The Art of Ancient Greece (c. 800–1st CENTURY B.C.)
Geometric Period (1000 BCE – 700BCE)
· Greek alphabet introduced (c. 750 B.C.)· Homeric epics composed (c. 750-700 B.C.)
· Delphic oracle; Olympian gods
· Battle of Marathon: Persian defeat (490 B.C.)
· Philosophy: Plato; Socrates; Aristotle
· Theater: Aeschylos; Sophokles; Euripides; Aristophanes
· "Man is the measure of all things"
· Vase painting; mosaics; monumental sculpture
· Orders of architecture: Doric; Ionic; Corinthian
Periklean Athens (c. 450–400 B.C.)
· The Parthenon; canon of Polykleitos· Herodotos ("father of history")
· Peloponnesian War: Sparta defeats Athens
· Alexander the Great dies (323 B.C.)
Hellenistic period
Overview
The ancient Greeks are known as a self aware people. No other culture in western civilization history was quite as introspective as the Greeks. They prided themselves as the most civilized society in the world. In fact the term “barbarian” basically meant non Greek. The development of Greek civilization rises from the ashes of the ancient Mycenaean and Minion cultures. From After the decline and eventual fall of the Mycenaean culture in 1100 BCE, the Aegean Islands would experience a “dark age” period for about 200 – 300 years. By 800 BCE Greece would begin to show growth and stability in their government, economy and culture. This period is referred to as the Homeric Age. The writer Homer would write the stories of prehistoric Greek history (If you have not had to read The Iliad or The Odyssey in your academic career thus far, just wait, it is coming.) It is the Greek culture that would be the basis for western cultures for art, architecture, music, theater, philosophy, literature and politics.Key Terms
[Chp. 5: The Art of Ancient Greece] / Page| 16abacus
acanthus
agora
Alexander the Great
amphora
Archaic smile
architrave
Arête
Athenian Acropolis
Athens and Sparta
balustrade
Battle of Salamis
black-figure style
canon
canon of proportions
caryatid
cella
colonnade
contrapposto
Corinthian
cornice
Delian League
Dorian and Ionian Greeks
Doric
drum
echinus
encaustic
entablature
entasis
entasis
finial
flutes, fluting
fluting
foreshortening
frieze
geometric
“golden mean”
Greek panel painting
Greek theaters
Greeks vs. Persians
hydria
Ionic
isocephaly, isocephalic
kore (korai)
kouros (kouroi)
krater
kylix
lekythos
Lord Elgin and the “Elgin Marbles”
lost-wax bronze casting (cire-perdue)
meander pattern
metope
naos
necking
oenochoe
Order
Panathenaic Festival
pediment
Pericles
peripteral
peristyle
Phidias
Polis
portico
protome, protoma
red-figure style
Roman copies of Greek statues
scroll
Severe Style
shaft
slip
stylobate
tesserae
triglyph
volute
wet drapery
white-ground
[Chp. 5: The Art of Ancient Greece] / Page| 16[Chp. 5: The Art of Ancient Greece] / Page| 16
Study Guide
Geometric Period (1000 BCE – 700BCE)
Funerary Krater: In 1050 BCE there is evidence of the development of a specific Greek style. This specific style is found first on the vases/ceramic wares. The decoration on the surface is a narrative of a funeral procession. The figures are very simplified; depicted into very simple geometric shapes; torso and hips are triangular. We see a body lying in state (prothesis) which means this vase could have been used as a grave marker. Notice that there is an attempt to display real human emotions. The mourners’ arms are raised over their head as if in distress. It is no surprise that the Greeks would acknowledge real emotional grief in this painting. They were a civilization that was self aware. Their deities were not only human looking but also had very human characteristics. In fact the only difference between the gods and humans was that the gods were omnipotent. Found to be inscribed on the Temple of Apollo were these words “Man is the measure of all things.” The fact that this was written on the temple of a god says an awful a lot about this Greeks. /Dipylon Vase (krater)
from the Dipylon Cemetery, Athens
8th century BCE. Terracotta
Greek Geometric Style
Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York CIty,
Photo© LaCour Slide Library
Living With Art Slide Set
Ancient Greek Culture can be broken into 4 distinct styles/periods. The Geometric Period (1000 BCE-700BCE) is the oldest. The funerary krater is an example of that style that n painting.
Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty, Giza,
2490 – 2472 B.C.
Photo© Allan Kohl
Courtesy of Art Images for College Teaching / The Man and Centaur is an example of geometric style in sculpture. A man is stabbing a centaur which is half man half beast. We classify this statue as geometric partly because of the date of this piece (750 BCE), but also of the simplistic shape of the subjects. This is a small open form cast statue, unlike the statues of the Egyptian and Near East, which are typically closed form. On the left is an example of closed form sculpture. The figure does not break or reach out into space. The man and centaur physically reach out to each other, also we can physically move in and through the statue. /
Man and Centaur
geometric
(750 BCE),
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Greeks were excellent seamen. They would encounter and do business with other civilizations and countries. The art of the Near East, Asia Minor and Egypt would influence Greek artists. Orientalizing is the style that is an assimilation of Greek taste and Eastern iconography. This style was first seen in Corinth, which was the most powerful city state of the Greek culture, as well as a large and diverse trade center.
The amphora vase displays larger and curvy figures in the neck of this vase. The geometric patterns, first seen in the Geometric style, are also part of the Orientalizing vases. On the neck of the vase are an illustration of Odysseus and his crew fighting the Cyclops Polyphemos. Their rendering is very reminiscent of Minion Cretes figures. There is definitely an elegant and refined quality to these figures. The body of the vase is an illustration of the story of Perseus and Medusa. The Greeks would use the stories about their gods and heroes as metaphors. Medusa and Polyphemos represent the primitive forces of terror and cannibalism, while Odysseus and Perseus represent reason as triumphing over evil. /
Proto-Attic amphora, circa 650 BC. Eleusis, Archaeological Museum,
Detail of a Proto-Attic amphora, circa 650 BC. Eleusis, Archaeological Museum,
Archaic Period (600BCE – 480BCE)
By the late 6th century Athens will become the leading city state of Greece. This is due partly because of Solon a major political figure in Athens. He is believed to be responsible for the development of the judiciary system and formulating the popular assembly and council. He would also develop the representative government which is the basis of democracy.Art would develop at a fairly rapid pace: This is the time of great writers of early literature such as Aesop and Sappho. Greek tragedies and comedies would flourish at this time and the visual arts would also experience a growth.
The status of artist will be elevated to a higher level. There are pieces of art that are actually signed by artist. The ancient Greeks seem to enjoy competitive sports (They are the ones who created the Olympic Games). This love of competition was also applied in the fine arts. Writers and artists would compete with each at festivals but also they would compete for art commissions. Athens would initiate monumental building projects for their city.
Probably the earliest example of the archaic style is found on the vases produced at this time.
The Greeks adhered to standard vase shapes. Certain shapes were associated with a certain purpose. Although Athens was a major pottery center; it would be in Corinth that the Black figure vase painting technique would be first developed.
The Greeks adhered to standard vase shapes. Certain shapes were associated with a certain purpose. Although Athens was a major pottery center; it would be in Corinth that the Black figure vase painting technique would be first developed.
Exekias - Achilles and Penthesilea Greek, about 540-530 BC Made in Athens, Greece; found at Vulci (now in Lazio, Italy)
Photo: Wikipedia Commons / Ajax & Achilles: In Black figure painting, the artist paints the figures in silhouette with a slip. The vase is then fired. The firing process changes the slip color black. After the firing the artist goes back into the figure and adds details using a stylus. Exekias was considered one of the finest painters of 6th century.
