GODS,
HEROS, AND ATHLETES
THE
ART OF ANCIENT GREECE
Dorians A
people who settled in Peloponnesos. They are believed to have brought the end
to the Mycenaean civilization. Originally from the north of Greece
Ionians Settlers
of the west coast of Asia Minor .
Olympiad The
first Olympian games, held in 776 BCE.
Identify
the role played by each of the following Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and
mythical creatures and indicate their Roman equivalents.
Aphrodite
(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.
Gorgons Demons
with the body of a woman and the wings of a bird.
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.
Lapith Northern
Greek tribe.
Medusa A
gorgon with a hideous face and snake hair, she turned anyone who gazed at her
to stone.
Nike Winged
goddess of victory.
Zeus (Jupiter)
King of the gods.
1.
Name two groups which were excluded from participation in Greek democracy:
a. Women
b. Slaves
THE GEOMETRIC AND ORIENTALIZING PERIODS
Define
or identify the following terms and describe how each was portrayed in Greek
art:
Centaur Mythological
beast, half man and half horse. Usually
portrayed with the man half in front and on top and the horse half in back.
Herakles Greek
hero who performed 12 great labors. Portayed wearing a lion pelt and holding a
club.
kore (korai) Statue
or statuette of a goddess or maiden.
Siren Mythological
creature who was part bird, part woman.
1. List three characteristics typical of vase
decoration from the Geometric period.
a. Almost
exclusively covered in abstract motifs.
b. Human
figure is highly stylized.
c. No depth
of space.
2.
Why was the 7th century known as the “Orientalizing” period in Greek art?
The Greeks borrowed many
motifs from Egypt
List two new subjects appeared on
Greek vases during this time:
a. Egyptian
monsters, like the Sphinx and lamassu.
b. Black-figure
painting.
3.
What effect did the establishment of a Greek trading company in Egypt
It brought Greeks into
direct contact with the monumental stone architecture of Egypt
4.
Name the earliest known Greek temple with sculptured decoration. Where is it
located? Temple A at Prinias on Crete .
5.
List three characteristics of the Daedalic style:
a. Triangular
flat-topped head and a flat face.
b. Small
belted waist.
c. Fondness
for pattern.
THE ARCHAIC PERIOD
1.
Define or identify the following:
contrapposto “Counterbalance”, the disposition of the figure in which one part is
turned in opposition to another part (usually hips and legs one way, shoulders
and chest another), creating a counterpositioning of the body about its central
axis. Also called “weight shift” because the weight of the body tends to be
thrown on one foot, creating tension on one side and relaxation on the other.
entasis Pronounced
swelling, such as in the middle of columnar shafts.
Euphronius Red-figure
ceramic painter who first experimented with showing how the figure is actually
seen.
Exekias Black-figure
ceramic painter, the acknowledged master of the technique, whose work was not
only exported but copied.
Foreshortening The use of perspective to represent the apparent visual
contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle to the
perpendicular plane of sight.
kouros (kouroi) Statue
or statuette of a male youth.
1. What characteristics do sixth century kouros
figures share with Egyptian statues?
Rigidly frontal pose with
left foot advanced slightly, arms held tightly beside the body.
In what respects do they differ from them?
Kouros were nude, instead
of clothed, and liberated from the original stone block. Kouros sculptors were
also more interested in representing motion.
2. Describe the different visual effects created by the
garments worn by the Peplos Kore (FIG. 5-11) and the Ionian Kore (FIG. 5-12).
The Peplos Kore has a more
columnar appearance, more geometric. The Ionian Kore is rendered much more
naturally, relieved of stiff frontality of the body, and is more lifelike.
3. Draw a simple
floor plan of a typical Greek temple like the one that appears on page 116 and
identify the following features:
peristyle, naos or cella, pronaos, stylobate, column-in-antis.
Where did the people stand when
worshipping at the temple?
