lvv4u: introduction to ancient greek art
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PowerPoint for LVV4U Classical Civilizations course, introducing the major periods in ancient Greek art, from Geometric through Hellenistic.TRANSCRIPT
Greek Art
Periods
Classical: Head of Blond Youth
Geometric: 1100-750 BCE
Archaic: 750- 480 BCE
Classical: 480 BC - 323 BCE
Hellenistic: 323 BC - 30 BCE
Geometric: Conditions in Greek world were unsettled after fall of Mycenae, arts took a backseat while city states battled each other. A cultural identity began to form.
Archaic: At the end of the “Dark Ages” - Increase in trade and exploration (notably Egypt and Mesopotamia) increase in art and literature with reintroduction of written language. Iron tools developed. City states increasingly stable.
Classical: Persian Wars (480-448 BCE) spurred Greeks toward cultural maturity. Especially Athens, whose art, literature, philosophy, theatre etc. boomed. Idealized art reflected cultural values.
Hellenistic: The reign of Alexander the Great (336 BCE to 323 BCE) introduces a new worldview and turn toward naturalism in art.
Why these divisions?
- Influenced by Mycenean art- Simple, precise linear decoration in ‘protogeometric’ art of 10th C. BCE- By 9th C. more complex patterns - zigzags, meanders, triangles, concentric circles - Finally, by 8th C. figurative art was introduced - first animals then stylized humans
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Statuette of a horse, 8th century B.C.; GeometricGreekBronze
Geometric Period (1100-750 BCE)
Geometric Period
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-Tall, wide-mouthed amphora used as a funerary dedication-Geometric features - zigzags, lines, swastikas-Late Geometric - Increased attention to figures, both humans and animals- Popular iconography: chariots, armed warriors, horses
Neck amphora, fourth quarter of 8th century B.C.; Late GeometricGreek, Attic
VIDEO: http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/art-history-400-c-e--ancient-cultures/v/krater--ca--750--700-b-c-e
Geometric Period
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Middle Geometric belly-handled amphora
from the “Tomb of a Rich Athenian Lady” in Athens
Ca. 850 B.C. [h: 71.5 cm]
Geometric Pottery
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Archaic Period (750-480 BCE)- Increased contact with Egypt and the Near East evident in Greek art:
- More naturalistic figurative representation- Freestanding large-scles sculputres- New techinques - gem cutting, ivory carving, glass, metalwork- ‘Oriental’ motifs - lotus leaves, sphinxes, griffins
-Wealthy city-states produced imposing temples, large-scale marble statues, fine gold jewellery - Depiction of mythological scenes, athletic events, everyday life- Doric and Ionic columns used in temples- Black figure pottery dominated- Stylized nude male youth sculptures - Kouros
Periods
Archaic Period Influence: Ancient Egypt c. 2600 BC
Periods
Archaic Period Influence: Mesopotamia c. 2700 BC
Archaic: Kouros c. 650 BCPeriods
Archaic Kouros (c. 650 BCE)
Archaic: KorePeriods
Archaic Kore
Archaic: Kore from Acropolis and Painted KorePeriods
Periods
Archaic Lekythos (c. 530 BCE)
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- On this small lekythos (oil flask), women are engaged in various stages of wool working.
-Textile making was one of the most important occupations for women in ancient Greece. A good weaver was considered an attractive woman, as well as a good wife. (e.g. Penelope in the Odyssey)
-We can learn a lot about the activities of women and men, maidens and youths, in Athens during the sixth century B.C from these detailed representations of daily life
- Attributed to the Amasis Painter, one of the foremost black-figure artists active during that time.
Classical Period (480-323 BCE)-After defeat of the Persians in 479 BCE, Athens was the dominant polis, it was a thriving and wealthy imperial power
-Pericles was determined to show off Athens’ glory through the Acropolis, most notably in the doric temple to Athena, the Parthenon, with its massive statue of the goddess in ivory and gold
- Aesthetic values: permanence, harmony, perfection of the human form
-Introduction of more naturalistic contraposto pose showed figures at rest. Also figures in action (athletes) to show off idealized body and musculature. Males often nude, females covered up.
-Bronze lost wax casting for sculpture (most now lost)
Early Classical : Aristodikos Kouros, c. 500-490 B.C. Periods
Early Classical : Kouros from the Acropolis, c. 490 B.C.Periods
Periods
- Early contraposto style - less rigid and symmetrical
- Facial expression no longer archaic smile, mouth more severe, gaze relaxed
- More realism in anatomy and hair
Early Classical 3: Kritios Boy, c. 480 B.C.