Achilles and Penthesilea: Exekias mastery as a painter is evident the piece Achilles and Penthesilea. The motif on the neck and bottom register still show an Orientalizing influence, but the center scene of the main characters show that Exekias was observing the human form in action and he tries to replicate the movement. And while he may not have been conscience of it, Exekias uses design principles to strengthen and enhance the composition. The Greeks would be the first people in western civilization to try to capture emotional expressions on the faces of their subjects. The dramatic stories that were illustrated on these vases may serve foreshadowing for the development of the Greek theater. /
Exekias -Ajax & Achilles Playing Draughts. c.550- 520 BC, Height 24", Vatican Mus. ,Rome
Photo: LaCour Slide Library
Art Across Time Slide Set (wncc)
Euphrinios (painter) and Euxitheos (potter)
Euphronios krater (Death of Sarpedon)
Greek, Part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1972 to 2008, the vase was repatriated to Italy under an agreement negotiated in February 2006.) / By mid 6th century BCE the red figure vase painting technique was developed. This particular style became very popular and would stay in vogue throughout the archaic period. This style allowed the artist to have more control and make more details. This piece to the left, Death of Sarpedon, was created by two artists; Euphrinios (painter) and Euxitheos (potter). As you can see the painter had a keen eye for human anatomy. The detail on the figures even his attempt to foreshorten the knee shows that the painter was trying to create a sense of form on a 2 dimensional surface.
/ It is during the archaic period that the Greeks would excel at creating monumental sculpture. These life size statues show again the influence of other cultures on the early work of the Greeks. The Greeks learned to carve from the Egyptians sculptors. The Kouros (young man) is a fine example of the Egyptian style on Greek art: the stiff arms, one leg stepping forward, the heavy shaped eyes and the slight smile on the face. However we do see the Greek taste prevailing in the fact that the subject is completely nude and is carved completely away from the stone. This is the earliest known freestanding life size statue. Most kourai (plural spelling) were believed to have been grave markers. There is also evidence that this figure was probably painted.
The Greeks excelled at creating monumental sculpture during the archaic period. These life size statues show again the influence of other cultures on the early work of the Greeks. The Greeks learned to carve from the Egyptians sculptors. The Kouros (young man) is a fine example of the Egyptian style on Greek art: the stiff arms, one leg stepping forward, the heavy shaped eyes and the slight smile on the face. However we do see the Greek taste prevailing in the fact that the subject is completely nude and is carved completely away from the stone. This is the earliest known freestanding life size statue. Most kourai (plural spelling) were believed to have been grave markers. There is also evidence that this figure was probably painted. /
New York Kouros (c. 600 BCE) Marble. 6 ft high
Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City,
Photo: LaCour Slide Library
Art Across Time Slide Set (wncc)
Peplos Kore, from Paros (c. 530 BCE) Parian Marble. 3 ft. 11 2/3 in. high
Acropolis Museum, Athens
Photo© Allan Kohl
Courtesy of Art Images for College Teaching / The Peplos Kore (the garment she is wearing is called a peplos) was the female equivalent of monumental sculpture. Kore were always clothed, but the artist does allude to the figure underneath the garment. The arm may have held flowers, or some other type offering. She too shares the heavy lined eyes and “archaic smile” of the Kouros. Recent evidence has suggested that the Kore may have been a representation of Athena. She may have worn metal crown, earrings and was painted with colored wax.
The skills of Greek sculptures developed to create more lively and rounded forms of Kouros and Kore. This statue (to the right) was found with the inscription “Stop and grieve at the tomb of the dead Kouros, slain by wild Aries in front of the rank of battle”. This suggests that the Kourai were originally grave markers. /
Kroisos (Kouros) from Anavysos, marble,
c 540 BC, ( c 540 - 515 BC)
apx 6'4" high.
NatArchMus, Athens
Photo© LaCour Slide Library
Living With Art Slide Set
Kore from Chios
c. c 510 BC (c 520 BC)
Greek
Photo© LaCour Slide Library
Gardner- Art Through the Ages Set / Kore from Chios: The garment called chiton, found on Chois an island off Asia Minor. The more elaborate hairstyle and garment gives our lady a more elegant appearance. Statues of men were often warriors, athletes or deities, but statues of women were exclusively deities or some other supernatural being.