothing.

  • Represented in artworks from the Temple of Zeus, Olympia.

Polykleitos and the Canon (c. 450 BCE)

  • Developed a mathematical approach to achieving perfection in sculptures through ratios.

  • Statement: "Man is the measure of all things."

  • Treatise: Explored proportions of human anatomy and aesthetics.

Noteworthy Sculptures

  1. Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) by Polykleitos:

    • Showcases the idealized male form based on the mathematical proportions discussed in his Canon

    • Example measurements

      • Height: 6’ 11” (2.11 m).

  2. The Riace Bronzes:

    • Illustrate movement and the anatomical details of the body in bronze, crafted circa 460-450 BC.

  3. The Delphi Charioteer:

    • Celebrates triumph at the Pythian Games; showcases detailed movement through bronze sculpture.

    • Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m).

Bronze-Casting Techniques

  1. Solid Cast: Molten bronze poured into molds, leading to heavy statues.

  2. Hollow Cast: More common for larger sculptures; employs wax models and clay molds through direct and indirect lost-wax methods.

Key Terminology

  • Doric Order: Set of temple building rules, characterized by specific column shapes and friezes.

  • Ionic Order: Style of temple characterized by volute ornamentation on column capitals and continuous friezes.

  • Cella or Naos: Central chamber of a temple housing the deity’s statue.

  • Metope: Decorative panels often found on Doric friezes.

  • Caryatids: Columns shaped like women, used in some temples instead of traditional columns.

  • Severe Style: Early Classical style recognized for a more serious expression and simplicity in drapery.

  • Contrapposto: Technique depicting relaxed posture, weight shifted onto one leg.