GUIDE 6-2Unit 2ANCIENT GREECE - part IICla.docx

GUIDE 6-2
Unit 2
ANCIENT GREECE
- part II
Classical Art
Hellenistic Art
Reconstruction of Parthenon
(From the German encyclopedia, 1891)
“In the land of Hellas, a small city-state dedicated to Athena,
goddess of wisdom, saw the birth of a new spirit - a spirit
destined to quicken the human heart and mind then, now, and
for ages to come.
Here in Athens for a brief span of time were concentrated the
creative energies of many geniuses.”
-
W. Fleming

CLASSICAL PERIOD
in the HISTORY of ANCIENT GREECE
5
t
– 4
th
centuries
B.C.
Classical Period
is divided into three phases
:
Early Classical
High Classical
5
th
century
B
.
C.
(

1
st
half)
5
th
century
B
.
C.
(
2
nd
half)
Late Classical
4
th
century
B
.
C.
Historical Landmarks:
480 B.C. Greek victory over the Persians at Salamis;
Greece entered an era of prosperity and flourishing culture;
Pericles rules Athens;
Parthenon built
EARLY CLASSICAL ART

TIMELINE
5
th
century
B.C.
4
th
century
B.C.
Early Classical
High Classical
Late Classical
/
/
/
/
500 bc

450 bc
400 bc
300 bc
Start reading text.
The
change from Archaic to Classical art
was related to what historical event?
-
*…
Golden Age
of Greece
-
*
[In what way did the victory affect life and mood of the Greeks
?]
*…

- a new political and cultural center
[city]
Severe Style
-
* …
[What does this term denote?]
Sculpture------------------------------
Early Classical
Major
developments in Early Classical sculpture:
*…
*…
Diskobolus
Sculptor:
* …

Material:
*…
Note that this is not original work.
Original or copy? -
*
/Where copy made?/
Material of original was
*…
Size:
(find info next to the picture)
They say
Greek
Classical
art
is about
harmony
and
balance
.
Balance between what?
- *

HIGH
CLASSICAL
ART
5
t
h
century B.C.
(second half)
Note:
In your book
High Classical
is called simply
Classical
Golden Age of Greece
The culture of ancient Greece reached its
peak
in the
5
th
century B.C.
TIMELINE

5
th
century B.C
.
4
th
century
B.C.
Early Classical
High Classical
Late Classical
/
/
/
/
500 bc
450 bc
400 bc

300 bc
* …
. -
outstanding Athenian statesman who was the ‘dominating force
behind the great accomplishments
“The
Golden Age
is the term used to denote the historical period in
Ancient Greece
lasting
roughly from the end of the
Persian Wars
in
448 BC
to either the death of
Pericles
429 BC
or the end of the Peloponnesian War BC.
Pericles - an Athenian general, politician and orator –
distinguished himself above the other
shining personalities of the era, men who excelled in
politics
,
philosophy

,
architecture
,
sculpture
,
history
and
literature
.
He fostered arts and literature and gave to
Athens
a splendor which would never return
throughout its history. He executed a large number of public
works projects and improved
the life of the citizens.
Hence, this important figure gave his name to the
Athenian Golden Age
.”
-
Wikipedia
(link)
Architecture
High Classical period

*….
-
the temple that is consideredthe” most influential building in
the history of architecture”
Acropolis
-
a city on the hill (on the edge)
[general term]
Acropolis (of Athens
)
- *
…
[click to read more]
When
did the building campaign start?
-
*
Under whose direction? -
*
In what
city
? -
*

Dedicated to which
goddess
?
-
*
Architects:
*
*
What
architectural order
was used in Parthenon construction?
-
*
What
statue
was placed inside, in the cella?
-
*
How big was it?
-
*
Interestingly, most of the temple’slines
are not strictly vertical or horizontal
.
A number of architectural tricks were applied in this temple to
achieve the unique optical/perceptual

impression of harmony and monumentality
.
Read about the
irregularities in construction
– they were clearly done by precise calculations.
§
Stylobate
&
entablature
– *
[in what way are they curved?]
§
Columns
- *
[Are they vertical? How are they spaced?
§
Entasis
- -
….
[click on the term-link to read more about ‘bulging’ of column]
§
What were possible reasons for these variations? - *
The subsequent history of the Parthenon

The temple had quite an amazing historical fate.
In the 6
th
century
C.E.
-
*….
Later… -
*….
What happened in the 17
th
century
? -
*….
Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to his Friends
by Alma-Tadema
(19
th
century artist).
Among the spectators - Pericles (the bearded man facing
Phidias)
This artist belonged to the Academic movement that was
dedicated to the historically true reconstruction of the subject
and period.
So, you can get a pretty good idea how the Romans
were dressed and looked.
Sculpture

