Time Period 5 - Greek Art

Ancient (Classical) Greece - 800 B.C. - 150 B.C.

Major Periods in Greek Art Geometric and Orientalizing Periods - 800 - 600 B.C. The Archaic Period - 600 - 480 B.C. The Classic Period - 480 - 450 B.C. Severe Classicism - 480 - 450 B.C. The Age of Pericles - 450 - 404 B.C. Late Classical or Pre-Hellenistic - 404 - 323 B.C. Hellenistic Period - 323 - 150 B.C. Much of Greek Art had been commissioned by Rome by 100 B.C.

Classical Greece - Quick Notes

• Belief in the Ideal form (Plato). Perfection. The "nude" developed
• Balance and moderation in all things, "Golden Mean" proportion
• Developed ORDERS in architecture: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
• Gods shown in perfected human form
• Concerned with expressive possibilities of human figure

Dorian invasions of the the Aegean and the Peloponnesus lasted for 100 years. Raids were small, but persistent, and invaders finally succeeded in settling in southern Greece. Life returned to a nomadic tradition; art and the curiosity of learning were replaced with daily survival. There is no evidence of writing during the four centuries between 1100-700 B.C. The joyful and playful expression of the Minoan art and the realistic character of Mycenean art had disappeared. In its place developed a strict geometric style using lines, dots, and geometric forms, and animals and humans were stylized into stick-like figures. This was the period called the Geometric.

In the 8th century B.C., the Greek civilization changed; city states grew. A Greek re-vitalization appeared around Athens, and trading with the lands of the Mediterranean influenced styles of art.

The Orientalizing Period emerged, 700 - 600 B.C. Black lines and geometric forms combined into more recognizable shapes. A new alphabet developed.

Societies of today have been greatly influenced by Greek philosophies, ideals, and styles. Unlike prior cultures that remained relatively unchanged for years, Greek art evolved steadily and achieved elegance over a period of seven hundred years.

The Greek culture was anthropocentric, which meant that the human being was all important. The human form was considered beautiful, balanced, and harmonious. When gods were sculpted or painted, they were represented in this perfect human form. The nude figure as an art form developed in Greece, and was seen as the ultimate perfection of man and woman. Olympians participated in their events unclothed. The Principles of Design that inspired all forms of Greek art and architecture were simplicity, clarity, rhythm, unity, and harmony. It is in sculpture and architecture that they attained their greatest triumphs. Naturalism and idealism were unique contributions of the Greeks to the history of art. Aesthetics, which is the beauty and emotional appeal of an object, was the essence of Greek thinking. Everything had an ideal form which was its "beauty." The cultural environment of Greece encouraged all types of art and innovation as long as it focused on this ideal. Artists proudly took ownership of their creations. Unfortunately, large numbers of art pieces from this period have been lost due to war, neglect, or deterioration. The Greek culture developed many of the foundations of government, philosophy, mathematics, and medicines of today. The fundamental values of Western Civilization: humanism, individualism, and human dignity were inherited from Greece. Use as your Traveling Resource - Cultural Map of Hellas.

Ancient (Classical) Greece Greek Art Historical & Cultural Architecture

You will visit these sites: The Acropolis - Athens The Parthenon - The Acropolis - 438 B.C. Temple of Athena Nike - The Acropolis - after 420 B.C. The Propylaia - 450 B.C. Erechtheion - 500 B.C. Pergamon Altar - 180 - 175 B.C. The Theater of Dionysus - 500 B.C. The Theater of Epidauros - 350 B.C.

