Classical Greek Period and the Medieval Culture - Essay Example

ical Greek Period and the Medieval Culture The principles of art and literature in the ical Greek Period and medieval period of civilization vary in many ways (Cunningham et al 24). Significant differences occurred in the styles of religion, philosophy, literature, architecture, and art. Classical Greek Period The official religion in classical Greek and Hellenistic cultures inspired themes for the expression of arts and justification for plays, statues, and temples devoted to the gods. Through the arts, the Greeks portrayed portraits that highlighted the beauty of genuine portraits of the forms of human. Such portraits include the “Scene of the death of Demosthenes” and “Temple Of Poseidon” (Cunningham et al 24). During the civilization of classical Mediterranean, the arts gained attention. Dance and music performances were vital elements of religious festivals. However, the accurate styles have not been conserved in history. The artistic works of the classical Greek depicted naturalism and realism. The paintings in this period created a novel dimension of human beauty. The balance, symmetry and proportions of the arts showed a new form of artistic thinking (Cunningham et al 24). Myron’s sculpture of the “Discus Thrower” represents a form of art that portrays an idealistic human being. The drama in the Greek period focused on tragedy and comedy. For instance, Sophocles- an Athens dramatist- depicted Oedipus’ psychological flaws to symbolize a tragedy. Aristophanes, an Athenian playwright, also utilized identical beliefs regarding limitation of the human experience to generate a comic feeling. The Greek defined drama concepts, enriched their language, provided powerful themes, and maintained an appreciating society. The emphasis of the visual arts in the Mediterranean civilization concentrated on architecture, sculpture, and ceramic work (Cunningham et al 24). Greek architecture focused on monumental erections that were rectangular and square, with the porticoes columned. The Greeks invented three styles in constructing buildings, presently regarded by Westerners as classical architecture. The three styles are the Corinthian, Ionic, and Doric. The Cretan and Egyptian models influenced the construction styles of the Greek. The Greeks, unlike most other countries, did not develop any major religion. Greek ideas later influence major religions like Christianity and Islam. The typical religion of the Greeks was a primitive idea developed from the animist beliefs in natural spirits. The beliefs transformed into a multifaceted set of supernatural beings (gods and goddesses) that interfered in human life. The Greeks believed in a creator, Zeus, who controlled other supernatural beings (Cunningham et al 24). The divinities regulated the behavior of natural processes like the oceans (Poseidon) and the sun (Apollo) and the human feelings like, beauty and love. Specific gods controlled other activities of humans, for instance, history, literature, and intellectual thinking. Regular ceremonies performed on behalf of the gods had active political significance. Many people sought the assistance of the gods to foretell the future or to assure plentiful harvest or brilliant (Cunningham et al 24). Tales regarding the activities of the gods were entertaining and provided good societal lessons on moral behavior, humility, and courage. The physiognomies of Greek philosophy developed from earlier characteristics of the culture of the Middle East. Nevertheless, the consequential philosophy did not achieve the envisioned success. The scientific principles of the Greeks and Hellenists were vulnerable to numerous errors compared to other more established scientific traditions of the classical Indians and Chinese (Cunningham et al 24). The Greek approach depicted a tendency towards emphasizing a substantial cultural difference between ordinary people and the educated elite. The philosophers’ debates formed elements of the aristocratic tradition depicted by ordinary folks. The absence of a sturdy religious connection aided in the separation of common beliefs from the intellectual reasoning of the elite. Contrary to other classical civilizations where disparities exist between non-literate and literate culture, the Greek culture depicted minimal interest in adopting common values. Thus, minimal communal assumptions of styles existed in the Greek and Hellenistic society (Cunningham et al 24). The existing gaps attribute to common and vastly accessible public arts and dramatic performances in the cities in Greece. However, the cultural gaps became distinctive with weakening of the city-states and the rise of more common Hellenistic forms. Medieval Culture The medieval culture differed from the classical Greek and Hellenistic culture in numerous ways. In the hierarchy of the medieval system society, the societal ranks followed the arrangement of a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid lay the nobles and the clergy while numerous peasants fall in the bottom ranks (Cunningham et al 24). The peasants toiled on the land and co-habited with animals in rough huts, where they slept on the floor. Yeoman farmers, scientists, artisans and merchants form the middle ranks in the pyramid. During the Medieval period, huge cathedrals and universities developed. Most scholars of the time used Latin as a medium of communicating principles and ideals. The architectural designs in the medieval culture seemed sacred. Medieval artists developed decorations for churches utilizing classical themes (Cunningham et al 24). Contrary to Classical Greek, the architecture of the medieval culture were based on the themes of the Roman Church. For instance, Roman mosaics developed from minute stone cubes (tesserae) provided Christian scenery. In the period 350 AD, a mausoleum (Santa Costanza) was built and decorated with mosaics for Constantine’s daughter. The early mosaics of the Medieval architecture utilized muted which developed into brighter patterns and colors during the fourth century. At the onset of the eleventh century, the construction style termed Romanesque architecture represented the wealth and power attached to European cities and Church monasteries. For instance, Romanesque buildings were characteristically made of thick walls of stone, sturdy construction, and semi-circular arches (Cunningham et al 24). The Gothic style, named after the French rulers (the Goths) is exceptional as a form of art. Many generations of the Goths perceived that the utilization of figures, for instance, gargoyles was revolting. However, the Gothic cathedrals are the most beautiful and classical attainments of the Medieval period. Charlemagne ruled in the medieval period and introduced the feudal system of administration. The system encompassed bureaucratic systems, legal decrees, and covered appreciable literacy levels. Charlemagne established foreign relations with the Muslims and the Byzantines (Cunningham et al 24). Charlemagne economic accomplishments include the stabilization of currency, establishment of trade fairs, development of trade routes and the development of exports and imports. At the time of Charlemagne, literacy was paramount, and it was significant during worship. The Alcuin of York made corrections of latent errors in the Vulgate Bible. The Alcuin of York also generated the Frankish school system. The early monasticism termed the Benedictine Monasticism had varied lifestyle with no distinct predominant rule. The rule of the Benedictines “Magna Carta of monasticism” addressed chastity, obedience, stability and poverty. In the Medieval culture, the societal perceptions regarding women transformed. Women were perceived as equal creatures and thus, were treated respectfully. However, the society perceived women to be pure, beautiful and helpless (Cunningham et al 24). The practice of science in the medieval period was limited. Perhaps science encompasses a broader scale than just observing and reasoning. Thus, the theories of scientific principles incorporated myths, legends and superstition. Numerous scientists in the medieval period practiced the principles of manipulating on leads termed alchemy. The developing of sacred types of music marked the period. Some of the sacred music includes the Ambrosian music and the Gregorian chant. The rise of drama and the Liturgical period marked the medieval culture. The two genres assisted in memorization and lead to the development of drama in the west. Some of the medieval literatures include “Beowulf” and “Venerable Bede” (Cunningham et al 24). Thomas Aquinas formed on of the common philosophies of the medieval period. According to Aquinas, the teachings of Christians and the power of reasoning came from a supreme being (God). Thus, similar teachings resulted in faith and reasoning. The culture of the classical Greek and the medieval periods of civilization differed in numerous ways. As aforementioned, the periods exhibited distinct architecture, literature, philosophies, and religion. Work Cited Cunningham, Lawrence, and John J. Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities. Fort Worth [etc.: Harcourt College Publishers, 2002. Print. Read More