Outside. The altar faced
east, towards the rising sun. The inside of the temple was the residence of the
god.
4.
List four differences between the Doric and Ionic orders.
Doric
Ionic
a.
Severely plain a.
Highly ornamental
b.
Echinus convex and cushionlike b. Echinus small and supports
bolster
ending in scroll-like
spirals
c. Frieze
subdivided into triglyphs and metopes c.
Frieze left open to provide
continuous
field for relief
sculptures
d. Massive
in appearance d.
Light and airy in
appearance
5. Label the parts on the following diagram and indicate the
architectural order for each half of the figure below.
shaft volute pediment stylobate capital entablature triglyph echinus abacus frieze
metope cornice architrave
6. What features of
the facade of the Treasury of the Siphnians at Delphi
(FIG. 5-16& 5-17) identify it as an Ionic building?
Continuous sculptured
frieze on all four sides; also, caryatids are unknown in Doric architecture.
7. How does the black-figure technique of pottery decoration
differ from red-figure?
With red, interior figures
can be drawn with a soft brush instead of a stiff metal graver. With red glaze,
the glaze thickness could be varied, expanding the chromatic
range.
Name a painter who worked in
each.
Black-figure: Exekias
Red-figure: Euphronios
8.
Describe or draw simple diagrams of the following popular vase shapes:
Amphora Krater
two-handled jar Wide-mouthed
bowl
9. What features of the warrior from the west pediment of
the temple of Aphaia
at Aegina
(FIG. 5-27) mark it as archaic?
The sculpture looks
directly at the spectator and smiles despite pain, and the torso is rigidly
frontal. There is no sense of a thinking or feeling human being.
What features of
the warrior from the east pediment of the temple
of Aphaia at Aegina (FIG. 5-28) illustrate the new Classical
mode?
The posture is more
natural and complex, angled instead of frontal, and does not look directly at
the spectator. The man reacts to his wound.
THE EARLY AND HIGH CLASSICAL PERIODS
Define
or identify the following:
Pericles
Leader of the Athenians by
mid-5th century BCE who converted the Delian League into an Athenian
empire. He started the embellishment of the Acropolis, including building the
Parthenon and the Propylaia.
Lord Elgin
British ambassador to the
Ottoman court at Istanbul , dismantled (with
permission) many of the Parthenon sculptures and shipped them to England Greece
1. What mythological subject was represented on the east
pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia
The chariot race between
Pelops and King Oinomaos, the story told in Aeschylus’ Oresteia.
What is represented on the metope
from Olympia
The 12 labors of Herakles,
founder of the Olympic Games.
In what way does the style of these
figures lead scholars to call the Early Classic phase of Greek art the “Severe
Style”? How did the advent of
contrapposto change this style? The attitude (more
human and emotional) and dress (simple Doric clothing) contrast with the
elaborately clothed, always smiling Late Archaic style statues. Contrapposto,
the shifting of weight to create counterbalance, was a large step towards the
depiction of natural movement. Poses of the Late Archaic period were inspired
by Egyptian rigidity and frontality and did not accurately show how real human
beings stand.
2.
Briefly describe the lost wax or “hollow casting” method of casting bronze.
1) The sculptor makes a
full-size clay model of the intended statue. 2) A clay master mold is made around
the model and removed in sections. 3) When dry, the various pieces of the
master mold are put back together for each separate body part. 4) A layer of
beeswax is applied to the inside of each mold. 5) When the wax is cool, the
mold is removed, and the sculptor is left with a hollow wax model in the shape
of the original clay model. The artist can refine details at this stage. 6) A
final clay mold (“investment”) is applied to the outside of the wax model, and
a liquid clay core is poured inside the model. 7) Metal pins are driven through
the new mold to connect the investment with the clay core. 8) The wax is melted
out (“lost”) and molten bronze is poured into its place. 9) When the wax is
hard, the investment and the core are removed. 10) The individually cast pieces
are put together and soldered, and surface details are added.