Architecture The Geometric & Orientalizing and Archaic Period: 800 - 480 B.C. The greatest achievement of Greek architecture was governed by a structural logic based on aesthetic beauty. Greek architects built their temples in accordance with the harmony of nature, measured in units and proportions. All parts were in perfect agreement, harmonizing sizes and shapes. Temples were so carefully designed that no mortar or cement was used in their construction. The function of the temple was to house and protect the divine image of a god or goddess and not to provide a space for worship, as in other cultures. Use this resource to complete the...... Ancient Greece: Comparing Columns - Exam. Using this system of orderly arranged parts led to a development of "orders." The Doric order came from the mainland of Greece and was the most simple; the Ionic order evolved in the islands of the Aegean Sea and on the coast of Asia Minor; and the Corinthian order was used in the Hellenistic period, and later in the Roman culture. These orders consisted of detailed rules that guided construction based on proportions of the parts to the whole. The Doric order consisted of a shaft made of sections called drums and marked with vertical grooves, called flutes. This was done so that the connections were not easily noticeable. The capital supported the horizontal marble blocks of the architrave. Above this was a frieze and the cornice. Most of the sculptural pieces added to the frieze were brightly painted. There were three main divisions in temple construction: the stepped platform, the columns, and the entablature. Roofs were made from terra cotta (clay) tiles and supported by wooden beams.

Take a side trip - visit the temples and their columns. Browse through the three column styles and temples that show them. The ground plan for all Greek temples had one typical plan. The entrance was called the cella or naos, and was the room where the deity was placed. The entrance porch was called the pronaos. A second porch was constructed behind the cella for symmetry. In larger temples, the central rooms were surrounded by a row of columns called the colonnade or peristyle. These columns had a feeling of strength and massiveness.

Architecture
The Classical Period:
480 - 404 B.C. The Age of Pericles - began 450 B.C.

The Doric order reached its zenith during the Classical period in the Parthenon - 447 - 438 B.C. It was dedicated to the city's patron goddess, Athena Parthenos (The Maiden Athena) and remains a masterpiece of world architecture.

Take a side trip - visit the Ancient City of Athens - the Acropolis.

And now, as a class, let's Discuss the Ancient Greek Acropolis.

The "Golden Age of Greece"

Pericles lived from 495 - 429 B.C. He was an Athenian statesman who had tremendous prestige and popularity based upon his personal integrity, foresight, and powerful oratorical ability. He entered politics in 469 B.C. as a leader of the democractic sector. His program aimed at bringing together the Greek empire and using his revenues to promote Athenian prosperity, particularly among the poorer classes. To stimulate employment and protect and beautify Athens, he developed building programs of public works. These included long walls joining the city to the harbor, Piraeus, and the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Odeum. In Greek history, the "Age of Pericles" is often called the "Golden Age of Greece."

The Ionic order evolved during this time in the Aegean Islands and on the coast of Asia Minor. The columns of the Ionic temples are slender, tall, and delicate, and topped with large double-scrolled capitals, designed from the proportions of the golden spiral. This style was recognized as an order in 450 B.C.

Architecture, at this time, made these two refinements: the columns were placed further apart and secondly, proportions overall were less massive. There was an optical illusion that the temple was rising upward. Ionic structures had a feeling of lightness.

During the 4th c. B.C., Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great defeated the Greek army and built a huge empire which had its southern end in Egypt and its eastern boundary in Asia. During this time, Greek art reflected new styles from the East.

Architecture
The Hellenistic Period:
323 - 150 B.C.

	This period began upon the death of Alexander the Great. With the influence of the regions of Asia and Egypt, new styles and ideas appeared. The Corinthian order was developed. It was the most ornate and complex, having columns that were tall and crowned with decorative capitals of acanthus leaves. The Altar of Zeus (below right) at Pergamon represents a huge monument to commemorate the victories of the Hellenistic leader, Attalus I. Although altars have been traditionally from the Ionian period, the Altar of Zeus is the most elaborate. A great frieze, 400 feet long, covers its base with high relief sculptures that stand eight feet tall. The sculpted figures are stout and show a dynamic force with wind-blown garments and muscular bodies.
		All men have the desire to know. - Aristotle. Metaphysics, 350 B.C.

Hellenistic architecture was larger and more dramatic than that of the Classical Period. The most significant contribution was that of the amphitheater.

These outdoor, semi-circular theaters had seats on the hillside, with the performance stage in the bottom area which created natural acoustics.

This design is still used today.

