Chapter 5 Greek part 2

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Chapter 5 Greek part 2
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Early and High Classical Periods (5th century
BCE)
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Compare Archaic vs Early Classical
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Figure 5-34 Kritios Boy, from the Acropolis,
Athens, Greece, ca. 480 BCE. Marble, 2 10 high.
Acropolis Museum, Athens.
Kritios Boy is the earliest known example of
contrapposto (counterbalance), a relaxed and
natural stance. Notice how his weight shifts to
his left leg, with a slight dip of his right leg
and how his head turns slightly to his
right. This is the transitional piece between
Archaic and Classical Notice absence of Archaic
smile It was so named because it was believed to
be by the artist Kritios
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Contrapposto
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Riace Warriors

• Found in 1972 by a scuba diver off the coast of
  Riace.
• The eyes are inlaid with bone and glass, the
  teeth are in silver and the nipples are in
  copper.
• They originally held spears and shields
• A good example of Early Classical in its use of
  contrapposto and the realistic musculature

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Figure 5-35 Warrior, from the sea off Riace,
Italy, ca. 460450 BCE. Bronze, 6 6 high. Museo
Archeologico Nazionale, Reggio Calabria.
This Riace Warrior, like most Classical Greek
statues, was sculpted in bronze. Most Classical
bronzes have not survived. Much of the
Classical Greek sculptures today are actually
Roman marble copies.
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Fig. 5-38 Zeus (or Poseidon?), from the sea off
Cape Artemision, Greece, ca. 460450 BCE. Bronze,
6 10 high. National Archaeological Museum,
Athens.
Zeus or Poseidon Graceful turn of the body with
slightly lifted back foot Zeus is about to throw
a thunderbolt or Poseidon holding a trident It is
an idealized, youthful body but has an older face.
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The Discus Thrower

• Greek name Diskoblos
• There is a major weight shift - an extreme use of
  contrapposto
• He is in motion, in mid-swing
• In real life it would be impossible to throw the
  discus this way - yet it works optically - to
  create that illusion of movement
• The face is expressionless - some say he is in
  thought
• He has an idealized heroic body
• The use of negative space opens large areas of
  the sculpture.

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Figure 5-39 MYRON, Diskobolos (Discus Thrower).
Roman marble copy of a bronze original of ca. 450
BCE, 5 1 high. Museo Nazionale RomanoPalazzo
Massimo alle Terme.
Thanks to the Romans interest in Greek sculpture
many Greek sculptures have been preserved in
marble copies The Roman copies are not perfect
replicas. Often, because marble is heavier, they
had to add portions to help hold the sculpture up
like the tree trunk to the right. Also, they
would change aspects of the sculpture to suit
their needs - like mirroring it.
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Spear Bearer

• Greek name Doryphoros
• Alternating and counterbalance of tense and
  relaxed elements of the body left arm and right
  leg are tense and weight bearing while the right
  arm and left leg are relaxed.
• He has broad shoulders, a thick torso and ideal
  muscular body
• His hand once held a spear

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Spear Bearer

• Artist Polykleitos
• He used a mathematical approach which focused on
  a variety of proportions. For example the head
  is 1/7 of the height of the body.
• He felt that perfection was in how each part
  related to each other and the whole.
• He named it Canon

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Figure 5-40 POLYKLEITOS, Doryphoros (Spear
Bearer). Roman marble copy from Pompeii, Italy,
after a bronze original of ca. 450440 BCE, 6
11 high. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
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Pediment of Temple of Zeus

• Story of local importance chariot race b/n King
  Oinomaos and Pelops
• Oinomaos challenged any suitor of his only
  daughter (Hippodameia) to a chariot race. If he
  won they were killed, if they won they were able
  to marry his daughter. Oinomaos had divine horses
  that his father Ares gave him and won every race.
  Pelops, determined to marry Hippodameia, bribed
  Myrtilos a servant of Oinomaos to rig the royal
  chariot. The chariot fell apart, killing
  Oinomaos. Instead of paying Myrtilos, Pelops
  killed him. Before he died, Myrtilos cursed
  Pelops and his descendents. He and his
  descendents became the subject of Aeschylus
  Oresteia plays

