Classical Greek and Roman Art

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Classical Greek and Roman Art
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The art of Ancient Greece is usually divided
stylistically into three periods the Archaic,
the Classical and the Hellenistic. The Archaic
age is usually dated from about 1000 BC, although
in reality little is known about art in Greece
during the preceding 200 years (traditionally
known as the Dark Ages). The onset of the Persian
Wars (480 BC to 448 BC) is usually taken as the
dividing line between the Archaic and the
Classical periods, and the reign of Alexander the
Great (336 BC to 323 BC) is taken as separating
the Classical from the Hellenistic periods.
Art historians generally define Ancient Greek art
as the art produced in the Greek-speaking world
from about 1000 BC to about 100 BC. They
generally exclude the art of the Mycenaean and
Minoan civilizations, which flourished from about
1500 to about 1200 BC. Despite the fact that
these were Greek-speaking cultures, there is
little or no continuity between the art of these
civilizations and later Greek art. At the other
end of the time-scale, art historians generally
hold that Ancient Greek art as a distinct culture
ended with the establishment of Roman rule over
the Greek-speaking world in about 100 BC.
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Archaic Art The Archaic sculptures are silent
witnesses to the extraordinary development
western society was about to undertake. The
Kouros and Kore statues stand before a cultural
revolution, all muscles tense, like a spring
about to burst with energy into an extraordinary
wave of classical thought. They stand with smiles
frozen with meaning as if they knew what was
about to occur
KourosLifesize, circa 540 B.C.From the island
of Melos.
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The Classical Period From the National Museum of
Athens The ancient Greek Artist invented his
own self and became the creator of god and man
alike in a universe of perfect formal
proportions, idealized aesthetic values and a
newly found sense of freedom. This was a freedom
from barbarism and tyranny.
Zeus of ArtemisionBronze, circa 460 - 450
B.C.2.09 m (6' 10.5") high,2.10 m (6' 10.75")
fingertip to fingertip.Found in the sea near
cape Artemisio
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Hellenistic Art The subtle implications of
greatness and humility of the high Classical era
are replaced with bold expressions of energy and
power during the moments of tension as evident in
the poses depicted during the Hellenistic era.
Poseidon of MelosMarble, circa 140 BC.
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ARCHITECTURE Temples were Post and Lintel
constructions made mostly of stone and marble.
The base of the temple was called the stylobate.
The Peri-style was a row of columns that
surrounded all four sides of the temple and
supported a lintel area called the entablature.
The top most element of the entablature, the
cornice, supported a peaked roof. It was made of
a continuous band of carved stone called
moldings. At each end, the horizontal cornice of
the entablature and the raking (slanted) cornices
of the roof defined a triangular gable called the
pediment. There were three basic orders of
columns during this period the Doric, Ionic, and
Corinthian.
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The Doric order columns were formed of round
sections called drums which were joined by metal
pegs. A fluted shaft rose from the stylobate
without a base. At the top of the shaft was the
necking. The capital sits on the necking it is
made of the rounded echinus and the tablet-like
abacus.The entablature of the column included
the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice.
The height of Ionic order columns was about
nine times the diameter of the column at its
base the Doric order had a five and a half to
one ratio. The flutes in the shaft were deeper
and closer together and were separated by flat
surfaces called fillets. On top of these columns
was a thin cushion-like abacus with scrolled
volutes. The Corinthian order had elaborate
capitals decorated with acanthus leaves and
rosettes. They often had scrolled elements at the
corners and a boss, or projecting ornament at the
top center of each side.
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Acragas, Temple of Concord
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The Acropolis at AthensView of the entire
complex
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Athens, Parthenon, East facade
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Temple of Poseidon60 x 19.55 m (196 x 64
ft)Consisting of 39 columns and a cella with
three navesc. 450 BC
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This kouros is one of the earliest marble statues
of a human figure carved in Attica. The rigid
stance, with the left leg forward and arms at the
side, was derived from Egyptian art. The pose
provided a clear, simple formula that was used by
Greek sculptors throughout the sixth century B.C.
In this early figure, geometric, almost abstract
forms predominate, and anatomical details are
rendered in beautiful analogous patterns. The
statue marked the grave of a young Athenian
aristocrat.                                    
                                     
Marble statue of a kouros (youth), ca. 590580
B.C. Archaic Greek, Attica
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On the shoulder, a seated woman, perhaps a
goddess, is approached by four youths and eight
dancing maidens on the body, women are making
woolen cloth. One of the most important
responsibilities of women in ancient Greece was
the preparation of wool and the weaving of cloth.
Here, in the center, two women work at an upright
loom. To the right, three women weigh wool.
Farther to the right, four women spin wool into
yarn, while between them finished cloth is being
folded. The Amasis Painter is named after the
potter, Amasis, who produced the vases.
Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), ca. 550530
B.C. ArchaicAttributed to the Amasis
PainterGreek, Attic
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Bronze diskos thrower, ca. 480460 B.C.
ClassicalGreekBronze H. 9 5/8 in.
This superlative bronze embodies the highest
achievements of the early Classical period. The
athlete is about to swing the diskos forward and
over his head with his left hand, then transfer
it to his right hand, and finally release it with
the force of the accumulated momentum. The beauty
of the statuette lies in the calm and
concentrated physiognomy that forms part of a
perfectly developed and disciplined body.
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This hydria, like all Greek art, is marked by
clearly defined parts organized into a harmonious
well-proportioned whole. The plain body swells
gently to the shoulder zone, which turns inward
with a soft cushionlike curve. The shoulder is
decorated with a simple shallow tongue pattern
that echoes the vertical ribbing on the foot. The
neck shoots from the shoulder to a flaring mouth
from which the bust of a woman seems to emerge.