Take a side trip - visit the Theater at Epidauros. (Make sure to use the right arrow below the image to click through all six pictures of the theater)

Ancient (Classical) Greece Greek Art Historical & Cultural Painting & Pottery

Painting Styles

• Geometric Style - 800 B.C.
• Archaic Style - red-clay - black figures - 600 B.C.
• Black-Figure Style - 550 B.C.
• Red-Figure Style - 500 B.C.
• Classical Style - 450 B.C.

Pottery
The Geometric & Orientalizing and Archaic Period:
800 - 480 B.C.

Greek history speaks of being proud of the paintings that decorated the temple walls; however, few remain today. Instead, it is the exquisite vases that are studied for their painting styles. There was four main styles.

After looking at the links below, compare and contrast the styles Ancient Greece: Comparing Pottery - Exam.

The Geometric Style

The Archaic Style (click on Thumbnails)

Black-Figure Style

Red-Figure Style

The geometric style was the first phase of Greek pottery painting. It is characterized by abstract designs of triangles, checkers, rosettes, and concentric circles. Toward 700 B.C., human and animal figures began to appear in elaborate scenes. Toward 600 B.C., art was influenced by trading with Egypt and the Near East. The archaic style began.

By 550 B.C., vase painting represented an attempt to understand the world. The black-figure style recounted legendary heroes of the past and told their stories on the pottery. The Greeks were magnificent potters. Although their vases are beautifully symmetrical, the Greeks did not use a potter's wheel. Instead, they built their vessels using the coil method. They painted mythological scenes using a black slip called an "engobe." The firing process involved three stages: oxidation, reduction, then re-oxidation. This caused the engobe to reach its final color—a black silhouette on reddish clay. In the red-figure style, 500 B.C., figures were freely drawn with the brush, rather than incised. The artist could now depend less on just the profile view. Foreshortening (figures receding in space) and overlapping limbs could be freely drawn, representing a more realistic figure. Scenes from daily life were painted in a precise and delicate linear style.

Greek Pottery Types: Hydria - water jar with three handles Lekythos - oil flask Krater - bowl for mixing wine & water Amphora - storage vessel for storing wine, corn, oil, & honey Kylix - drinking cup Oenochoe - wine jug

Painting & Pottery
The Classical Period:
480 - 404 B.C.

Around 480 B.C., the Classical style achieved its greatest breakthroughs. The art of illusion of depth could now be achieved by applying a white coating on which the painter could draw as flexibly as any good draftsman.

Take a side trip to photograph the Classical Style.........Browse through five sites.

Painting
The Hellenistic Period:
323 - 150 B.C.

During this period the bourgeois class started to build collections, creating a favorable market for the arts. Portraits, showing a natural character, were painted for the wealthy. Painting on the easel was developed. Foreshortening to create depth and light became a strong element of design, and was used to express reflection and to show volume. Painting during the Hellenistic period mainly consisted of two types, encaustic and tempera, and the technique of "glazing" was discovered to enhance the richness of colors.

Take a side trip - visit Pompeiian Wall Painting at the Villa of the Mysteries.

What is left of other examples of Greek paintings are only the copies made during the Roman civilization. We will see these when we travel to Rome.

Ancient (Classical) Greece Greek Art Historical & Cultural Sculpture

Beauty is form in these sculptures:

• The Peplos Kore - 525 B.C.
• Three Goddesses from East Pediment of the Parthenon - 438 B.C.
• Winged Victory of Samothrace - 200-190 B.C.
• The Discus Thrower - 460 - 450 B.C.
• The Laocoon - 260 B.C.
• The Spear-Carrier - 450 B.C.
• Hermes with Infant Dioysus - 330 B.C.
• Dying Gaul - 230-220 B.C.

Sculpture
The Geometric & Orientalizing and Archaic Period:
800 - 480 B.C.

It was in sculpture that Greek art saw the most development. Early works in the Archaic Period were stylized and idealized, stiff and rigid, reflecting an Egyptian style—left leg forward, with arms and hands attached to the body. The hair and facial character also reflected Egyptian stylization, as well as the perpendicular quality of the shoulders to the torso. They were often painted with wax paints and carved in limestone or marble. The most common type was the "kouros," a nude male figure which represented the god Apollo. A common female figure was called a "kore," and dressed in a clinging drapery garment. Both faced front with arms rigidly by their sides. This stylization had one important difference from the Egyptian—it stood freely and was not attached to blocks of stone.