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Figure 5-31 East pediment from the Temple of
Zeus, Olympia, Greece, ca. 470456 BCE. Marble,
87 wide. Archaeological Museum, Olympia.
Zeus stands in the middle, Oinomaos and his wife
are on one side and Pelops and Hippodameia on the
other. On both sides their respective chariots
are shown. The events have yet to occur, all are
calm except one figure - a seer who has a shocked
expression on his face because he knows what is
about to happen.
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Figure 5-32 Seer, from the east pediment of the
Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece, ca. 470456 BCE.
Marble, full ?gure 4 6 high detail 3 2 1/2
high. Archaeological Museum, Olympia.
He is a rare depiction of old age His expression
is also a rarity of Classical sculpture, it was
not a regular feature until the Hellenistic age
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Athena, Herakles and Atlas

• Metopes of the Zeus temple depicts the 12 labors
  of Herakles - the founder of the Olympic games
• Herakles is holding up the sky (with the help of
  Athena and a cushion) while Atlas went on a
  dangerous journey to fetch the golden apples of
  the Hesperites
• The high relief figures stand serenely just as
  the ones in the pediment.

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Figure 5-33 Athena, Herakles, and Atlas with the
apples of the Hesperides, metope from the Temple
of Zeus, Olympia, Greece, ca. 470456 BCE.
Marble, 5 3 high. Archaeological Museum,
Olympia.
Metopes of Zeus temple depicts the 12 labors of
Herakles - the founder of the Olympic
games Herakles is holding up the sky (with the
help of Athena and a cushion) while Atlas went on
a dangerous journey to fetch the golden apples of
the Hesperites
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Figure 5-41 KRESILAS, Pericles. Roman marble
herm copy of a bronze original of ca. 429 BCE.
Full herm 6 high detail 4 6 1/2 high. Musei
Vaticani, Rome.

• Pericles
• Elected stratego, general of Athens 15 times
• Instrumental in rebuilding and beautifying Athens
  after second Persian invasion. Most noteworthy
  Acropolis
• Notice his idealized appearance unblemished
  features, his aloof expression

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Pericles and the Acropolis

• The centerpiece of his great builidng project on
  the Acropolis was the Parthenon (Temple of Athena
  Parthenos)
• Construction of the gateway - Propylaia began
  shortly after the completion of the Parthenon
• The last two buildings were finished after
  Pericles death - the Erechtheion and the Temple
  of Athena Nike
• The greatest architects and sculptors were called
  upon to help create the Acropolis

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Figure 5-42 Aerial view of the Acropolis looking
southeast, Athens, Greece.
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Parthenon

• The Parthenon was transformed into a church
  during the Byzantine era.
• It later became a mosque after the invasion of
  the Ottomans
• It was remodeled each time
• Christians - removed statue of Athena and added
  an Apse
• Muslims - added a minaret

• In 1687, when the Venetians besieged the
  Acropolis, one of their rockets hit an ammunition
  depot Turks installed there, which ruined most of
  the the interior. Many of the remaining
  sculptures were removed and some were broken when
  they were dropped on the ground.

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Parthenon

• 447-438 BCE, architects - Iktinos and
  Kallikrates, over-seer of sculpture - Phidias. It
  is a Doric structure
• Proportion x 2y 1, ex short side 8 columns
  and long 17. Everything in the temple fits this
  proportion. Proportion harmony
• Even with the importance of perfection through
  proportion, there are some irregularities
• Stylobate curves upward toward the center forming
  a shallow dome
• Columns lean in slightly and the corner ones are
  2 in. thicker
• Portions are Ionic (treasury and inner frieze)

