Art of Ancient

Greece
Theme: Man is the Measure of
All Things

Prehistoric
Collapsed

Greeks: Aegean cultures

1100 BCE

Reorganized

900 BCE

City-states:

Athens, Sparta, Corinth

Small, competing
Unified only in language and fear of
outsiders

 Dorians-inhabited Greek
mainland
Ionians-inhabited eastern-most
tip of mainland (including
Athens), Greek islands and
west coast of Anatolia

Who settled in ancient

Greece?

City

States were foundation of democracy

Demos-people + kratos-power= power of the

people!
Greeks

were enlightened in many ways,

oppressive in others

Patriarchal

society that owned slaves

United

briefly after invasion of Persians

in 480 BCE
Athens destroyed

History of Greek politics

Believed

foreigners were barbaric,

uncivilized

Humanity

and honoring the individual were

of upmost importance

Glorified

in the perfection of the human

body
Polytheistic-Gods

of Greeks were in human

form
Had human faults and frailties
contrast to Near Eastern & Egyptian societies

Beliefs and Social Customs

Democratic

Society
Socrates-method of teaching Socratic
Dialogue
Pythagorean theorem
Great literary works
Homers Iliad and The Odyssey
Olympics

1st Olympics called Panhellinic Games (all

the Greeks)
Wars halted to play
Coins

What were a few of their

contributions?

Greek

desire was to create the perfect man

through balance of intellectual and
physical discipline

Thought

human body was balanced and

harmonious-made it focal point of much of
their art

Modern

idea of individual importance came

from Greeks

Importance

Why
all

of proportion=measuring

is man the measure of

things?

How did Greek sculpture depart from

preceding civilizations?
1.Unafraid of nudity.
2.Marble

sculptures freed from block.

3.Lost

wax casting made metal sculpture

larger, lighter and more ambitious.
4.Contrapposto-knees

bent, shoulders tilted.

Natural way of standing.

Innovations of Greek
sculpture

Geometric

Period 9th-8th century BCE

Orientalizing
Archaic

Period 7th century BCE

Period 600-480 BCE

Classical

Periods 480-323 BCE

Hellenistic

Period 321-31 BCE

Greek Art Styles

Geometric

Krater from
Dipylon
Cemetery

Geometric
740

BC

3 tall Krater (mixing bowl) with holes

in bottom placed at head of grave for
Athenian leader

large registers show funeral of

deceased/cremation

Abstracted

art

Meander (key pattern) around the vase

Purely

commemorative-no reference to
afterlife

Grave

marker or votive sculpture

Egyptian

similarities and

differences
General

representation

Archaic

smile

Four

sided approach to block

Beginning

of quest for ideal form

Anavysos Kouros, 530 BCE, marble and paint

Peplos

Kore

Archaic
530

BC

Kore

is a freestanding, clothed female figure

(maiden)

Grave

marker or votive statue. Diff in men/women

Peplos

is a long woolen garment makes her look like

a column

Archaic
Bold

smile

innovations

Missing arm was extended-representing motion

Smiling

Archaic

Vase Painting: prized and exported

due to beauty.

Focused

on a specific scene instead of

using several registers. Mythological
subjects.

Black

figure vases

Red clay left untouched

Figures and details painted in slip (liquefied
clay) and fired to turn black in color
Additional details incised with sharp stylus

Archaic Black and Red Figure

Vase Painting

Red

figure vases-

Background painted in lustrous black

glaze
Red clay left unpainted to form design
Video

Niobid Painter, Niobides Krater,

460-450 BCE. Clay.

Found

in Orvieto, Italy

Niobe

was a mythological character

Bragged, boastful about # of children to

goddess Leto
Letos children killed Niobes
Loss of entire family within minutes

Development of Human Figure

Dying

Warrior, West
Pediment of the Temple
of Aphaia
Archaic
500 BCE

Dying

warrior, East
Pediment of the Temple
of Aphaia
Archaic

Kritios
Early

Boy

Classical

480

BCE

Riace

Warriors
Early
Classical
460 BCE

Zeus

or
Poseidon
Early
Classical
460 BCE

Myron's

Discobolos
Early
Classical
450 BCE

Charioteer
Early Classical, 470 BC

Doryphoros

(Spear
Bearer)by
Polykleitos
Classical
450 BCE

this

work was embodiment of Classical

period.

Polykleitos Believed in proportion (accurate measurements) as

the key to beauty.
Wrote THE CANON: a set of rules for creating the
perfect human figure
His name for this sculpture was The Canon because
it represented his beliefs so perfectly

The

Doryphorous is carefully and

precisely proportioned.