Read about The Peplos Kore while completing the ...... The Peplos Kore - Exam.

Sculpture
The Classical Period:
480 - 404 B.C.

In the early Classic Period, after 480 B.C., the Greeks enjoyed a time of peace following the defeat of the Persian fleet at Salamis. In these times, the arts flourished. The uniqueness of ideas, thoughts, and artistic expression was widely supported. Many sculptures were made from bronze, with inlays of copper and glass. These three-dimensional forms portrayed both a balance and prowess of physical beauty. Detailed features showed personal character, only to reach a more expressive level a bit later in the Age of Pericles.

Strenuous action and dynamic movement had already been explored in the relief pediment sculpture of the Late-Archaic Period. To incorporate the same freedom of movement into free-standing sculptures, the concept of "contrapposto" was established. This meant that the weight of the sculpted form was shifted onto one leg, also called a "triangle of stability."

Classical Pose - Exam - Use Wounded Amazon as a resource......

The Triangle of Stability - Exam - Use dionysus as a reference.....

During the Classical Period, the first realistic nudes were sculpted. To the Greeks, the human body showed perfection. A Venus or Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was supposed to be viewed without a garment to show her natural form. The nude figure was proportioned mathematically, and sculptures had a systematic, ideal quality, unlike true human form with its irregularities.

The Classic Period was a time of harmony and prosperity in Greece. The fluidity and freedom of this period was reflected in the sculptural style of dynamic movement. This style was a visual representation of an action stopped in time. The sculptures of the Parthenon are one of the Classical period's greatest achievements. The East and West Pediments were filled with larger-than-life figures designed to fit the spaces exactly. There were ninety-two metopes sculpted in relief. A frieze ran continously around the top of the wall of the cella and contained the large sculpture of Athena. These elaborate adornments were finished in a period of twelve years, sculpted by a team of artists under the direction of Phidias.

In the Three Goddesses on the East Pediment, the drapery of the figures seems to cling to the creases of the natural form. The lines of the folds move the viewer's eye to the focal point of the composition, which is the birth of Athena. The artists of Classical Greece were superbly skilled in anatomy and the use of rhythm and movement.

Using the Classical Sculpture of Ancient Greece as a reference (first 14 images on the page), let's Discuss classical Greek sculpture.

The Peloponnesian War disrupted the Classical glory of Greece. The Athenian style, so harmonious in feeling and form, did not survive long after the defeat of Athens by Sparta, although traditional styles stayed for centuries. Lysippus became the official sculptor of Alexander the Great.

Sculpture
The Hellenistic Period:
323 - 150 B.C.

During the final era of Greece, the Post-Classical or Hellenistic Period, a new depth in realism and expressiveness, as well as a greater exploration with drapery and pose was seen. These changes reflected a new temperament of observing natural expression and capturing the illusion of movement, instead of focusing primarily on the ideal and the heroic. The triangle of stability was replaced by diagonal lines that suggested a continous dynamic flow. Sculpture was to be seen from all sides. Features were soft and full of sensitivity, often exaggerating parts of the body for a particular expressive character. Sculptures were both carved in marble and cast in bronze.

Take a side trip - browse through an overview of vivid realism and expressiveness in Hellenistic Sculpture (you must scroll to the middle of the page where it says "Hellenistic Sculpture").

The Winged Victory of Samothrace was the goddess of victory, Nike, who is said to have alighted on the prow of a warship. With her great wings spread wide, she seems partially airborne, pushing against the headwinds as she steps down. The folds of her drapery hold fast to the force of the invisible winds as she tries to balance forward. There is a relation between the form of Nike and the space around her. The space seems barely to be holding the movement of flight to the ground and she appears ready to fly.

Victory of Samothrace - Exam - Use The Winged Victory of Samothrace as a resource.....