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Parthenon

• Though it is a Doric structure, it did contain
  some Ionic elements
• An interior room used for a treasury had four
  Ionic columns
• An inner frieze around the cella was Ionic
• This mixture of Doric and Ionic characterizes
  the 5th century buildings of the Acropolis

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Figure 5-44 IKTINOS and KALLIKRATES, Parthenon,
(Temple of Athena Parthenos, looking southeast),
Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 447438 BCE.
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Figure 5-45 Plan of the Parthenon, Acropolis,
Athens, Greece, with diagram of sculptural
program (after Andrew Stewart), 447432 BCE.
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Figure 5-46 PHIDIAS, Athena Parthenos, in the
cella of the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 438 BCE. Model of the lost
chryselephantine statue. Royal Ontario Museum,
Toronto.
Chryselephatine - gold and ivory 38 ft tall The
Parthenon was for the most part built around the
statue. She is representative of the Athenian
victory over the Persians. Her sandals contain
images of centaurmachy (Persians as barbarians).
Her shield contains relief scenes from the battle
of the Greeks and Amazons. It also has a painting
of giantomachy on the interior. Each is
representative of triumph of order over chaos.
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Pediments of the Parthenon

• The west pediment depicted the contest between
  Athena and Poseidon to determine who would be
  Athens patron
• The east pediment depicted the birth of Athena
• The center was damaged when the the apse was
  added to convert it into a church
• Phidias, who designed the composition, discovered
  an entirely new way to deal with the awkward
  triangular frame of the pediment. By reclining
  the figures beneath the raking cornices they
  appear to be relaxed, yet still naturalistic.

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Figure 5-48 Helios and his horses, and Dionysos
(Herakles?), from the east pediment of the
Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 438432
BCE. Marble, greatest height 4 3. British
Museum, London.
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Figure 5-49 Three goddesses (Hestia, Dione, and
Aphrodite?), from the east pediment of the
Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 438432
BCE. Marble, greatest height 4 5. British
Museum, London.
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Parthenon Friezes

• The best preserved metopes of the exterior depict
  the battle of Laptihs and centaurs, a combat in
  which Theseus of Athens played a major role.
• The interior Ionic frieze, depicts what most
  scholars believe to be the Panathenaic Festival
  procession which took place in Athens every four
  years.
• In the frieze, the gods are spectators to the
  parading Athenians

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Figure 5-50 Details of the Panathenaic Festival
procession frieze, from the Parthenon, Acropolis,
Athens, Greece, ca. 447438 BCE. Marble, 3 6
high. Horsemen of north frieze (top), British
Museum, London seated gods and goddesses
(Poseidon, Apollo, and Artemis) of east frieze
(center), Acropolis Museum, Athens and elders
and maidens of east frieze (bottom), Louvre,
Paris.
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Propylaia

• Propylaia - 437-2 BCE monumental entrance to
  Acropolis, architect - Minesikles.
• It was built on a steep slope, Minesikles was
  successful in disguising the change in ground by
  splitting the builidng into eastern and western
  sections - each one resembling a Doric façade
• Between the front columns was a ramp for the
  processions that occurred during the Panthenaic
  festival. Inside tall Ionic columns supported the
  spilt-level roof
• It was not finished according to plan because of
  lack of funding due to the Peloponnesian War.
  Only one side wing was completed on the Northwest
  side. It is significant because in Roman times it
  housed a pinakotheke (picture gallery). It is
  uncertain if that was its original intent. But if
  it was, it was the first recorded structure built
  to display paintings.

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Figure 5-51 MNESIKLES, Propylaia (looking
southwest), Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 437432
BCE.
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Erechtheion

• 421 - 05 BCE, Ionic, architect unknown
• Built to replace the Archaic Athena temple
  destroyed by the Persians, however it served as a
  multiple shrine.
• It houses tombs and shrines of various gods and
  demigods including two former leaders of Athens -
  Erectheus and Kekrops
• Asymmetrical design is unique. Also, each wall
  has different character and rests on a different
  ground level.