The

statues head is 1/7 of the

figures height, and the distance
across the shoulders is of the
figures height.

This

figure once held a spear in

his left hand

He

has an S motion to his

contrapposto stance.

There

is a great sense of the bodys

underlying structure in this piece.
veins in the arms.
Knee caps.
Rib cage.
The hair is long

Made

of limestone and/or marble

Temple

was house of god or goddess

often placed on a hill or sacred
grove.
Temple itself NOT for worship
Needs and comfort of god #1 priority
Greeks worshipped outside at altar which
faced rising sun

Greek Temples

Cult

statue/statue of diety inside

Exterior
Carved
Thought

relief sculpture

columns added to impressive power of temple

of as sculpture

Simple
Symmetrical
Orderly
Proportion

varied

Width to length 1:3 then later approx. 1:2

Whatever looked good and was harmonious!

Temple Plans

One

of earliest temple
types in Greece is the
peripteral temple
-temple floor surrounded by
colonnade, or row of
columns.

Peripteral Greek Temple

Plan of a typical peripteral temple

41

Cella(naos)-room

inside temple that housed

the cult statue of deity

Pronaos-front

porch that came before the

cella, open
Opisthodomos-rear

porch, decorative, for

symmetry purposes
Anta-extended

walls coming off the Pronaos

and Opisthodomos/have columns attached

Design

of temple could be.

Prostyle-colonnade across front of temple

Amphiprostyle-colonnade across front and back
of temple
Peristyle-colonnade across all 4 sides of
temple
Also

could choose from type of colonnade

rows:
Peripteral-Single rows of columns
Dipteral-Double rows of columns (usually more
elaborate temples)

Orders

included (from bottom):

1. Stepped platform-base
2. Colonnade-columns
3. Entablature-Everything above the columns

Style

of the above 3 units on exterior of

temple was known as an order

Two

main types of orders-Doric and Ionic

What is an order?

Compare Doric and Ionic

Orders

NoticeWhat
being used?

basic architectural system is

47

Massive,
Edges

plain

of column flutes come out to

point
Small

capital

Decorative

sculpture in metope and

pediment

Doric Order

Light,

airy, ornamental-sculpture
friendly

Entire

frieze for decorative sculpture

Sometimes

replaced columns with

caryatids(female figures)

Note-atlantids were male figures used

as columns

Ionic Order

The Acropolis

Famous

site in Athens built after Persian

war
Led

by Pericles, Greek general and statesman

Wanted

to honor goddess Athena and the

citizens of Athens (Athenians).

Made

up of 4 buildings:

Parthenon
Erechthion
Propylaia
Temple of Athena Nike

The Acropolis

 Iktinos

and Kallikrates, Parthenon

Classical
450 BCE

Phidias, Athena sculpture (inside Parthenon)

438 BC
High Classical

Temple

to honor Athena and house

her 38 high ivory and gold cult
statue made by Phidias
Known as Athena Parthenos, The Virgin
Faced east for sun to reflect off gold
Holding statue of Nike (winged female
victory)
Chryselephantine- Fashioned of gold and
ivory

Unofficially,

was also used to

honor the Athenians
Athenians made themselves the subject of
cella frieze: The Panathenaic Procession

Realized

Greeks long quest to

build a perfectly proportioned
temple
Used formula to determine # of columns

Made

of marble, fitted together

without mortar
Roof made of wood

Perfect

but Irregular!

Doric temple with Ionic influences

Outside of temple was Doric
Inside had Ionic frieze that ran around
outside of cella walls and 4 Ionic columns
inside treasury

Stylobate curves upward, Columns curve

slightly inward
To assist in optical illusion of perfection
OR to make it more dynamic lookingarchitectural contrapposto

Plan of the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens,

Greece, with diagram of sculptural program
(after Andrew Stewart), 447432 BCE.

West Pediment-Contest between Poseidon and Athena

East Pediment-Birth of Athena

Pediments of the Parthenon

Parthenon

Three Goddesses, East Pediment of the

Parthenon

Classical

430 BCE

Figure 5-50 Details of the Panathenaic Festival

procession frieze, from the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens,
64
Greece, ca. 447438 BCE. Marble, 3 6 high. Horsemen of
north frieze (top), British Museum, London; seated gods

Ionic

Frieze around cella

Narrative

frieze that showed over 400

men and women/200 animals. Included
horsemen, seated gods and goddesses,
elders and maidens

Subject:

Panathenaic Procession that

took place every 4 years in Athens

Procession that ended at Acropolis where a

new peplos was placed on wooden statue of
Athena
represents that the Athenians judged
themselves fit for inclusion in the
Temples sculptural decoration

