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ART OF ANCIENT GREECE CHAPTER 5 c. 1000-600 BC
The Greek's were very different from the Egyptians. Yes, they were a polytheistic society, but their god and goddesses were created in human forms. As your book points out, "there are three basic concepts that form the foundations of an understanding of Greek art: movement away from idealism toward greater naturalism, a preoccupation with form and perfect proportion, especially in depicting the human figure, and representation of people and objects aiming at realism." This is a slow evolution that occurs through four distinct periods of Greek art. They are: geometric, archaic, classical and hellenistic. It is very important that you understand the basic characteristics of these four styles. It is also important to know the difference between naturalism, idealism and realism. Reality is not truth. Naturalism refers to images and objects that correspond to the world of everyday perception. Idealism is perfecting the world we see around us.
In Greek art, their gods and goddesses are portrayed as humans with human faults and behaviors. Their belief in "humanism" (that man is the measure of all things) places emphasis on life while living and not on life after death. They strove for perfection, harmony and beauty in nature. (Note the two different philosophies of Plato and Aristotle in the Kissick book.) Nudity is a part of their culture, and it was not meant to be pornographic or sexual. In the Olympics, the athletes and warriors trained and performed nude. Their figures of gods and goddesses are idealized and perfected, even though those same gods might have human faults. The myths surrounding these various gods are very interesting. One myth that I find very interesting is about the birth of Athena. Her father, Zeus, was a very powerful god who was married to Hera. He decided on his own to have a child without the aid of Hera. After a splitting headache, he gave birth to Athena through a crack in his forehead. She was fully grown, beautiful and attired in full military gear. This angered Hera and she decided to have a child without Zeus. Her children were born out of her thigh and were evil monsters. There were many legends about their gods called myths. Not only do we know these through writings, but we can also read them through visual images which were painted by artists on vases. Since we don't have any examples of wall paintings, these vase decorations are important in studying their style of painting. As with the Egyptians, their paintings are narrative. To really understand or read the code of these images, we need to know the myths. I want you to know the difference between black figure style of vase painting and red figurestyle.
The Geometric style in vase painting and sculpture was composed of shapes that were geometric--simple, isn't it? When you look at the images of the figures painted on the vases, they are flat and two-dimensional, with cylinder, square, triangle, etc. used to compose them. Other abstract patterns might be used to form a motif around the borders. The same is true with sculpture during the geometric period. Even though they were 3 dimensional, the shapes were geometric. A torso would be a triangle or cylinder, hips a triangle, etc. They, too, were stiff and rigid.
In the Archaic style in both vase painting and sculpture the figures are still rigid and column-like. There is some movement toward naturalism, with the faces and body looking less geometric. They painted their sculpture with encaustic paint, as you can see on the Peplos Kore. There is a hint of a body under her clothes and she has an "Archaic smile" on her face. The figures are still closed-in-form and no visible movement suggested. The stone figures called Kore and Kouros were used as funerary monuments for cemeteries. Compare the Anavysos Kouros (p.170) figure with the later Kritios Boy (p.180) and note the differences that were occuring in representing the human figure. The Kritios Boy is considered Early Classical and is a transitional figure.
In the Classical style, the artists truly understood anatomy. Their figures were idealized, youthful, in perfect harmony with their surroundings. The Discus Thrower can stand on his own two feet, twist and bend to throw a discus naturalistically. This figure is carved in marble and is a "Roman Copy". The Greek original by the sculptor Myron was a bronze sculpture, but it hasn't survived. He caught the athlete at that exact moment before propelling the discus into the air. The muscular torso and athletic appearance is wonderfully portrayed. The Young Warrior which is represented and discussed in our book, is a very good example of what the Discus Thrower looked like in bronze. At this time, the artists understood contrapposto (weight-shift), and figures during the Classical period are able to walk, recline, gesture and move. The figures were open-in-form, still painted on the surface, and we find both three-dimensional sculpture, as well as relief sculpture. The Three Goddesses from the Parthenon pediment were actually attached to the wall and are considered "high relief" sculpture. The artists caved out of marble and used the lost-wax process to cast figures in metal. Mostly gods, goddesses, and legends were the subjects during this period. The Classical style will be very similiar to the later Renaissance style in rendering figures.
The Hellenistic style of figurative sculpture is quite different from the Classical style. The figures are no longer idealized, but rather more realistically rendered. All ages are portrayed from youth to old age. The figures become even more open-in-form with figures dramatically twisting and lunging forward. Human emotions and feelings are displayed on the faces (Dying Gaul and Laocoon Group). Wind and rain are evident in the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The Hellenistic style is very similiar to the 17th Century Baroque style that we will study later.
Interesting sites on sculpture are:
After the Acropolis was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC, Perikles convinced the Athenians to rebuild it. This was to not only honor the gods (Athena especially), but to create a "visual expression of Athenian values and civic pride that would glorify his city and bolster its status as the capital of the empire he was instrumental in building." (Stokstad p 188) The cost and labor was unreal! Supposedly, over 22,000 tons of marble was transported 10 miles to city workshops. This caused much criticism from political foes of Perikles for being so extravagant; however, he had popular support from the working-class people (laborers, carpenters, masons, sculptors and merchants) because of the work it had generated.
When reviewing Greek architecture, be sure and know the differences between the three Greek orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. I want you to know where the following terms are located on Greek temples: pediment, column, frieze, metope, shaft, capital, and base. The earliest Greek order was the Doric. The Greeks used it first during the Archaic Period, and throughout the Classical and Hellenistic periods (the most famous doric temple is the Parthenon). In the Classical period, they introduced the Ionic order. All of the temples on the Acropolis in Athens were built during the Classical period. Their are both doric and ionic orders represented. Look at the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erectheum. The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena and is the largest temple on the Acropolis. By using the Doric order, it inspires thoughts of integrity, dignified authority and power. The smallest temple on the Acropolis is the Athena Nike Temple. It was also dedicted to Athena and her handmaiden Nike. The Erectheum was built on three levels and is known for its Porch of Maidens (carytids) It's Ionic columns are slender, graceful, light, up-lifting and feminine in style. All three Greek Orders were used in the Hellenistic period, as well as by the Romans who greatly admired "everything Greek".
Interesting sites on Greek architecture are:
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