The Art of Ancient Greece and Rome
Architecture
Sculpture
Ancient Greece650 B.C. – 150 B.C.
• Art• Architecture• Poetry• Drama• Philosophy• Government, law,
logic• History and
mathematics
• Humanism• Human figure
principle motif• Ideal proportions • Stressed harmony,
order, clarity of thought
Origin of Western Civilization
Ancient
Greece
Asia Minor
•
Modern
Turkey
ITALY
Greek Architecture
During the Classical Period
480 – 323 BC
Artist’s drawing of the Acropolis, Athens c. 438 BC
Acropolis
• Nearly every Greek city had an acropolis (“high city”) – a walled fort for protection
• As city moved outwards, Athens's acropolis became religious center
• Athens's acropolis was premier temple complex of all Greece
• Hill is dominated by two temples to Athena- Parthenon and Erechtheum
The Acropolis Today
Parthenon
Erechtheum
Parthenon
• Parthenon built on Acropolis in Athens
• Temple is the model for thousands of buildings in western world
• Colors have worn away• Sculptures removed to other lands• Explosion in 1687
The Parthenon 447 – 438 BC
Elements: What you see
What lines do you see?
Where would you have seen diagonal lines?What shapes do you see?
Technical Properties: How it was made
What materials were used in construction?
Marble
How long do you think it took to build?
15 years
DORIC ORDER
Entablature
Capital
The Parthenon
detail of interior frieze
Depicts idealized Athenian soldiers on horseback
North front of the Erechtheum
IONIC ORDER
Caryatids on the Erechtheum Porch
• Sculptural columns
• Classical ideal of youth, beauty,perfect proportions
• Warning!!! Betrayal will be punished
CORINTHIAN ORDER
• Used mostly in colonies
• Taller with leaf capital
• Favorite of Romans
Temple of Zeus 6th Century B.C.E.
Greek Vase Painting
• Virtually all paintings and frescoes of ancient Greece have been destroyed
• Visual record is saved on pottery• Most displayed geometric pattern
and figure drawing• Scenes often related to function of
pot often with heroes or gods
Amphora
Analatos Painter
c. 700 BC
Geometric Style
• Geometric patterns
• Do figures look real?
Archaic Period
Amphora by Exekias c. 530 BC
What are they doing?
GREEK SCULPTUREClassical Period
5th-4th Century BC
• Anatomically correct• Capable of movement• Facial expressions are serene• Idealized youth and beauty• Influenced Renaissance Artists in
15th C
Classical Period
The Discus Throwerby Myron c. 480 – 450 BC
• Original was bronze - only copies remain
• Elements of Classical Style• Anatomical detail• Sense of motion• S-curves• Idealized youth and beauty
Aphrodite de Melos
Original c. 480 - copy c. 150 BC
Classical Period
• Who is she?
• 6’ 8” tall
• Rescued from scrap pile
• Now in Louvre Museum in Paris
• Better know as?
The Art of Ancient Rome
Architecture
Sculpture
509 BCE – 476 CE
Roman Empire included:• Entire Mediterranean and Black Sea
worlds• All of western Europe• Ancient civilizations of Egypt and
Mesopotamia
Ancient Rome
• Recognized greatness of Greek art• Borrowed from it• Added emotion and realism to
sculpture to honor and celebrate Roman leaders and citizens
• Changed architecture with development of concrete and supporting arch
Portrait Bust of Julius Caesar
• Created as Julius Caesar was attempting to become emperor
• Portrait busts were the specialty of Roman artists—there are thousands!
• Usually marble or bronze• Commemorated, glorified or
promoted a prominent citizen• Many busts were originally painted
What makes this bust look realistic?
Sunken cheeks, lines around mouth, wrinkled brow
50 BCE, marble
Portrait Bust of Aristotle
*2nd Century BCE Roman copy of Greek original (c. 325 BCE)
Aristotle, who lived from 384 to 322 BCE,is one of the important founding figures in Western Philosophy
Remarkable for realism and expressiveness
• Faces were carved to be realistic….
…..warts and all!
Portrait Bust of an Elderly
Woman
40-20 BCE, marble, 10 ¼” high
• There is still red pigment on the hair, lips, eyebrows and eyelashes
• There is still black pigment in the right eye
• Hair style reflects the fashion of the time
• Created in the late Republic/Early Empire Period
What is her expression?