3. One of the most frequently copied classical statues was
the Doryphoros (FIG. 5-38) by Polykleitos. Briefly describe his principle of
symmetria. He uses dynamic asymmetry rather than static
symmetry. Chiastic (cross) balance is motion while at rest. Tense and relaxed
limbs oppose each other diagonally (the right leg and the left arm are relaxed,
and the left leg and the right arm are tensed).
4.
What was the main purpose of the Parthenon? It was a
temple to Athena.
What was its basic style? Doric. Two Ionic elements used in it are:
a. The back
room had four tall and slender Ionic columns as its sole supports.
b. The inner
frieze that ran around the top of the cella wall was Ionic.
Like Polykleitos,
the creators of the Parthenon believed that beauty was achieved by the use of
harmonious mathematical proportions. However, the architects deviated from the
strict mathematical precision. List three illustrations of this deviation. a. The stylobate
curves upwards at the center on both the sides and the façade, forming a
shallow dome.
b. The
curvature of the shallow dome of the stylobate carries up into the
entabulature.
c. The
peristyle columns lean inward slightly.
What reason did the Roman architect
Vitruvius give for the deviations? They were done to
compensate for optical illusions. A stylobate laid out on a level surface will
appear to sag at the center; also, corner columns of a building should be
thicker because they are surrounded by light and would appear thinner than the
neighboring columns if they were the same thickness.
Describe the Athena Parthenos:
The Athena Parthenos was a
38-foot tall statue of Athena, made of gold and ivory. She was fully armed with a shield, spear, and helmet, and she
held Nike, the winged female personification of Victory. Her sandals and shield
bore paintings and reliefs of battles.
What do the
metopes of the Parthenon depict, and what are they thought to symbolize?
The south side metopes
showed a centauromachy (a battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs); the
north side metopes showed the sack of Troy
5.
What is the Propylaia and what architectural orders were used in it?
The monumental gateway to
the Acropolis, located on a steep slope. Both Doric and Ionic orders were used,
on the exterior and interior respectively.
6.
Why is the Erechtheion an unusual building?
It has an asymmetrical
plan, the antithesis of simple and balanced Doric style.
What explanations have been given for its
unusual features?
It was located on an
uneven terrain and had to incorporate a multiple shrine, an olive tree,
Poseidon’s trident, and a tomb.
7. List three stylistic features that characterize the
relief of Nike Fastening Her Sandal (FIG. 5-54).
a. Clinging garments reveal curves of the body
b. Intricate linear patterns of folds create abstract designs
c. Deep carving produces pockets of shade to contrast with the
polished marble
8.
The use of the white ground technique was most popular on vases known as
Lekythos.
What were the advantages of the white ground technique over the black- figure
or red-figure techniques? Were there any disadvantages? advantages included being able to use colors besides red and black;
disadvantages included impermanence of the material, which made it impractical
for everday-use vessels.
THE LATE CLASSICAL PERIOD
Define
or identify the following terms:
cavae Latin
for “hollow place, cavity.” The auditorium for
Greek theater, always on a hillside.
orchestra “Dancing
place,” the part of the theater where the actors and chorus performed.
skene The scene
building that housed dressing rooms and functioned as a backdrop.
tholos A
circular shrine that probably housed the sacred snakes of Asklepios, god of
healing.
1. What effect did the changes in Greek political and social
life after the Peloponnesian War have on art?
In the 5th
century BCE, artists believed they could impose order on their environment and
create “perfect” statues and discover the “correct” mathematical formulas for
architecture. Political upheavals in the 4th century BCE that
brought disillusionment and alienation correlated with a growing focus on the
individual and on the real world of appearances rather than on the community
and the ideal. Distinctive individual styles of sculpture emerged during this
time as well.
2. Briefly characterize the ways in which the work of the
following sculptors differed from the work of sculptors of the 5th
century.
