Transcript Classical Antiquity review

Classical Antiquity
(Greek & Roman Art & Culture)
Barbier
AVI20
Greek Theatre
► Scholars
often say that the ancient Greeks
invented theatre
► Theatre began as a ritual to the Greek god
Dionysus (god of fertility and harvest)
► Eventually moved toward performance for
entertainment
► Thespis - first Greek actor - where we get the
term thespian (actor)
Greek Music
► Pythagorus
- inventor of
scales - found that string
of different lengths made
different sounds/pitches
► Pictures
on Greek art show
various string and wood
instruments
Greek Art
► Geometric
Period
► Orientalizing Period
► Archaic Period
► Early Classical Period
► High Classical Period
► Late Classical Period
► Hellenistic Period
900-700 BCE
700-600 BCE
600-480 BCE
480-450 BCE
400-320 BCE
400-320 BCE
320-30 BCE
Greek Art
► Art
emphasized beauty, perfection (idealism)
► Humanism - more emphasis on human rather than
religious values
 Previous ancient culture, such as the Egyptians, did
everything for their gods with an emphasis on the afterlife
 Greeks wanted to study the here and now - the human
body, nature
Greek Art
► The
human being was placed
at the center of Greek culture.
► Proportion, balance and unity
were key Greek ideals.
► The human body was considered beautiful
and perfectly proportioned.
Archaic Period
► The
sculpture of a young man
was called a Kouros
► Figures are stylized (did not
represent real people)
► Left foot is slightly forward
► Both arms are held stiffly at
their sides
► The mouth is set in a faint smile
(Archaic smile)
Statue of a Youth,
Kouros, about 600
BCE. Marble, 76”
(193 cm) high.
Late Archaic Period
► He
really stands; his back leg is
not bound to a block for balance
► Right hip drops downward and
inward
► Relaxed and naturalistic
► Archaic smile is gone
► Contrapposto (the engaged leg
is in the forward position)
Kritios Boy, about 480
BCE. Marble, 34” (86
cm) high
Classical Period
► Female
figure called a Kore
► Idealized young girl
► Shows realistic features
► Very natural folds in her dress
► Painted to appear more natural
► Braided hair and the hint of an
Archaic smile
Charioteer of Delphi,
about 470 BCE.
Bronze, 71” (180 cm)
high.
Classical Period
► The
artist wanted to show
action and movement
► The original did not have a
support
► The artist has captured a
moment in time
► Little emotion in the face
► Pose is unnatural for a human
Discus Thrower, about 450
BCE. Roman marble copy
of an original bronze.
Classical Period
► Sculpture
in the round
► Dedicated to the birth of Athena
► Wet drapery which clings to the body
► These folds create visual movement
Three Goddesses, about 435
BCE. Marble, over life-size, east
pediment of the Parthenon
Hellenistic Period
► Anguished
faces
► Three sculptors worked on
this
► Lacoon was a Trojan priest
who warned the people
not to accept the Trojan
horse
► The gods retaliated against
him and sent snakes to kill
him and his sons
Hagesandros, Polydoros, and
Athanadros of Rhodes, Lacoon
and His Sons, 2nd century or 1st
century BCE. 95 ½” (242 cm)
Hellenistic Period
► The
Victory Goddess
landing on a ship.
► Body is thrust forward.
► Her garment is fluttering
behind her.
► She looks like an angel.
Nike of Samothrace, about
190 BCE. Marble, 8’ (244
cm) high.
Greek Gods
► The
Greeks gave their
gods human form.
► The most powerful and
famous of these was
Zeus.
► Other famous gods and
goddesses Apollo,
Aphrodite, Athena,
Hades, and Poseidon.
Zeus
Greek Gods and Architecture
► In
their dedication to
these gods, they would
dedicate buildings/art
to them.
► Greek
goal- to lead a
perfect life which
meant doing what the
gods wanted them to.
Parthenon- dedicated to goddess
of war- athena
Greek Architecture
► Most
Greek architecture
was focused around
temples.
► Since the public was
generally not allowed to
enter temples, architects
designed impressive
exteriors.
►
►
►
Early temples were built
using brick or wood
With success in the
economy more expensive
materials were imported
such as limestone and
marble
Greek temples were built
on the post and lintel
system (see stone henge)
Post and Lintel
► Greek
buildings used Post and Lintel style
architecture
Greek Architecture
► Greek
Architecture still influences architecture
today. They introduced us to the three orders of
column capitals
►3
types of columns
 Doric
 Ionic
 Corinthian
Doric Columns
► Archaic
Doric
temple
► Heavy columns that
bulge and taper at
the top.
► Capitals are huge
and flat.
The Basilica (Temple of Hera)
About 550 BCE. Paestum, Italy
Ionic Columns
This temple was dedicated
to Athena the goddess of
war
► A low wall called a parapet
(wall-like barrier at the edge
of a roof) originally
surrounded it
► It is an amphiprostyle
temple (columns at each
end but not along the side)
► There is a porch on both
ends
►
Kallikrates, Temple of Athena Nike,
about 425 BCE. The Acropolis
Athena
Caryatids
Six maidens make up
the columns (Caryatids)
► Illusion of thin form
fitting drapery
► The artist used their hair
to support their necks
► Contraposto pose
(human figure standing
with most of their
weight on one foot)
►
The Porch of the Maidens, the
Erechtheum, about 421-405 BCE.
Marble. The Acropolis Athens
Corinthian Columns
► The
towering columns
are crowned with
decorative capitals of
acanthus leaves.
► Corinthian columns
► It is decorative and
graceful
► Only a small portion
remains today
Cossutius, Temple of the
Olympian Zeus, about
174 BC-2nd century AD.
Athens
Greek Vases
► Vases
and pottery were very
frequent (a functional vessel
but also artistic)
► Earliest Greek vases were
decorated with bands of simple
geometric patterns
► With time, artists added figures
and the most advanced ones
became more lifelike and story
oriented
Black on Red
► This
is black figure style
► Artist signed his name on
the work
► The figures and animals are
beautifully designed, and
executed with exquisite
technique
Exekias, Black-Figured
Amphora, about 530
BCE. 24” (61 cm) high.
Red on Black
►A
large jug for carrying
water from the community
fountain
► The background is now
painted black
► Perspective is shown by
having some figures higher
than others
Meidias, Red-Figured
Hyddria, about 410 BCE.
20 1/2#” (52 cm) high.