The figure, which belongs to the vertical handle
of the vessel, wears a peplos and her serene face
is framed by carefully detailed hair. Rotelles
with a rosette pattern give a semblance of
outstretched hands. The inscription on the mouth
indicates that this hydria was a prize awarded at
games for the goddess Hera at her sanctuary in
Argos in the Peloponnesos.
Bronze hydria (waterjar), mid-5th century B.C.
ClassicalGreek, Argive
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Marble grave stele of a little girl, ca. 450440
B.C. ClassicalGreekMarble, Parian H. 31 1/2
in.
This stele was found on the island of Paros in
1775. The gentle gravity of the child is
beautifully expressed through her sweet farewell
to her pet doves. Her peplos is unbelted and
falls open at the side, and the folds of drapery
clearly reveal her stance. Many of the most
skillful stone carvers came from the Cycladic
islands, where marble was plentiful. The sculptor
of this stele could have been among the artists
who congregated in Athens during the third
quarter of the fifth century B.C. to decorate the
Parthenon.
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Winged Victory of SamothraceMarble, h. 3.28 m
(11 ft)Found on the island of SamothraceAround
190 BCMusée du Louvre, Paris
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Bronze statue of Eros sleeping, 3rd century
B.C.early 1st century A.D. Hellenistic or
Augustan periodGreek or Roman
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Venus de MiloParian marble, h 2.02 m (6 1/2
ft)Found at Milo130-120 BCMusée du Louvre,
Paris
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Discobolos (Discus Thrower) c. 450 BCRoman
marble copy after the bronze original by
Myronheight 155 cm (61 in)Museo Nazionale
Romano, Rome
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Hagesandros, Athenodoros and Polydoros of
RhodesLaocoon and his sonsc. 175-150 BCMarble,
height 242 cm (95 1/2 in)Museo Pio Clementino,
Vatican
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Pair of silver scyphi (cups) with relief
decoration, late 1st century B.C.early 1st
century A.D. Early Imperial, Augustan Roman
These silver cups represent Roman metalwork of
the highest quality. They were undoubtedly
produced by one of the leading Roman workshops
that supplied the imperial family as well as
affluent, cultured, private individuals - the
same clientele for whom the villas around Rome
and Naples were built, decorated, and furnished.
They are decorated in high relief with figures of
cupids and partially gilt. The cupids, several of
whom are shown dancing and playing instruments,
may be associated with Dionysiac festivities and
are thus eminently suitable on vessels meant for
a drinking party.
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Cubiculum (bedroom) from the Villa of P. Fannius
Synistor, ca. 4030 B.C. Republican Second
Style Roman Fresco
Room M of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at
Boscoreale, buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in
A.D. 79, functioned as a bedroom.
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Bronze portrait statue of a boy, late 1st century
B.C.early 1st century A.D. Early Imperial,
AugustanRoman
This bronze figure portrays a young member of a
wealthy Roman family. The style of the idealizing
portrait clearly indicates that the subject
wished to be shown in the guise of a prince of
the imperial family.
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Ancient sculpture was painted. Although faint
remnants of polychromy can be discerned on some
objects, the original effect has been lost. This
vase provides a rare example of the actual
painting process, in which the encaustic pigments
were mixed with wax. On the obverse, an artist
paints a lion-skin on a marble statue of
Herakles, surrounded by two assistants, Zeus and
Nike. To the left of the statue, a youth tends a
charcoal brazier on which the wax mixture and the
tools are being warmed. The artist, to the right,
is recognizable by his cap and by his garment
worn so as to afford maximum coolness and freedom
of movement. A small container in his left hand
holds the pigment, which he applies with a tool
like a knife or spatula. Zeus and a Nike
(personification of victory) watch from on high,
and at the far right Herakles himself approaches.
On the reverse of the krater, Athena is seated
with one of Dioskouroi.
Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine
and water), ca. 360350 B.C. Late Classical
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Marble bust of a bearded man, ca. A.D. 150175
Mid-Imperial, AntonineRoman
This masterful portrait bust represents a
vigorous middle-aged man who turns his head
slightly to his right and stares into the
distance with a critical, penetrating gaze. The
broad, square face is carefully modeled wide
furrows cut into the low forehead and at the
corners of the eyes, adding to the intensity of
the expression. One assumes that the sitter was a
contemporary man in the guise of a thinker rather
than this being a portrait of a practicing
philosopher.
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Marble portrait of the emperor Caracalla, ca.
A.D. 217230 Mid-Imperial, SeveranRomanMarble
H. 14 1/4 in.
This head is from a statue, other fragments of
which survive. Caracalla abandoned the luxuriant
hair and beard of his predecessors for a military
style characterized by close-cropped curls and a
stubble beard. Often finely carved, his portraits
look compact but convey an explosive energy
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RomanPhrygian marble Overall 34 x 85 x 36 1/4
in.
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The central figure is that of the god Dionysos
seated on a panther, but he is somewhat
overshadowed by four larger standing figures who
represent the four Seasons (from left to right,
Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). The figures
are unusual in that the Seasons are usually
portrayed as women, but here they are shown as
sturdy youths. Around these five central figures
are placed other Bacchic figures and cultic
objects, all carved at a smaller scale. On the
rounded ends of the sarcophagus are two other
groups of large figures, similarly intermingled
with lesser ones. On the left end, Mother Earth
is portrayed reclining on the ground she is
accompanied by a satyr and a youth carrying
fruit. On the right end, a bearded male figure,
probably to be identified with the
personification of a river-god, reclines in front
of two winged youths, perhaps representing two
additional Seasons. The sarcophagus is an
exquisite example of Roman funerary art,
displaying all the virtuosity of the workshop
where it was carved. Although the marble is
Phrygian, from central Anatolia (Turkey), the
stone was probably shipped to Rome and worked
there.