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Chapter 5Gods, Heroes, and Athletes:

The Art of Ancient Greece

Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 12e

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The Greek World

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Goals

• Understand the diverse cultural influences on Greek artistic development

• Discuss the evolution of the human figure and how it is represented in Greek art

• Relate the development of temple architecture

• Cite architectural components and terminology

• Understand the impact of the conquest of the Greeks on their respective art forms

• Discuss individual artists and their respective styles

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Greek Humanism

• “For we are the lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes. And we cultivate the mind without loss of manliness. -- Pericles– Greek humanism led to democracy.

[demos=people]– Greek gods took human form &

exhibited human frailties – yet were immortal

– The perfect individual became the Greek ideal.

– The first “Olympic Games” were held in 776 BCE.

• Athens as the center of ancient Greek culture.– Carried out in the stoa, the agora and

palaestrus.– “Sound mind in sound body”

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The Greek GodsAphrodite: (Venus) Goddess of love and

beauty.Apollo: (Apollo) God of light and music. A

great archer.Artemis: (Diana) Goddess of the hunt and wild

animals.Athena: (Minerva) Goddess of wisdom and

warfare. Her city was Athens.Demeter: (Ceres) Goddess of grain and

agriculture.Dionysos: (Bacchus) God of wine.Hera: (Juno) Goddess of marriage.Herakles: (Hercules) Greatest Greek hero

who performed 12 great labors. According to legend, he established the Olympic games.

Hermes: (Mercury) Messenger of the gods, guide of travelers.

Laocöon: A character from the Aeneid: a Trojan priest who was strangled, along with his two sons, while sacrificing at an altar.

Medusa: A gorgon with a hideous face and snake hair, she turned anyone who gazed at her to stone.

Zeus: (Jupiter) King of the gods.

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Geometric, Orientalizing, and Archaic Art• Characteristics typical of vase decoration

from the Geometric period. – Almost exclusively covered in abstract

motifs.– Human figure is highly stylized.– No depth of space.

The 7th century was known as the “Orientalizing” period in Greek art because the Greeks borrowed many motifs from Egypt or Near Eastern art due to closer contact through trade.

New subject-matter• Egyptian monsters, like the Sphinx and

lamassu.• Black-figure painting.

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Geometric, Orientalizing, and Archaic Art

Found in a cemetery: 3 ft tall, open bottom, perhaps to pour libations in honor of the dead.

• The Krater was a vessel for mixing wine and water.

• A fine example of figure painting in Ancient Greece.

• Features a meander, a Greek “key” design around the rim of the vase.

• The scenes on the vase depict funerary practices.– 2 dimensional– Highly geometric patterns. – No sense of open space.– Figures are simple and composite.– Human figured reintroduced &

storytelling was revived. Diplyon krater– ca. 740 BCE

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Geometric Sculpture

• Schematic figures also existed: Bronze of a man and a centaur battling --ca 750-730 BCE– Example of a composite monster.– Theme may have come from the

Near East, but the Centaur is Greek. -- Note human legs in

the front! -- Size indicates possible

victor!

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The Human Figure in Early Greek Art

Apollo of Mantiklos – 700-680 BCE

• Inscription scratched into the though indicates this was an offering to the sun god Apollo.

• Indicates interest in human anatomy.

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Influences from the East

Amphora [2 handled storage jar] shows Eastern influence. This example: Proto-Corinthian. What are the Eastern influences? Also an example of the black-figure painting developed by the Corinthians. Painted figures in black. Then incised detail

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Plan of Temple A, Prinias, Crete, ca. 625 BCE.

The First Stone Temples

• Trading brought

Egyptian influences to Greece before 630 BCE• Including their monumental architecture. • Carved stone lintel – similar motifs as on the vases of the period.

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The Human Figure in Archaic Art• Early Greek statutes follow the Egyptian

model – the Kouros [young man] takes a very Egyptian pose.