Early Classical: Blond Boy, c. 480 B.C.Periods
Early Classical: Fallen Warrior from the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina Periods
The workshop of the sculptor Phidias (480-430 BCE)
Periods
Artemision Bronze (c. 460)
• Recovered from the sea• Severe style, excellent rendering of motion and anatomy• Who is it?
• Zeus throwing a thunderbolt?• Poseidon throwing a trident?
Polykleitos’ Canon•Most important sculptor of Classical Antiquity
•Lived in Athens, late 5th C. BCE
•None of his original bronzes survive but many Roman copies exist
•His contrapposto nudes are designed according to mathematical principles and aim for balance, clarity, completeness
•Uses Pythagorean ratios for proportionality
• “symmetria” means harmonious proportions
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Doryphoros, "Spear-Bearer” 450-400 BCE
Myron Discobolus c. 485 Sculpture
Classical: PolyclitusPeriods
Myron AthenaSculpture
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Classical Pottery
-Bell krater used for mixing water and wine a symposion
-Depicts Persephone returning from Hades to her mother Demeter
- Provides insight into Greek fashion
-Red figure-ware, more detail
Niobid Krater - attempt at three dimensional perspectivePainting
Achilles Painter - White Ground LekythosPottery
Niobid Painter Painting
Andokides PainterPottery
Architecture
Model of Parthenon
Architecture
How did Greek climate & Geography influence its architecture?
ArchitectureGreek climate permits an outdoor lifestyle:
• Temples on breezy hilltops• Open-air theatres built into sloping terrain•Agora and open courtyards surrounded by stoa - public space with a storied colonnade to protect from sun• Bright light casts shadows and accentuates details
Materials:-Marble-Clay for roof tiles and decorative elements
Features of Greek Architecture
-Column and lintel structures- Often incorporate or benefit from the natural
surroundings- Temples usually have a rectangular floor-pan with a large
central room containing the main statue and altar,
surrounded on all four sides by rows of columns and
capped with elaborate pediments- Proportions correspond to the golden mean- Stones fit together tightly but were sometimes reinforced
by invisibly embedded metal clamps- Sculptural pediments
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Orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian:
Doric: Temple of Zeus at OlympiaIntroduction
Ionic: Temple of Athena Nike – Acropolis Athens c. 427 BC Architecture
Temple of Zeus Ruins
Reconstruction of AgoraPainting
Erechtheum on Acropolis in Athens c. 421 BCArchitecture
Doric: Parthenon - temple of Athena ParthenosArchitecture
DelphiArchitecture
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A recreation in modern materials of the lost colossal statue by Pheidias, Athena Parthenos by Alan LeQuire is housed in a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park. She is the largest indoor sculpture in the western world.
EpidarusArchitecture
Hellenistic Period (323-30 BCE)-Alexander the Great had conquered an empire that stretched from Greece through Asia Minor, to Egypt and as far as India.
- New exotic influences on Greek culture, new materials (gems)
- After his death, Alexander the Great’s successors’ kingdoms had lavish palaces, gardens, public buildings and monuments
- Art looked to the past but had innovations to reflect the spirit of the age
- More naturalistic bodies, more emotion, dramatic movement
- Broader subject matter: Grotesques, commoners, elderly, different ethnic groups
-Rising Roman powers co-opted Hellenistic style, many Greek artists went there to work
Hellenistic: Poseidon of MelosPeriods
The Three GracesRoman copy of a Greek work of the second century B.C.Marble
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Laocoön
-Created around 50 BCE, Rome
-Shows pain and struggle
-Hugely influential on Renaissance artists when it was unearthed in 1506
Hellenistic: Aphrodite and SatyrPeriods
Nike of Samothrace (2nd C. BCE)-Depicts the winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow of a ship
-Overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace
-Probably an offering from the people of Rhodes in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC
-Dramatic billowing drapery, intensity of movement
- Nude female body revealed through suggestive draping
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Hellenistic: Venus of Melos (Milo) c. 100 BCSculpture
Hellenistic: Aphrodite Kallipygos (Roman Copy) Sculpture
Corinthian: The temple of Zeus at Athens 2nd c. BCArchitecture
The temple of Zeus at Athens DetailArchitecture
Corinthian: Choragic monument of Lysicrates - Athens ( 335 B.C.). Architecture