Temple

of
Athena Nike
(within the
Acropolis) by
Kallikrates

Classical,
420

BCE

Small

amphiprostyle temple at
front of Acropolis complex

First

completely Ionic temple at

Acropolis
Note columns and frieze

Best

preserved sculpture is the relief

of Nike Adjusting Her Sandal

Nike

Adjusting
Her Sandal
Classical
410 BCE

Erechtheion,

with Porch of Maidens

Classical
420 BCE

Caryatid from
Erechtheion

Opposite

Parthenon

Erechtheion

built on destroyed temple of

Athena
Incorporated

a sacred rock, caused the

temple layout to be very unusual

Asymmetrical

Ionic temple with 6

Caryatids on side porch to support
smaller architrave

Caryatids-showed

embodiment of High

Classical Period
Relaxed contrapposto pose
Soft, clinging drapery
Serene expressions

Propylaia
Classical
437-432 BC

Entryway
Difficult

to Acropolis
to make-steep slope

Pinakotheke

(picture
gallery)was the forerunner to
modern day museum

Athenian Agora, 600-150 BCE

Athens, Greece.

Flat

area at the base of the Acropolis

Used

for political/philosophical debates,

worship, marketplace

Setting

for the yearly Panathenaic

Festival, ceremonies and parades to honor
the goddess Athena

Buildings

include: bouleuterions, tholos,

stoas, Altar of the 12 Gods

Grave

Stele of
Hegeso
Classica
l
400 BCE

Wealthy

families began to erect grave

monuments over burials
dead were shown as if alive
Architectural background

Woman

looking at necklace slave handed her

Naturalistic
NOTE:

and graceful forms, melancholy

no composite view. No frontal eye.

The Greek artist truly captured the profile
view as it was.

Geometric
Archaic

Period Kraters

Period Kouroi and Korai

Classical

Period Stelae

Review of Grave Markers

Battle

of Issus
Late Classical
310 BCE

This

is a copy of an original Greek

painting done by a Roman mosaic artist.

Subject:

Historical. Alexander the Great

invaded Persia. Had 35,000 men. King Darius
III of Persia had 100,000. Captures moment
of AG realizing how outnumbered he was but
attacking anyway! AG won!

Shows

intensity, drama, and advancing

representation of pictorial space

Mosaic-

an image composed of small

pieces of colored glass or stone

This

one has more than 1 million

tiny stones

9x16

Common

stylistic characteristics:

theatrical gestures
extreme emotion
inner character of figures
emphasis on formal realism

Common

subjects- An increase in
portraits, old people and
children.

Hellenistic Art

Classical

sculptors portrayed gods,

goddesses, and heroes with idealized
bodies and serene expressions.

Difference-

Hellenistic sculptors often

portrayed everyday people with
realistic and often aging bodies.

Expressive

faces intended to elicit an

emotional response from the viewer.

Hellenistic Period

(cont)

Altar

of Zeus or Pergamon
Altar
Hellenistic

Hellenistic

masterpiece

Monument

included a colonnade of
slender Ionic columns.

Elevated

porch for the sanctuary

An

enormous marble frieze nearly

8 high and 400 feet long that ran
around the base of the altar with
more than 100 panels.

Lower

part of the frieze shows

gigantomachy in high relief

Athena

attacking the Giants Alkyoneus

from the frieze at the Altar of Zeus
Hellenistic
175 BC

Frieze

shows emotional intensity that has had no

parallel.

Subject:

Athena fighting the giants. One is

holding onto her while she tears him away from
his mother. Mother begs for his life. Too late!
Nike flies in to crown Athena the victor.

Symbolism

of the Greeks overtaking the

Persians?
Called

baroque after 17th c. sculpture:

twisting, writhing, theatrical, emotionally
intense

Gallic

Chieftain
Killing Himself
and Wife
Hellenistic
220 BCE

Dying

Gaul
Hellenistic
220 BCE

Nike

of
Somothrace
(Nike
alighting on
a warship),
Hellenistic
190 BCE

Set

in the Sanctuary of Great Gods at

Samothrace
Missing
Wings

right arm held victory wreath

are beating, drapery moving and is

pulled across her torso

Set

on a stage-warship was inside

fountain (top level), bottom level was

filled with big rocks

Nike Victory

Interacts

with environment and

appear intensely ALIVE

Rejection

of Polykleitos canon
Perfect sculpture on a pedestal is
boring

Seated

Boxer
Hellenistic
100 BCE

He

is a battered boxer with a broken

nose, broken teeth and a scarred face.

Upward

gaze may have been directed at

the man who had just beaten him.

Aging
The

athlete resigned to his fate.

statue reminds us that fame and

youth are both fleeting.