Differences:•Liberated from the stone block – interested in motion rather than stability.• Are shown nude, with a perfect body.• Kouros & Kore were ideals.

ca. 600 BCE

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Comparison Daedalic style: Triangles, flat features, slim waist, love of pattern.

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The Human Figure in Archaic Art

The Smiling Calf Bearer• A citizen bringing an offering Athena.• Perfect nudity, yet clothing indicated.• Love of pattern.• The “Archiac smile” appears.

• Probably used to indicate that the person is alive

560 BCE

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The Human Figure in Archaic Art

The Kroisos Kouros ca. 530 BCE

• A young hero slain in battle

• Body rendered in a more naturalistic manner.– Head in proportion &

face more rounded.– Hair falls naturally.– Traces of the original

paints remains

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The Human Figure in Archaic Art

Kore were stylistically similar to kouros

• Wearing a peplos• Buried for 2 millenia, thus

preserving the paint.• Extended arm a break from

Egypt.• More natural, wearing a

chiton & himation.• Folds are assymetrical. • Grasping & lifting chiton is

equivalent of “left foot forward in the Kore

Lady of Auxerre

Peplos Kore ca. 530 BCE

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The Human Figure in Archaic Art

Kore from Acropolis ca. 520-510 BCE

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Greek Architectural Development• Early ones made of wood and did not

survive. [One wooden column preserved at Olympia]

• Later made of limestone or marble.• Temple at Prianas - monumental with

sculptures. 625 BCE.– Began to follow the example of

Egyptian columnar halls– Altars were outside the temple at the

east end; worshippers gathered outside to worship.

– The temple housed the cult statue – Greek temples were houses for the

gods, not the followers.– Figural statues appeared early in order

to evoke human responses; temples built in high places. Acropolis = “high city”

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Greek Architectural Development

PLAN & PROPORTION• Close to the Mycenaen megaron in the

early days.– Order, compactness, symmetry.– Proportion of end to sides 1 : 3– Later approached 1 : 2, but not exactly.– Related to harmony in music.

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Plan (left) and restored cutaway view (right) of the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina, Greece, ca. 500–490 BCE. Formed of single colonnades. Structure: Platform, Colonnade, Superstructure [entablature] Painted decoration was in the frieze area

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Greek Architectural Development• Example of early Doric: Decoration placed

in parts that had no structural function – the metope & pediments.

• Translation into stone of earlier timber architecture.

• The columns show entasis

Temple of Hera I, Paestum, ca. 550 BCE

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Pediment Sculptures• The artistic issue was the triangular shape.

Used figures that were standing, kneeling, leaning etc… n.b. Animals have one end taller than the other!

• Identifies the central character, but not a narrative.

• The narrative was in the smaller areas of the pediment.

w. pediment, Temple of Artemis, Corfu ca 600-580 BCE

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Caryatids & Giants• Ionic temples of the 6th cen. BCE on Aegean

Islands and Asia Minor [now Turkey] used human form for pillars. – Caryatids

Reconstruction of theSiphnian Treasury,

Delphi ca 530 BCE

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Frieze from Delphi

• Treasuries were for the safe storage of votive offerings

• Ionic friezes ran around the building continuously.

• Representations of giants• The caryatids were korai dressed in chiton

& himation

Pediment frieze from Siphnian Treasury-- Delphi ca 530 BCE

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SummaryGeometric statues & vases: Strong Asian

influence, stylized with geometric patterns.Archaic Sculpture: Starts with, but moves

away from Egptian influence.Temples: Influenced by near east. Move from

the simple Cretan megaron, through Doric to Ionic..

Doric IonicSeverely plain Highly ornamentalEchinus convex Echinus small and

supports and cushionlike bolster ending in scroll-

like spiralsFrieze subdivided into Frieze left open to

provide triglyphs and metopes continuous field for relief sculptures

Massive in appearance Light and airy in appearance