Who was commissioned to oversee the sculptural program?
-
…
This is how a
pediment
might look before the blasts.
Observe the right corner to notice
the sculptural group “Three Goddesses”
Three Goddesses
Date
: …
Take a close look at these elegant figures made in
Phidian style
Phidian style
characteristics:
[what was typical for his artistic manner?]
-
The bodies are
*
-

Their poses and gestures
*
-
The draperies
*
[how they look]
Special effect the thinner
drapery
produce
:
It “
clings to the body as if it were
*…
Be an art expert
When you see this type of the elegant folds,
clinging to the body in a special wet like way,
gently enveloping the figure…-
you can always say that this sculpture was
carved in the high or late classical,
or in the next Hellenistic period.
What happened with these Goddesses and some other sculptures
from Parthenon?
How did they end in the British museum in London?

Lord Elgin
&
Elgin Marbles
Who was Lord Elgin?
-
….
What was his role in the Partheon’s story?
-….
When id he take the marbles to London?
- …
Where the Parthenon marbles are now? -
*…..
About half of them were taken to Britain
Doryphoros
or
“
…..
“
[English name]
Sculptor:
…
Dates:
….

Century: ….
[Do not forget to put B.C.]
Idealized
figure -
*….
[What does it mean ?]
Elements of Polykleitos style
:
Canon of proportion,
example:
“The entire body is equal in height *….. “
One of the rules, developed by Polykleitos to
create the
perfect
representation of human body;
You may want to take a ruler and double check it.
*…
principle
-
o
ne of the most significant elements
of

Polykleitos style.
[name and describe the pose, use words
counterbalance
&
naturalism
]
I would like to remind - To make your outlines better structured
delete all my directions and prompting questions.
Note:
ideal
+
perfect
+
idealized + balanced + harmony
= key terms in
Classical art
vocabulary
V
ASE
P
AINTING
This is such an enjoyable subject to study.
Read this section and make a few notes.

Argonaut
Krater
by Niobid Painter
Technique
:
*
Remember the
black-figure
and
red-figure
techniques of the Archaic period ?
Looking at this vase, tell me again
which technique was the latest one to emerge?
*
[Easy, yet this will help you to remember…]
What is new in this case compared to the vases from Archaic
period?
Composition
-
*…
[use
terms
register
and

frieze
; take time to go back and
compare
]
Three-dimensional
space
perception -
*
[how achieved?]
Realism
(attempt)
-
*…..
Notice that the painted decoration of the vases is the only
example of Greek art of painting.
* ….. painting
[What was the other type of painting that did not survive?]
What is our main source to learn what Greek painting might
have look like? -
*
Roman fresco: Aldobrandini Wedding (1st century BC.) Vatican
Museum
LATE
CLASSICAL
ART

*…
century
B.C.
[
Indicate century]
TIMELINE
5
th
century
B.C.
4
th
century
B.C.
Early Classical
High Classical
Late Classical
/
/
/

/
500 bc
450 bc
400 bc
300 bc
Late Classical
versus
High
Classical art
-
*
[What is new?]
Polykleitan
ideal
of the male figure -
*…
[key features of High Classical style]

Praxiteles
ideal
-
*…
[key features of Late Classical style]
Title:
…
.
Sculptor:
…
Date:
c.
…
B.C
/
Century:
…
B.C.
/
Describe statue and sculptors’ skills in carving marble
[compare to Doryphoros from the previous High Classical
period]
*…….

*…….
*…….
*
–
messenger-
god
[Who is who?]
*
-
god of wine and abundance of nature
depicted as an
infant
Late Classical sculptors used the exaggerated
double
weight-shift
,
which resulted in a specific stance called
*…..
[Make sure you understand and remember the term]
Be an art expert
If you draw the line through Hermes body along the spine and
legs you will get exactly this type of curve.

If you see the statue with S-curve stance you can be certain that
it was not done in the Late Classical period or later, not before.
Here we have a professional art history talk.
Note: this statue is considered to be the
only
undisputed
original Greek marble sculpture
from the
Classical
period.
Title:
*… …
Sculptor:
…
Date: ….
/Century
: ……/
N
ude mail athlete
– a
typical Classical subject
.
Original or Roman Copy? –
Material of this copy
: …
Material of original
: ….