The Discus Thrower, carved by Myron, creates the powerful illusion of spiraling outwards from an imaginary vertical axis. As your eye winds up the body, take special notice of the muscles that are tensed, ready to throw the disk.

Take a side trip - visit The Discus Thrower.

As the human form became perfected in sculpture, design turned to emotional appeal. The Laocoon is an art piece that depicts a scene in Virgil's epic, "The Aeneid," about the Battle of Troy. Laocoon was a Trojan priest who warned the Trojans against accepting the infamous wooden horse into the walls of their city. He suspected that it might be filled with Greek soldiers. Poseidon, god of the sea, was on the side of the Greeks in battle, so he sent a gigantic sea serpent to strangle Laocoon and his two young sons. The sculptural scene is meant to be dramatic, full of agony, to appeal to a public that enjoyed the events of the gladiator.

The Laocoon - Exam - Visit The Laocoon ......

Polykleitos was the famous sculptor of the Olympic athletes. The Canon, or Spear Carrier, is perfect in the proportions of the body.

Take a side trip - see The Canon or Spear Carrier.

Praxiteles was the master of grace in both the masculine and feminine forms. He achieved this '"grace"' by accenting the hips and by sculpting the arms longer, to create a feeling of "flowing." He is famous for his perfect finishing of the marble stone. His final treatment reflected light and gave translucent quality. Praxiteles is known best for his portrayals of the god, Hermes. In Hermes with the Infant Dionysus, Praxiteles depicted a special relationship between the character of the god and the infant. Can you describe how Hermes felt toward the infant?

Take a side trip to view the famous Venus de Milo.

In the Late Hellenistic Period, themes of pathos and drama reached their peak. Attalus I of Pergamon dedicated the sculpture of The Dying Gaul to celebrate his victories over the Gauls, a Celtic tribe that continuously raided the Greek states of Asia Minor until Attalus I halted them. The sculptures were reproduced in marble for the Romans about 220 B.C. One of the most famous is The Dying Gaul, which shows a man painfully defeated, still courageously showing dignity and pathos. Death will come to him soon, he is no longer able to move his legs; he puts all of his last strength into his arms to hold himself up from the ground.

Take a side trip - click on the thumbnails - The Dying Gaul

In many Greek sculptures, the arms, heads, and wings were carved from separate pieces of marble, then attached to the torso with metal pins. When the sculptures were moved or knocked over in earthquakes, or damaged in war, many appendages were lost. Today, many have been found only in part.

By 100 B.C., much of Greek art was commissioned or copied by Rome.

Extensions

Explore one of the following topics and then write a short essay for extra credit.

1 - Visit the Greek Philosophers - read about Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, and give a brief summary of their accomplishments; or

2 - Visit ancient Greek Theatre - read about the theatre and summarize one event; or

3 - Mythology Directory - read about a myth and give a brief description.

Extra Credit Exam.......Review the exam before continuing.

You will travel next to a culture that the Greeks admired greatly for their skill at making bronze...The Art of the Etruscans is our next destination.

But first, we will explore composition in.....

Ancient (Classical) Greece Greek Art Aesthetics & Art Criticism

Compare Periods of Greek Art. Using what you have learned and other available resources (encyclopedias, Iinternet, books, etc.), compare and contrast the following periods.....Geometric, Orientalizing, Archaic, Early Classical, Classical, Late Classical, and Hellenistic. You should be able to tell me the main characteristics of each period, what influenced the period, and when it started and ended.

Ancient Greece: Comparing Periods of Art - Exam.

Create

What is your image of the Ideal 21st-Century Person? Draw this....and include a description.

Don't forget to send your original Create project or a scanned image. When submitting digital work, upload this to your student folder by going to "My Tools," and then clicking on "Folders." Choose the file you want to upload. After uploading, scroll to the bottom of the page to make sure that it's associated with a specific assignment and MOST IMPORTANTLY that you "submit for grading." This triggers an e-mail to me that I have work to grade :)

E-mail your Instructor that you have completed this time period.


Pack up, we are leaving for Etruria, our Next Destination - 700 - 200 B.C.