Praxiteles He kept the
superhuman beauty of the Early Classical period but lost its solemn grandeur in
exchange for worldly sensuousness (e.g., female nudity in the Aphrodite of Knidos). He specialized in
showing smooth flowing flesh rather than sharp outlining of body parts.
Scopas He
portrayed intense emotion, whereas the Early Classical period favored serene
emotion.
Lysippos He
introduced a new canon of proportions, with the head one-eighth the height of
the body instead of one-seventh, for a more slender figure. He also began to break down the use of the
dominance of the frontal view of sculptures and encouraged viewers to look at
the sculptures from multiple angles.
3.
Who was Alexander, and why was he important for the study of Greek art?
Macedonian king and
conqueror in the 4th century BCE. He authorized only Lysippos to
sculpt his image, believing he to be the only worthy artist. He was portrayed in sculpture for centuries
after his death.
4.
Describe the pebble mosaic styles and give an example of it.
Pebbles collected from
beaches and riverbanks were set in cement. The mosaics could be quite realistic
and intricate. One style was setting light figures against a dark ground, like
red-figure painting. Thin strips of lead defined contours and details. Volume
was modeled by shading of light and dark. Gnosis, Mosaic of a stag hunt, Pella ,
Greece
5.
The main advantage of a Corinthian capital over an Ionic capital was:
All four sides have a
similar appearance, so corner Corinthian capitals did not have to be modified
like Ionic capitals to follow the rule of “triglyphs at the corners of a frieze
must meet so that no space is left over.” They also did not require the use of metopes
or triglyphs, because an Ionic frieze could be used instead.
THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD
Define or identify the following terms.
Agora Open
square or space used for public meetings or business.
Portico A
roofed colonnade or entrance porch.
Stoa An open
building with a roof supported by a row of columns parallel to the back wall; a covered colonnade or portico.
1. List four ways in which the Temple of Apollo
a. It had no pediment or roof.
b. The grand doorway to the cella was elevated
five feet off the ground and could not be entered.
c. The
interior was much more complex and developed than the exterior, whereas in
Early and High Classical periods the exterior was treated as almost a work of
sculpture.
d. The
unroofed dipteral colonnade was really only an elaborate frame for a central
courtyard, which was entered through narrow, dark tunnels.
2. Note four stylistic characteristics that identify the
Nike of Samothrace (FIG. 5-82) as a Hellenistic sculpture:
a. The
motion created through the beating wings and the wind-swept drapery.
b. The
theatrical effect created by the statue’s original setting, high atop a
fountain that featured water falling down two tiers onto boulders.
c. The
statue interacted with its environment: it was reflected in the water of the
fountain, which caused it to seem light and moving. The sound of the water also
provided an aural element. It was not an isolated work on a pedestal.
d. Its
dynamic pose causes it to appear living, breathing, and emotional.
3. List three works that you think best represent the
realistic bent of Hellenistic sculptors. What makes them good examples?
a. 5-81 Dying Gaul : The figure reacts to pain naturalistically; his
face is contorted and the musculature of his whole body is tense.
b. 5-87 Old Woman: Age
is portrayed faithfully in this
figure, who is in no way idealized: she is bent over, wrinkled, and tired.
c. 5-85 Sleeping Satyr: The
eroticism in this figure is unmistakable, but it also shows a different state
of consciousness than most statues: sleep, representing the fantasy world of
dreams, which contrasts with the Classical ideals of rationality and
discipline.
4.
What subject was depicted in the statue of Laocöon and his sons (FIG. 5-89)?
The Trojan priest Laocöon and his sons were strangled by sea
serpents while they were sacrificing at an altar, a scene told in the Aeneid.
Briefly describe its stylistic
characteristics:
Great emotion is showed by
Laocöon, who seems to give out a huge cry of pain, which is heightened by the
writhing forms of the serpents. Even his hair is twisted and active. Motion is
created by dynamic poses and every muscle of each figure is tensed with drama.
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