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Figure 5-52 Erechtheion (looking northwest),
Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 421405 BCE.
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Figure 5-53 Plan of the Erechtheion, Acropolis,
Athens, Greece, ca. 421405 BCE.
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Figure 5-54 Caryatid from the south porch of the
Erechtheion, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca.
421405 BCE. Marble, 7 7 high. British Museum,
London.
On south porch of Erectheion. Caryatid resemble
Archaic korai, however they exhibit the weight
shift characteristic of 5th century statues. The
flute like drapery conceals the stiff, weight
bearing legs. However, the sculptor was still
able to make them seem flexible like the human
body.
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Temple of Athena Nike

• 427-4, Kallikrates - architect, Ionic
• Amphiprostyle - 4 columns on east and east façade
• Part of the frieze was devoted to the decisive
  battle at Marathon.
• A parapet was built at the bastions ege in 410
  BCE decorated with reliefs. The theme was Nike
  (victory) who is depicted in a variety of ways.

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Figure 5-55 KALLIKRATES, Temple of Athena Nike
(looking southwest), Acropolis, Athens, Greece,
ca. 427424 BCE.
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Nike Adjusting Her Sandal

• A High relief sculpture depicting Nike adjusting
  her sandal though an awkward position, she is
  rendered in an elegant and graceful way.
• Her garments cling so tightly to the body that
  they seem to be drenched with water. Thus,
  revealing portions of her body that would
  otherwise be hidden by heavy fabric.

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Figure 5-56 Nike adjusting her sandal, from the
south side of the parapet of the Temple of Athena
Nike, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 410 BCE.
Marble, 3 6 high. Acropolis Museum, Athens.
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Late Classical Period (4th century BCE)
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The rise of Macedon

• In 338 BCE, the Greeks suffered a devastating
  loss and relinquished their independence to
  Phillip II, king of Macedon. After his
  assassination, his son Alexander the Great
  succeeded him.
• This defeat, the political upheaval and chaos of
  the time had a profound impact on The Greeks and
  the art they created.
• In the fifth century they believed in attempting
  to achieve perfect statues and to use correct
  mathematical formulas for constructing temples.
• In the fourth century, they began to focus more
  on representing the real world appearances rather
  than on the ideal world of perfect beings.

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Praxiteles

• The new approach to art is apparent in the work
  of Praxiteles.
• He continued depicting the themes favored by
  sculptors of the High Classical the gods.
  Although they kept their superhuman beauty, they
  lost some of their solemn expression and became
  more humanized.

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Aphrodite of Knidos

• Bold step to render a goddess in the nude it
  was so controversial that is was rejected by a
  city before the city of Knidos purchased it.
  People traveled to Knidos just to see the statue.
• It became popular because of the rarity of
  representing a female nude. The only depictions
  of female nudes were of servants, never a goddess
  or noblewoman. It was considered of low character
  for a woman to be represented nude.
• She is also engaged in a trivial act from
  everyday life she is getting ready to take a
  bath
• Sensuous and humanizing qualities different
  from the cold, aloof gods and athletes of the
  High Classical

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Figure 5-62 PRAXITELES, Aphrodite of Knidos.
Roman marble copy of an original of ca. 350340
BCE. 6 8 high. Musei Vaticani, Rome.
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Hermes and the Infant Dionysos

• Artist Praxiteles Or a follower
• Hermes has a smaller head, and thus is
  representative of the Late Classical preference
  of the head to be 1/8 of the body.
• His off-balance S-curving pose, requires him to
  lean on a post, a clear contrast to the work of
  Polykleitos.
• It is humanizing in the tenderness shown between
  the two figures. This type of tenderness did not
  exist in sculpture prior to the 4th century.