Somber, Serious
Augustus of Prima Porta
• Portrayed as orator (outstretched arm) and General (dressed in a breastplate)
• Larger than life• Deified after death• Relief sculpture on larger sculpture
How does this sculpture show movement?
Position of feet, legs, arm
Where does this sculpture show texture?
Hair, breastplate, draped clothing
19 BCE, marble, 7’ high
The Colosseum
How is this different from Greek building?
The Colosseum
• Romans were excellent planners and engineers
• Two main contributions to architecture:– Cement – Arch
• Colosseum covers 6 acres• Seating capacity 50,000• Still one of the largest single
buildings in the world
Colosseum Exterior• Large masses of stone from
Colosseum used to construct new buildings
• Stopped around 1032• Four levels• Lower three – different Greek
column• Decorative only – do not support
walls
Different column type on each level
Name that column
DORIC IONIC CORINTHIAN
The Arch of Constantine• Arches constructed in battlefield to celebrate victory
• Permanent arches built in Rome
• Relief sculptures show heroes of the battle
• Find the keystone
Trajan’s Column
• Trajan conquered what today is Romania
• Column is to celebrate the victory
• 650 ft spiral band includes 150 separate episodes
• Includes thousands of figures
• 100’ high (125’ with statue)
• Spiral staircase inside leads to top
Trajan’s Column - Detail
• Sculpture showing historical event is uniquely Roman
• Spiral band of sculpture or frieze is about 4’2” wide
• First visual documentary
Astoria Column• Patterned on Trajan’s
Column• Pictorial frieze using
sgraffito technique• Built to honor:
– Captain Robert Grey– Lewis and Clark– Arrival of the Great
Northern Railway• Story reads from bottom
up• Interior staircase that
leads to cupola
The Pantheon
• Temple dedicated to all the gods• Dome resting on a cylindrical base• Both made of poured concrete• Walls are 20 feet thick• Portico (porch) in front (Greek)• Every country in western world has
“borrowed” the Pantheon design• Including the United States Capitol
The Pantheon
What kind of columns are these?
Who commissioned the Pantheon?
Corinthian!
Marcus Agrippa
The dome represents the dome of heaven and used to be gilded
Yes, that is a hole in the roof! It is called an oculus (eye) rain?
The repeating recessed squares within the dome reduce its weight and mass
Niches in the walls contain statues of famous Romans
The dome is supported by the cylindrical base
Interior of Pantheon c 1740 Giovanni Pannini
Lakewood Center
• Built in 1893
• Rebuilt in 1928 with the current façade
Greek or Roman?• Columns?
GREEK! ROMAN!
• Base with step?• Pediment?
• Bust?• Niche?• Arch with keystone?
GREEK!GREEK! ROMAN!ROMAN!
Roman 2-D Art
• Art in Ancient Rome took on a wider, and sometimes more utilitarian, purpose than Greek art.
• Roman culture assimilated many cultures and was for the most part tolerant of the art forms of conquered peoples.
• Roman art was commissioned, displayed, and owned in far greater quantities, and adapted to more uses than in Ancient Greece.
• Wealthy Romans decorated their walls with art, their home with decorative objects, and themselves with fine jewelry.
View of a Garden from Villa of Livia Fresco20 BCE
Rome, Italy
What did Ancient Romans do if they did not have a view from a real window?
Paint the view on the wall
Can you spot the birds in the air and the fruit on the trees?
What makes this fresco symmetrically balanced?
Entry and Atrium with Dog Mosaic
Pompeii, Italy
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
425 ce Ravenna, ItalyWhat is a mausoleum?
Portrait of a Woman in Mosaic(1st Century Naples, Italy)
Different colors of mosaic pieces create light and shadow
Pieces in face are arranged organically
Pieces in background are arranged geometrically
Notice the Roman style of making portraits realistic
Hands-On ProjectRoman Mosaic
Step 1: Choose template or create own with graph paper and transfer to cardboard circle.
Step 2: Assemble colored paper squares on board in design chosen. You may need to cut squares into triangles or smaller pieces to fit your pattern.
Step 3: Glue mosaic pieces into place, leaving slight gaps.
Step 4: Display your beautiful mosaic
Step 5:
