Greek Art from E l Cl l Early Classical to Hellenistic PeriodHellenistic Period

Mrs. CookAP Art HistoryAP Art History

Greek Classical ArtGreek Classical Art• Scholars have characterized Greek Classical art as

being based on three general concepts:being based on three general concepts:• Humanism• RationalismRationalism• Idealism

• Idea “Man is the measure of all things” – “know Idea Man is the measure of all things know thyself” – seek inner significance of forms; and “Nothing in excess.” – his body and mind in balanceg y

• Greeks imagined their gods looked like perfect human beings

Greek Art & ArchitectureGreek Art & Architecture• Greeks valued reason over emotion, nothing

happens by accidenthappens by accident• Practicing the faith in rationality expressed by their

philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and logic philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and logic and reason underlie natural processes,

• Greeks saw life, including the arts, as having meaning , g , g gand pattern,

• The creation of the orders in architecture and the canon of proportions in sculpture

• The great Greek artists and architects were not only practitioners but theoreticians as well.

The first great monument of Classical architecture at Olympia, the site of the y p ,Olympic games, architect was Libon of ElisThe temple was made of stone, it was decorated with sculpture of imported

5-29: Temple of Hera IIdecorated with sculpture of imported marble, the themes demonstrated the power of the gods Zeus, Apollo, and Athena.

5-30: East Pediment, Temple of Zeus

The subject of the eastThe subject of the east pediment is the chariot race

Seer, east pediment Temple of Zeusp p

Seer is a rare depiction of old age, balding, wrinkled head, sagging musculature-shocking expression on his face - We have moved away from the archaic smile, not a regular feature until the Hellenistic age

Athena, Herakles, and Atlas with Apples of the Hesperides

Severe Style – The Early Classical style of Greek sculpture – 480-450 BCE Herakles cleaning

Augean Stables:Labor #5Labor #5

5-34: Kritios BoyMarble, 2’10”

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Transitional piece from Archaic to Classical art - Under life-size, art historiansTransitional piece from Archaic to Classical art Under life size, art historians thought it was the work of sculpture Kritios, they believe this is one of the most important statues in the history of art. – Never before had a sculptore been concerned with portraying a human being as he truly stands. K iti B th fi t t thi t i l f t th b d hift i ht h itKritios Boy was the first to grasp this anatomical fact – the body shifts weight when it moves – This weight shift is called “contrapposto” (counterbalance) This separates Archaic Greek period from the Classical periods,

CONTRAPPOSTOCONTRAPPOSTO

CONTRAPPOSTO (or COUNTERPOISE), ( ),an Italian word, describes the stance of the human body in which one leg bears the weight while the other is relaxed. An asymmetry is created in the shoulder hipasymmetry is created in the shoulder-hip axis. This is a natural, relaxed body pose. Early sculptures of human figures, while anatomically correct, appeared stiff and unnatural

If we look at the early Greek sculpture, the

CONTRAPPOSTOCONTRAPPOSTO

Anavysos Kouros (c 525 BCE), the unnatural stiffness is still present.

...the shoulders are level

...the hips are level

...both fists are level

...even the knees are level

b t th l ft l i th t f d...but the left leg is thrust forward. The left leg is forward and would have to be six inches longer!

CONTRAPPOSTOCONTRAPPOSTO

Contrapposto first appeared in classical Greek sculpture.

...the left shoulder is higher than the right shoulder

...an angle from the right shoulder to the left hip. The leg is relaxed and the hip bone is lower.

...the right leg bears all the body’s weight.

Also notice how the knees are not level and at an angle. The shoulders counterbalance the hips.angle. The shoulders counterbalance the hips.

If the hips and shoulders were parallel, we could not balance and would fall over!

CONTRAPPOSTOCONTRAPPOSTO

The classical Greeks progressed to where they were able to model the human in a nonsymmetrical, relaxed stance that appears much more realistic. This was lost during the Middle Ages and was rediscovered by artists like Donatello during the Renaissance

5-35: Warrior, from the sea off Riacec. 460-450 BCE, Bronze, 6’6”

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•An unknown sculptor carried the innovation

f th K iti B i tof the Kritios Boy into a bronze statue. •The statue lacks its shield, spear, and s e d, spea , a dhelmet. •Contrapposto is more pronounced, It is a masterpiece ofmasterpiece of hollow-casting method. •Natural motion in space has replaced Archaic frontality and rigidity!

the head turns more forcefully to the right, his shoulders tiltshoulders tilt, his hips swing more markedly, his arms are freed from the body - than in ythe Kritios Boy.

Hollow-casting techniqueHollow casting technique

Charioteer

Thi d h Ri i i h i l li•This exceeds the Riace warrior in technical quality, •The stance is almost an Archaic but the turn of the head and feet in opposite directions as well as the slight twist at the waist is keeping with the Severe style, originally part of awaist is keeping with the Severe style, originally part of a group representing a team of horse pulling a chariot driven by this charioteer •Assemblage required hundreds of individually cast pieces

ld d t thsoldered together

5-38: Zeus (or Poseidon?)c. 460-450 BCE, Bronze, 6’10”

•The male human form is in motion,• the bearded god once hurled a weapon held in his right hand, probably a thunderbolt•boldly extends both arms and raises his right heel off the groundright heel off the ground

5-39: MYRON, Diskobolos (Discus Thrower)c. 450 BCE, Roman copy, Marble, 5’1”

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•Original is lost only marble copy exists (roman times when•Original is lost, only marble copy exists, (roman times, when demand so far exceeded the supply of Greek statues, the industry met the call by producing in marble, which presented a very different appearance from shiny bronze – without them we would not be able to reconstruct the history of Greek sculpture) •Myron (sculpture) froze the action and arranged the body and limbs to form to intersecting arcs – (one from theand limbs to form to intersecting arcs (one from the discus to the left hand, one from the head to the right knee) •The tension is not mirrored on his face, mid-swing, impossible to throw the discus this way but optically the pose

k i i t i l f th f tworks, viewpoint mainly form the front• Idealized heroic body•Use of negative space opens large areas in the sculpture.

•Most copied, this was the embodiment of Polykleitos’svision of the ideal statue of a nude male athlete or warriornude male athlete or warrior. •He made it a demonstration piece to accompany a treatise on the subject – Canon, the contrappostoj ppis more pronounced than ever, his aim was to render a figure that stands naturally, His aim was to impose order on humanimpose order on human movement to make it beautiful and perfect. •He achieved this by a system of

5-40: POLYKLEITOS, Doryphoros

cross balance, (right arm and left leg are relaxed, the tensed supporting leg opposes the flexed arm with the spear head turns to the right whileDoryphoros

(Spear Bearer)c. 450-440 BCE, Roman copy, marble,

spear, head turns to the right while the hips twist to the left) He appears to step forward but doesn't move, dynamic asymmetrical balance, this

ti hil t t d lti6’11” Cue Cardmotion while at rest, and resulting harmony of opposites are the essence of Polykleitian style, closed stance, movement restrain,

Chiastic (cross balance)

Chiastic (cross balance) is asymmetrical balanceasymmetrical balance

…right arm and leg rigid & stiff creating columnar stability and

h ianchoring

…the bent left arm and leg

…head turns right, hips twist left, back foot turns outward creating a twist in the body

5-41; KRESILAS, PericlesRoman herm copy, c 429 BCE,Marble, 4’6”Marble, 4 6

•Kresilas the copies reproduce the head only in the form of a herm (a bust y (on a square pillar) •He is wearing a helmet that shows he was a general, unblemished features, his body’s perfect physique noble andhis body s perfect physique, noble and important men to appear even more noble in their portraits -•Greek portraits were not likenesses but idealized images in which humans appeared godlike –Classical beauty

Herm – Bust on a square pillar

5-42 to 5-44: Aerial View & Model of the Acropolis, Iktinosand Kallikrates, 447-438 BCE,

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•Under the leadership of Pericles the•Under the leadership of Pericles, the Athenians undertook the costly project of reconstructing the Acropolis after the Persian sac of 480 BCE•It is dedicated to the god Athena•Greatest Athenians architects – Iktinos and Kalikrates, •Iktinos believed harmonic proportions producedIktinos believed harmonic proportions produced beautiful buildings, In the Parthenon, the ratio of larger and smaller parts is x=2y +1 (8 columns on the façade, 17 on the side

IKTINOS and KALLIKRATES, ParthenonCue Card

IKTINOS and KALLIKRATES, Parthenon

The Parthenon may be viewed as the ideal solution to the Greek architect’s quest for the perfect proportions in Doric temple design – Its well-spaced columns, with slender shafts, and capitals – ultimate refinement – the architects believed that beautiful proportions resulted from strict adherence to harmonic numerical ratios, whether in a temple of 200 feet long or a statue of a nude man the ratio was 9:4 Although thein a temple of 200 feet long or a statue of a nude man, the ratio was 9:4, Although the harmonious design, it is really irregular in shape, the building are deviations from strict horizontal and vertical lines of Greek post-and-lintel structures, these deviations meant that virtually every block had to be carved according to special set of instructions, Some modern observers say that the curving horizontal lines and tilting vertical ones create a dynamic balance in the building-kind of architectural contrapposto-giving it a greater sense of lifeOne of the ironies is that the Doric temple had Ionic elements, inner frieze was Ionic,One of the ironies is that the Doric temple had Ionic elements, inner frieze was Ionic, maybe it was suggesting that they were the leader of all the Greeks – ionic/Doric

5-46: PHIDIAS, Athena Parthenos, c. 438 BCE, 38’Marble copy

•Phidias was in charge of all entire acropolis project, •The colossal gold-and-ivory statue, Iktinosdesigned the Parthenon around her, Athena was fully armed with shield, spear, helmet, and she held a Nike (the winged personification ofshe held a Nike (the winged personification of Victory – this referred to the victory in 479 BCE)•The memory of the Persian sack of the Acropolis was still vivid, the Athenians were intensely conscious that by driving back the Persians, they had save their civilization from the Eastern “barbarians”, sandals represented of a centauromacy (battle of Greeks andof a centauromacy (battle of Greeks and centaurs)- over chaos, civilization over barbarism a metaphor for triumph of order d Athens over Persia

5-47: Lapith versus centaur

centauromacy

•Phidias took up the same themes in the Parthenon’s metopes, •Best preserved are those on the south side, the sculptor brilliantly distinguished the vibrant living centaur form the lifeless Greek corpsevibrant living centaur form the lifeless Greek corpse•The relief are so high in parts that it is fully in the round

Three Goddess (Hestia, Dione, and A h dit ?)

Helios and his horses, and Dionysis

5-48 & 5-49: Phidias, Pediments of the ParthenonCue Card

Aphrodite?)Dionysis

1. Helios 4. Nike 7. Hera 10. Atlas

2. Herakles 5. Athena 8. Hephaistos 11. The Hesperides

3. The Fates 6. Zeus 9. Hermes 12. Nyx

Three Goddess (Hestia, Dione, and A h dit ?)

Helios and his horses, and Dionysis

5-48 & 5-49: Phidias, Pediments of the ParthenonCue Card

Aphrodite?)Dionysis

•The east pediment depicts the birth of the goddess, Athena•The Athenian sculptors full understood not only the surface appearance of human anatomy, both male and female, but also the mechanics of how muscles and ones make th b dthe body move, •Three Goddess: “Figures are related to one another in their poses, positions, and interconnected meaning, clinging, wet drapery reveals the voluptuous bodies beneath, deeply cut draper, figures sit naturally within the framework of the pediment, Phidiasdeeply cut draper, figures sit naturally within the framework of the pediment, Phidias designed this – his assistant might have executed it

Parthenon, West Pediment: Athena vs. Poseidon Cue Card

•At the west, the contest between Athena and Poseidon to determine which one would become the city’s patron deity. •Athena won, giving her name to the polis and its citizens. g g p•Phidias, discovered an new way to deal with the pediment, Its floor is now the horizon line and the charioteers and their horse move through it effortlessly, figures and animals are brilliantly characterized, reclining figures fill the space,

Details of the PanathenaicFestival procession frieze

•Took place every 4 years•This is the first instance in Greek art of the depiction of a human event on a temple, The procession began at the Dipylon Gate, passed through the agora (central square) and ended on the Acropolis, where the Athenians placed the wooden statue of Athena. The procession begins on the west, the upper part of the relief is higher than the lower part, so more of the frieze is legible from the bottom – Another example of how Parthenon’sso more of the frieze is legible from the bottom Another example of how Parthenon s designers took optical effects into consideration, The Olympian deities do not take part in the festival but are spectators, The Parthenon celebrated the greatness of Athens and the Athenians as much as it honored Athena

5-52: Erechtheion and Planc. 421-405 BCEErechtheion from the west

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•The Erechtheion is the antithesis of the Doric Parthenon directly across form it. An Ionic temple, it has some of he finest decorative details of any ancient Greek building, •It honored Athena and housed a wood image but it also incorporated shrines to a host of other gods and demigods who were important in the city’s past. • The site of the temple was where the contest between Athena and Poseidon took place Poseidon striker the rock with this trident and producing a salt-water springplace, Poseidon striker the rock with this trident and producing a salt-water spring, Athena had cause an olive tree to grow, constant reminder of the victory over Poseidon. •Asymmetrical plan, unknown architect had to deal with the uneven terrain, couldn’t leveled because it would disturb the ancient sacred sites, result four sides with very different character, each side rest on a different ground level,

Caryatid from south porch of Erechtheion

Caryatid from south porch of Erechtheion

Most striking and famous feature is the architect replaced Ionic columnsreplaced Ionic columns with caryatids, flutelike drapery folds concealing their stiff weight-bearing l d thlegs underscore the architectural supports, small degree of flexibility to suggest the living gg gbody.

KALLIKRATES, Temple of Athena Nikec. 427-424 BCE

5-56: Nike adjusting her sandalSouth side of the parapet

•This temple commemorates the victory over the•This temple commemorates the victory over the Persians•The sculptors devoted part of the frieze to represent the decisive battle at Marathon, which turned the tide against the Persian, human events like the procession frieze, dozens of images of winged Victory adorned the parapet on three sides of the Athena Nike temple the sculptor carved this Nike with

Parapet: a low protective wall along the edge of a balcony or roof

Nike temple, the sculptor carved this Nike with garments that appear almost transparent, drapery folds form intricate linear patterns , supple beauty of the young female body, modeled in high relief

Grave stele of Hegeso

The Athena Nike parapet reliefs was set up in memory of a woman named Hegeso- subject young woman in her homeyoung woman in her home, attended y her main, the composition has parallels to Classical vase painting,

5:58: ACHILLES PAINTER, Warrior taking leave of his

ifewife

Lekythos (flask to hold

f d il)perfumed oil)White-ground

Foreshorteningo es o te gWhite-ground technique (painter covered the pot with a slip of fine white clay, then applied black glaze to outline figures, diluted brown, purple, red, and white to color them) they could add more colors but they had to be added after the firing, This technique was almost exclusively use on atechnique was almost exclusively use on a scene: husband is preparing to go to war-helmet, shield, and spear- who will depart, never to return, the woman is the survivor The artist attempted to render the eyes in profile, foreshortening used,

5-59: NIOBID PAINTER,

Krater

,Artemis and Apollo slaying the children of Niobe

3-Quarter Profile

Red-figure krater, placement of figures on different levels in a landscape depicting the

f th Ni bid fl t thmassacre of the Niobids reflects the compositional influence of panel painters, they actively interact with their setting,

5-61: Youth Diving

•Cover slab of the Tomb of the diver•This type of scene often occurs in Greek vasesThis type of scene often occurs in Greek vases•Scene most likely symbolize the plunge form life into the next

Late ClassicalLate Classical

• This period was lead by Alexander III or Alexander the GreatAlexander the Great

• New creative spirit- new subjects and stylesstyles

• They observed the basic Classical approach to composition but they no approach to composition but they no longer adhered rigidly to is conventions

• Architecture moved outside of Athens Architecture moved outside of Athens and added popular structures such as the tholos and monumental tomb.

•Statue once was housed in around temple and could only have been seen by someone peeking through columns; voyeuristic view,The original lost carved from marble•The original lost, carved from marble

•The new approach to art is immediately apparent in the work of Praxitelses, one of the great masters of the 4th

century. y•Deities lost some of the solemn grandeur and took on a worldly sensuousness, see a new humanizing spirit, goddess of love completely nude •Female nudity was rare in earlier Greek art it had been•Female nudity was rare in earlier Greek art, it had been confined almost exclusively on paintings on vases for household use, considered “superior to all works in the whole world”•This cause such a sensation in its time because Praxiteles took the unprecedented step of representing the goddesses of love nude, No one had dared place inside a temple a statue of a goddess wearing no clothesinside a temple a statue of a goddess wearing no clothes•She in fact engaging in a trivial act of everyday life, bathing, she has removed her garment, draped it over a large hydria (water pitcher) and is about to step in the b th

5-62: PRAXITELES Aphrodite of Knidos

bath, •It isn’t openly erotic (she covers with her hand) but is quite sensuous•She has a welcoming look and slight smile, S-curve of

5-62: Hermes and the infant Dionysos

•Hermes leans on a tree truck (which is an integral part of the compositions)•Body forms an S curve that is•Body forms an S-curve that is hallmark of Praxiteles’ statues•Gazes dreamily into space while dangles a bunch of grapes (missing) as a temptation for the infant, who is to become the Greek god of the vine.•This interaction between adult and child – one encounters often in real lifechild one encounters often in real life is new •The quality of carving is superb, modeling is smooth and subtle, soft h d h ll S h dshadow, shallow S-shaped curve,

subtle modeling of musculature, soft shadows play on body surface

5-65: LYSIPPOS, Apoxyomenos, (Th S )

•Lysippos introduced a new canon of proportions in which the bodies were

(The Scraper) Roman copy of bronze, c. 330 BCE, 6’9”

p pmore slender than those of Polykleitos and head roughly one-eighth the height of the body rather than one-seventh , as in the previous centuryp y•This was the most famous was the bronze statue (only marble left) - an athlete scraping oil from his body after exercising, exhibits new proportions, new change in physique, nervous g yenergy, •The scraper is about to reach the end of the right arm and at any moment the switch other hand to scrape his left arm•Shift in his weight and reverse position of his legs, began to break down the dominance of the frontal view and encourage to observe the view of his athlete form multiple angles, right Great Late arm boldly thrust forward•Figure break out of the rectangular box that define early statues, the observer must move to the side and view the work at three-quarter

Classical sculpture - Lysippos, was so renown that Alexander theangle or in full profile, head is one-eighth of

body, far away look on the face

Alexander the Great selected him to create his official portrait,

Spear BearerHermes and the infant Dionysos

Scaper

Comparing with the Spear Bearer - This reveals the sweeping change in artistic attitude and intent, the deities still posses a beauty mortals can aspire to but not achieve but they are no long a aloof, they have entered the world of human experience,

5-66: LYSIPPOS, Farnese HeraklesRoman copy, c. 320 BCE, 10’5”

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Colossal statue viewer must walk around it original is nearly twice life sizeColossal statue, viewer must walk around it, original is nearly twice life-size, exaggerated muscular development, depicted the hero so weary he must lean on his club for support or he will topple over, rejecting stability and balance, holds golden apples in his right hand behind his back, unseen unless you walk around it, we see pain and weariness, eloquent testimony to Late Classical sculptors interest in humanizing the Greek gods and heroes,

5-67: LYSIPPOS: Alexander the Great

He was the official sculpture of Alexander the Greek, it provides insight into his

litpersonality

5-68: Stag hunt

Pebble mosaic: the floors consist of small stones of various colors collect from beaches and riverbanks and set into a thick coat of cement It was theinto a thick coat of cement, It was the scene of a Stag hunt, the artist signed the work like the ceramic vase painters.This is the earliest mosaicist’ssignature known

Pebble mosaic

5-70: Battle of Issus, (AKA Battle of Alexander the Great and Darius)

•Large mosaic, decorated the floor of a room in a appointed Roman house at Pompeii, The mosaicists employed tesseraemosaicists employed tesserae(cubical pieces of glass or tiny stones cut to the desire size and shape) instead of pebbles p ) p•The subject is Alexander the Great and the Persian King Darius III. Artist depiction of the rearing horse seen in threethe rearing horse seen in three quarter rear view, reflection of a man’s terrified face, Persian to the right of the rearing horse has fallen to the ground and raises backward, dropped shield to protect himself from being trampledbeing trampled, •The interest in reflection, shiny surface and the absence of light (shadow), It is a

h l i l i t it f thpsychological intensity of the drama unfolding before the viewer,

5-71: Theater, Epidauros

5-71: Polykleitos the Younger Theater, Epidauros

•In ancient Greece, actors performed pays only during sacred festivals, Greek drama closel associate ith religio s rites and as not p re entertainmentclosely associate with religious rites and was not pure entertainment. • The architect was, Polykleitos the Younger•Circular patch of earth where actors performed sacred rites, songs, and dances, the circular hard and level surface was the orchestra (means dancing place” the spectators ( g p psat on the slope overlook the orchestra – the theatron means “place of seeing” The Greeks always situated the auditorium on a hillside, acoustics were excellent•The cavea, composed of wedge-shaped sections of stone benches separated by stairs, the auditorium 387 feet in diameter and 55 rows of seats that accommodate aboutthe auditorium 387 feet in diameter and 55 rows of seats that accommodate about 12,000 spectators (everyone could hear perfectly), the entered the theater via a passageway between the seating area and the scene building which house dressing rooms for the actors, it also formed the backdrop for the plays, The plan was simple but perfectly suited for its function.•Theaters often had a view of the sea; the sea plays an important role in Greek drama

5-72: THOLOS, SANCTUARY OF ATHENA PRONAIA at Delphi

Th l Thi i h b d•Tholos – This is the best preserved example of a round temple of the Classical period,•It had Doric columns on the exterior andIt had Doric columns on the exterior and Corinthian columns inside. •Consistent with the conservative nature of Greek temple design, architects did not

dil b th C i thi it lreadily embrace the Corinthian capital, they used them for the interiors of sacred buildings

5-74: Choragic Monument

The earliest instance of a Corinthian capital on the exterior of a Greek building which is not really a b ildi it i t tbuilding, it is a monument to commemorate the victory of a theatrical contest in 334 BCE, Engaged Corinthian columns adorn g gthe drum of this monument, huge Corinthian capital sits atop the roof

Gardner’s 11th ed., p. 147

Hellenistic PeriodHellenistic Period• Death of Alexander the

Great – His lasting legacy is Great His lasting legacy is the spread of Greek culture beyond its bordersy

• Where the earlier artist sought the ideal and the general, Hellenistic sought the individual and the

ifispecific• They moved to individual

ti l t th emotion, appeal to the senses

Temple of Apollo, DidymaTemple of Apollo, Didyma

•Great scale, a theatrical element of surprise, willingness to break from traditional rules of Greek temple design•One of the most ambitious projects of the period, Started with two architects native to the area, Paionios and Daphnis, the work of the temple continued on and off forto the area, Paionios and Daphnis, the work of the temple continued on and off for 500 years - and it was never completed.

5-78: Altar of Zeus, Pergamon

This is the most famous Hellenistic l t l bl Alt l dsculptural ensemble. Altar placed on an

elevated platform up a dramatic fight of stairs, contains an altar dedicated to Zeus, Ionic colonnade with projecting wings on p j g geach side, All around the altar platform was a sculpted frieze almost 400 feet long, populated about 100 life-size figures,

•The scene is Zeus and the gods against the g ggiants• This has emotional intensity without parallel in earlier sculpture violentearlier sculpture, violent movement, battle of the gods and the giants, the giants as helpless

gigantomachy

•gods victory over the giants which parallel to Alexander the Great’sdefeat of the Persians

5-79: Athena battling Alkyoneos,

defeat of the Persians•Figures overlap one another (masterful handling of spatial illusion)

Altar of Zeus

5-79: Athena battling Alkyoneos, Altar of Zeus

gigantomachy

ParthenonParthenon Athena

Siphnian Treasury at Delphi

5-80: Gallic chieftain

•The defeat of the Gauls•The Gallic chieftain committing suicide gafter taking his wife’s life (if captured, would be sold as a slave) He preferred death to surrender•Intensely expressive face powerful torso•Intensely expressive face, powerful torso, woman’s limp, lifeless body, twisting posture, almost theatrical gestures, emotional intensity of the suicidal act,

5-81: Dying Gaul Trumpeter

•Trumpeter who collapses upon his large oval shield as blood pours from theTrumpeter who collapses upon his large oval shield as blood pours from the gash in his chest, he stares at the ground in a pained expression. •Bulging veins on the left leg, the drama of this dying and suffering Gaul are very pronounced – very emotional, seen as a hero to the Greeks, figure meant t b i th d t ti th fto be seen in the round, great emotion on the face,

CompareCompare

the drama of this dying and suffering Gaul are very pronounced – very emotionalare very pronounced very emotional

5-82: Nike alighting on a warship

(Nike of Samothrace)c 190 BCE Marble 8’1”c. 190 BCE, Marble, 8 1

Masterpieces of the Hellenistic baroque sculpture, wind sweeps her drapery, thick folds around her right leg, chiton is pulled tightly across her abdomen and left leg, theatrical effect, Art and nature combined here to create one of the most successful sculpturedHellenistic statues interact with their environment and appear living, breathing, and intensely emotional human (or divine) presence. probably built to commemorate a naval victory in 191 BCE a dramatic twist and contrapposto of the torso Monumentality of thevictory in 191 BCE, a dramatic twist and contrapposto of the torso, Monumentality of the figure, Her missing right arm may have raised a victory crown or held and open hand in greeting,

5-83: Venus de Miloc.150-125 BCE, Marble, 6’7”6’7”

They explored the eroticism of the nude y pfemale form. Larger-than-life marble statue, the goddess of love is overtly sexual, left hand holds the apple Paris awarded her when he judge her the mostawarded her when he judge her the most beautiful goddess, right hand is lightly grasped the edge of drapery near left hip –halfhearted attempt to keep it from slipping father down her body, May of the Hellenistic sculptors especially those for private patrons, went even further depicting goddess of love as and object ofdepicting goddess of love as and object of sexual desire. Elegance of pose, long S-shaped curve, softly modeled forms; light and shadow softly play on surface,

H ll i ti l t ft t d lHellenistic sculptors often portrayed sleep, suspension of consciousness and entrance into the fantasy world of dreams, drunken, restlessly sleeping satyr, eroticism comes y p g y ,in this statue,

5-84: Sleeping Satyr (Barberini Faun)c. 230-200 B.C.E.marble85 in. high

5-86: Seated boxerc.100-50 BCE, Bronze 4’2”

They didn’t leave all themes especially thethemes especially the Greek athlete but they treated in new ways, he isn’t the victorious boxer with perfect face but a heavily battered, defeated veteran whose upward gaze maybe directed togaze maybe directed to the man that beat him, his nose and teeth broken, smashed ears, Using emotion to show the one-mighty fighter

5-87: Old market womanRoman copy, 4’1”

•Statue depicting the lowest rungs of the p g gsocial order, we only saw this on vase painting but not in sculpture, haggard old woman, brining fruits and vegetables to sell in the market face is wrinkled her bodyin the market, face is wrinkled, her body bent with age, her spirit broken by a lifetime of poverty, interest in social realism absent before, art reflect this different social climate, wider variety of physical types, •Hellenistic work in its extreme realism and interest in old ageinterest in old age

5-89: Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydorosof Rhodes, Laocoön and his sons, 1st century C.E., marble94 1/2 in. high

Unearthed in Rome in 1506 by the artist Michelangelo, Story: the Trojan priest who tried to warn his people of the dangers lurkingwarn his people of the dangers lurking inside the hose given to Troy by the Greeks; snakes were sent by the gods to prevent him form speaking The gods p p g gwho favored the Greeks in the war against Troy had sent the serpents to punish Laocoon, High Drama! in terrible agony theHigh Drama! in terrible agony, the three Trojans writhe in pain as they struggle to free themselves from the death grip of the serpents, One bits into his hip and lets out a cry, twisting, curving forms; the eye cannot rest, wanders around the composition, viewing the composition form manyviewing the composition form many angles is encourage, Heightened musculature

Laocoon and his sons

Compare with 5-79Alkyoneos

Summary

• The Greeks have had a powerful influence on history that we have dubbed their art “classical”

• Greek pottery had the geometric and orientalizing style.• Greek theaters are built carefully into the landscape.y p• Greek Archaic art is known for the upright figures with

animated smiles. The Classical period by the use of p ycontrapposto and humanizing expressions. Hellenistic shows figures with a greater range of expression and movement.

• Greek art has provided a standard against which other l i i i t d i t hi t h b dclassicizing trends in art history have been measured.