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Figure 5-63 PRAXITELES(?), Hermes and the infant
Dionysos, from the Temple of Hera, Olympia,
Greece. Copy of a statue by Praxiteles of ca. 340
BCE or an original work of ca. 330270 BCE by a
son or grandson. Marble, 7 1 high.
Archaeological Museum, Olympia
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Scraper

• Greek name Apoxyomenos
• Artist Lysippos
• Young athlete scraping off dirt and oil from his
  arm.
• Taller and lighter in appearance
• Arms extended in space instead of being
  contained.
• It invites viewers to look from various angles.
• Established a different canon of proportions from
  that of Polykleitos 1/8 head to body rather
  than 1/7

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Figure 5-65 LYSIPPOS, Apoxyomenos (Scraper).
Roman marble copy of a bronze original of ca. 330
BCE, 6 9 high. Musei Vaticani, Rome.
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Figure 5-66 LYSIPPOS, Weary Herakles (Farnese
Herakles). Roman marble copy from Rome, Italy,
signed by GLYKON OF ATHENS, of a bronze original
of ca. 320 BCE. 10 5 high. Museo Archeologico
Nazionale,Naples.
In right hand, Herakles holds the golden apples
of Hesperides He is depicted as being tired
after completing his 12 tasks, unlike earlier
representations of him which show him serene and
content at the completion of his tasks. He is
depicted with superhuman musculature, yet he is
so tired he must lean on his club Late classical
interest in humanizing the gods and heroes
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Figure 5-67 Head of Alexander the Great, from
Pella, Greece, third century BCE. Marble, 1
high. Archaeological Museum, Pella.
Alexander the Great commissioned Lysippos to
create a portrait statue of him The original is
lost, however scholars believe that the image to
the right is the closest to the original in
capturing Alexanders likeness
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Mosaic Stag Hunt

• Mosaic an image created through the use of
  small glass tiles or stones called tessarae.
• The Stag Hunt was prominently signed by the
  artist Gnosis.
• It was made through an assortment of natural
  pebbles.
• Its subject of of two hunters slaying a stag.

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Figure 5-68 GNOSIS, Stag hunt, from Pella,
Greece, ca. 300 BCE. Pebble mosaic, figural panel
10 2 high. Archaeological Museum, Pella.
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The Battle of Issus

• This mosaic is a replication of a Greek painting
  which Pliny the Elder mentioned in his writings.
• The radical foreshortening draws the viewer into
  the action.
• Alexander is on the left, upon a rearing horse as
  he challenges the Persian leader - Darius III who
  is depicted in a golden helmet.
• Darius chariot is turned, ready for retreat.

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Figure 5-70 PHILOXENOS OF ERETRIA, Battle of
Issus, ca. 310 BCE. Roman copy (Alexander Mosaic)
from the House of the Faun, Pompeii, Italy, late
second or early first century BCE. Tessera
mosaic, approx. 8 10 X 16 9. Museo
Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
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Greek Theatre

• Plays were performed as part of sacred festivals.
  The great tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and
  Euripides were performed at the Dionysos
  festival.
• Finest theatre was the one at Epidauros
• Theatres were comprised of the following parts
• Orchestra - (dancing place) flat circular area
• Theatron - (place for seeing) in early theatres
• Cavea - composed of stone benches

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Figure 5-71 POLYKLEITOS THE YOUNGER, Theater,
Epidauros, Greece, ca. 350 BCE.
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Hellenistic Period (323 30 BCE)

• Artists shifted focus to the individual and to
  representing the everyday. They changed from
  representing gods to mortals, aloof serenity to
  individual emotion.