What were Lysippos’ innovations?
*……..
*…….
Compare to
Polycleitus’
Spear Bearer.
You can even measure
Apoxyomenos
’ proportions –
the size of his head with a ruler and make sure that
the head is smaller and the whole figure more slender.
‘
Lysippos’
reputation was almost unsurpassed’ in the ancient world.
Story about related to
Alexander the Great:
*
Story about the
Emperor Tiberius told by
the Roman historian Pliny:*….
HELLENISTIC PERIOD in History of Greece
Spanned

last 300 years
of the
B.C.
era
TIMELINE
5
th
century
B.C.
4
th
century
B.C.
3
rd
– 1
st
centuries
B.C.
Early Classical
High Classical
Late Classical
Hellenistic
/

/
/
/
/
/
/
500 bc
450 bc
400 bc
300 bc
200 bc
100 bc
0
Hellenistic period started under the reign of
*

,
who conquered Persia, Egypt, and The Near East, created the
huge empire, and spread the Greek / Hellenistic culture all over
it.
Characteristics of
Hellenistic art:
*……
*……
Depicts a fallen barbarian warrior who
“…has lost
his battle and is now about loosing his life”
Title:
*……
Sculptor:*
…
Original or Roman copy? -
[delete the wrong part]
Material of original:
….
Material of copy:
….

Compare it to the
Fallen Warrior
, from
Archaic period
and tell me which one depicts more realistically human
appearances and emotions -
* …..
Characteristics:
Masterful
realistic rendition
Preoccupation with *…
Key words
to describe
Hellenistic
art
:
[scattered through the text, pick main ones]
*……
*……
*……
Title:
*
…
(Roman name, better known)

*
…..
(Greek name)
Melos
- name of island where found
2
nd
century
B.C
.
Museum: *…
[where now]
This statue can serve as an example of another
trend in Hellenistic art
“that reflected ……
(complete phrase to describe this stylistic trend)
Venus de Milo – presents a continuation of
classical tradition
in Hellenistic art.

This work was
removed from the latest edition
of your book.
Yet, it is so famous that I want you
to know it.
It is also a very good example of
Hellenistic art.
Observe
the styles’ characteristics
one more time:
drama
and theater quality,
heightened realism,
excessive emotions, pathos, etc.
Laocoön and his sons
1
st
century
B.C.
Marble
/copy after an Hellenistic original/
Legend:
Visit

Wikipedia
to read a story about
the priest who alarmed his people about
the deception of the Trojan horse …
Put it here in a few lines (remove image)
In 1506 – almost 1600 years
after it had been carved -
the sculptural group
was unearthed
in Rome
It was a sensational discovery
that greatly influenced
the Renaissance masters –
for example,
Michelangelo.
If you go to the art
museum in Richmond (VMFA) for your
midterm project, find this painting by French artist
H. Robert.

It was done in the 18
th
century – in the Neo-Classical period,
that was characterized by a great admiration
for the Greek a
ntiquities.
Chronological problem:
Which sculpture –
Laocoon
or
Venus
– was made first?
*…….
===============================================
===================
* …..
B.C
.
-
Year the Romans sacked a Greek city of Corinth, on the
Peloponnesus.
This date officially marked the end of the Greek power but not
the end of its culture and art.
They say that the conqueror was captivated by the fallen enemy.

Greece was assimilated by the powerful Roman Empire and
became its colony.
Greek art has continued to exist and nourish the Roman and
other cultures, up to the present days.
I would like to ask you to go back to the first page of this
Chapter – in the very first paragraph you will find this saying:
“Nothing moves in the world which is not
…
“
[Complete the quote]
Now, after studying the Greek culture during almost 1000 years
of its existence, read the first paragraph about enduring Greek
influence on the European civilization.
Remember
three revivals
of Greek culture
during the following 3,000 years.
“During the 15
th
century there was a revival called
*
“On the eve of the French Revolution of 1789 there was another
one called -
*
Tell how Greek architectural styles were used in America.

*
Tomorrow, when you walk through your town, look around. You
will be amazed to see that you are surrounded by the “Greek
temples.”
Observe the columns. Being as knowledgeable as you are now,
you should be able to identify the order.
It is fun and also – a pleasure and satisfaction of “knowing.”
It is amazing how far-reaching has been the influence of Greek
culture, isn’t it?
*
*
*
BTW, the answer to the “Laocoon versus Venus” question is:
Venus was made first in the 2
nd
century B.C. -while Laocoon was made about 100 years later
(in the 1
st
century B.C.).
Draw a quick timeline, if you need to visualize this issue.
Take Greek
Quiz 4 -
it covers the entire Greek section (both Greek guides)
*

*
*
GREEK TIME-LINE
* Geometric
*
!
!
Golden Age
!
!
_____________________________________________________
___________
900
800
700

600
500
400
300
200
100
O
While reviewing the guides, it will be helpful to fill in this
table. To have the guides printed would be better but you can
also get back to the beginning and scroll down – to review these
intense guides. Use the timelines I provided in various parts of
the guides to sum up all the dates in one small table.
Period in the History of Greek Art
Century/Centuries
Geometric
Archaic
Classical
Early Classical
5

th
century
(1
st
half)
High Classical
5
th
century
(2
nd
half)
Late Classical
Hellenistic
Place the periods on the Timeline – type in the names of the
periods
above
the colored areas.

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