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Corinthian order

• Corinthian order is a slight variation of Ionic,
  with the one difference being the capital of the
  columns.
• The capitals are comprised of acanthus leaves and
  coiled flower shapes
• One example of Corinthian architecture can be
  found in the tholos (circular shrine) of Delphi

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Figure 5-73 POLYKLEITOS THE YOUNGER, Corinthian
capital, from the tholos, Epidauros, Greece, ca.
350 BCE. Archaeological Museum, Epidauros.
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Figure 5-77 Stoa of Attalos II, Agora, Athens,
Greece, ca. 150 BCE (with the Acropolis in the
background).
Stoas - porticos which housed shops and civic
offices This stoa was a gift from King of
Pergamon who studied in Athens as a youth
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Altar of Zeus

• Original LocationPergamon

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Figure 5-78 Reconstructed west front of the
Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, Turkey, ca. 175 BCE.
Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
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Athena battling Alkoneos

• A detail of the frieze on the Altar of Zeus
• Athena has the hair of Alkoneos in her hand as
  she is about to slay him.
• Nike flies in to crown her
• The frieze is over 7 ft. high.
• Alkoneos has a look of anguish upon his face.

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Figure 5-79 Athena battling Alkyoneos, detail of
the gigantomachy frieze, from the Altar of Zeus,
Pergamon, Turkey ca. 175 BCE. Marble, 7 6 high.
Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
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Figure 5-80 EPIGONOS(?), Gallic chieftain
killing himself and his wife. Roman marble copy
of a bronze original of ca. 230220 BCE, 6 11
high. Museo Nazionale RomanoPalazzo Altemps,
Rome.

• Four Es of Hellenistic Sculpture
• Emotional
• Erotic
• Expressionistic (Dramatic)
• Everyday people

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Figure 5-81 EPIGONOS(?), Dying Gaul. Roman
marble copy of a bronze original of ca. 230220
BCE, 3 1/2 high. Museo Capitolino, Rome.
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Nike of Samothrace

• AKA Nike Alighting a Warship
• Meant to represent a figurehead of a boat
• Her garment looks as though it is blowing in the
  wind
• Her missing right arm was possibly raising a
  victory crown or held an open hand in greeting
• The boat at the base is a battle ship with
  oarboxes and traces of a battering ram

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Nike of Samothrace

• It was discovered in 1863 and was taken to the
  Louvre where it was restored.
• The wings and most of the upper torso were
  rebuilt using plaster - and were modeled after
  other statues of Nike.

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Figure 5-82 Nike alighting on a warship (Nike of
Samothrace), from Samothrace, Greece, ca. 190
BCE. Marble, figure 8 1 high. Louvre, Paris.
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Figure 5-83 ALEXANDROS OF ANTIOCH-ON-THE-MEANDER,
Aphrodite (Venus de Milo), from Melos, Greece,
ca. 150125 BCE. Marble, 6 7 high. Louvre,
Paris.
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Figure 5-85 Seated boxer, from Rome, Italy, ca.
10050 BCE. Bronze, 4 2 high. Museo Nazionale
RomanoPalazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome.
Rare original bronze cast Battered veteran with
broken teeth and scared face An athlete resigned
to his fate - fame and youth are both fleeting
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Figure 5-86 Old market woman, ca. 150100 BCE.
Marble, 4 1/2 high. Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York.
Hellenistic interest in extreme realism and old
age It had an unknown function - but some
scholars believe she could be representative of
an elderly worshipper of Dionysos Another
interpretation is that she is an old market
woman poor, crippled with infirmities, returning
from the market with provisions
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Laocoön

• Illustrated scene from the Trojan war
• Laocoön was a priest who advised the Trojans to
  not accept the offering of a wooden horse.
  Poseidon sent two sea monsters to kill Laocoon
  and his two sons.
• The monsters entangled the figures and the faces
  of the men express their fear and anguish
• The twisting and curving forms causes viewers
  eyes to wander around the composition. It is
  meant to be seen from different angles.

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Figure 5-88 ATHANADOROS, HAGESANDROS, and
POLYDOROS OF RHODES, Laocoön and his sons, from
Rome, Italy, early first century CE Marble, 7 10
1/2 high. Musei Vaticani, Rome.
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Figure 5-89 ATHANADOROS, HAGESANDROS, and
POLYDOROS OF RHODES, head of Odysseus, from
Sperlonga, Italy, early first century CE. Marble,
2 1 1/4 high. Museo Archeologico, Sperlonga.