Major Issues and Milestones in Greek Art - Essay Example

Greek Art Geometric period Dipylon cemetery vase: Initially, pottery was decorated with designs such as triangles, check boards or concentric circles. Later around 800B.C. human and animal forms begun to appear within the Geometric framework. A Dipylon vase is a very large container of almost two meters tall and served the purpose of grave monuments. It had craters that depicted males and amphorae that depict females. Holes were bored at the bottom of the vase to pass liquid libations (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 778). Orientalizing period Mantiklos Apollo: Mantiklos Apollo is a twenty-centimeter tall bronze sculpture that was dedicated to Apollo. Mantiklos dedicated the sculpture to Apollo, the hunter, hoping for gift in return (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 787). Archaic period: Inspired by Egypt (columns, sculpture) What is a kouros? Kouros is a statue built to the size, sometimes larger than the actual size of the objet that it represented. Most of Kouros were made of marble except in limited occasions where they were made from other sculptor materials. Kouros had a standing frontal posture with one of the legs displaced forward in a manner of walking. The arms were close to the body, rested on the thighs. Kouros depicted strict symmetry and different parts of the anatomy constructed as simple geometric forms (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 805-810). Female sculpture was very rare – primarily made as goddesses; The favorite subject of Greek artists was male instead of females. Female nudity was rare in Greek art because it had either religious or erotic implications. Therefore, women as the subject of art were restricted to vase paintings of courtesans and slave girls. The portrayal of nude goddesses was considered scandalous and artists rarely sculpted woman (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 835). Greek temple design – where was the sculpture placed outside the temple (metopes, frieze, pediments) – why? The Greek temple layout was based on an architectural design of megaron, a form of building that has been in use since the Bronze Age. The temple was organized into rectangular cellas that had protruding walls called antae. The protrusions framed a porch called pronaos at one end. The building was cordoned off by a margin, the adyton that served the purpose of admission of priests. Two or more columns supported the porch. The temple was constructed on a raised platform called stylobate. As a design rule, the external colonnade contained along the long side twice the number of columns in the short side. Columns comprised of three parts; the base, the shaft and the top (capital) (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 923-925). What is the center of the temple – what were temples for? Greek temples served as homes for gods and goddesses whose role was to protect and sustain the community in terms of nourishing crops and winds for ships. The gods and goddesses occupied the center of the temples (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 1003). Know the names of the two main orders of the temple design (Doric, Ionic – can you tell the columns apart?). The Doric order: the Doric order temple design is sturdy and had a plain top. It was mainly used in the mainland Greece and colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. The Ionic order temple design is thinner and more elegant. Its top is decorated with a scroll-like design making a volute/ it was commonly found in eastern Greece and the islands. Use of bronze: Classical period Kritios boy – what is contrapposto (hip shift)? How does he differ from the New York Kouros? Kritios boy is a sculpture that was made by Krito, the teacher of Myron. It was made from marble and was relatively smaller compared to life-size form of sculpture. It marked the Greek mastery of curving different parts of the body. Kritios exhibits distinction from archaic kouroi in many ways: firstly, the skeletal structure depicted relaxed life-like posture, with rib cage alluding breathing state. The attitudinal display is also relaxed and hips narrow. The usual smile of archaic kouroi is replaced by accurate rendering of lips. Contrapposto is a pose of a sculpture that depicts resting of full weight on one leg and relaxing the other. The posture makes hips and shoulders to rest oppositely and confer a slight-curve to the torso (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 1012). What were most Greek statues originally made of? We know about many Greek Statues from Roman marble copies. Who was Pericles? What event caused him to undertake the building of Parthenon? Who is the temple dedicated to and why? What is the Panathenaic Festival? What is an acropolis? Most Greek statues were originally made from marbles. Pericles was regarded as the most creative and dexterous diplomat of the third quarter of the fifth century B.C. He transformed the city of Acropolis into a lasting monument to Athens’s newfound political and economic power. He created the Parthenon as the city’s patron goddess. The goddess epitomizes the architectural and sculptural splendor of Pericles’ building program. Parthenon was built from 447B.C. to 432B.C. to replace the existing temple that was destroyed by the Persians in 480B.C. Pericles’s objective in constructing Parthenon was to display the wealth and might of Athenian power. Panathenic Festival was the most celebrated religious festival in Athens. During the festival, the citizens of the empire honored the goddess Athena Polia’s birthday by bringing her gifts. The reason for the honor was her role as the protector of the city of Athens (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 678). Athenians celebrated on frieze decoration; that does pediments celebrate? The west pediment depicted the contest of Athena and Poseidon for the Patronage of Athens. The east pediment celebrated the birth of Athens. The west pediment was decorated with gods and goddesses gathered to the east side of frieze within the porch in celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Athens (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 735-736). Alexander III (the Great) Alexander was born between 336-323 B.C. He was crowned prince and obtained his education in the Macedonian court under the tutelage of renowned Aristotle. At the age of twenty, he had already developed into charismatic and decisive leader. He quickly harnessed the Macedonian forces that his father had reformed into powerful military. He led them across Hellespont into Asia. He annexed the Asian continent using this powerful military. He furthered his conquest to cover Persia, Egypt and Indus valley. Ultimately, his army contributed to his defeat after refusing to go further with the conquests. He died of fever in Babylon at the age of thirty-three. The generals of the army divided the conquered lands among themselves. The partition marked the beginning of the kingdoms in the Hellenistic period (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 957-958). Etruscan art: Where did Etruscans live? Why do no Etruscan temples exist? Etruscans occupied the central region of Italy between the Arno and Tiber rivers. They also extended their settlement to far north reaching the Pro River valley and far south to Campania. Etruscan temples do not exist because they were made of wood and, therefore, were not preserved (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1001-1002). Did they decorate their temples – where? Etruscans’ temples were decorated with deep frontage terrace with columns and also plentiful terra-cotta sculptures on the roof. These temples found at Veii. How they were inspired by Greece? Etruscan art was inspired by Greece because it begun several generations later than in Greece. Since early period, Etruscans were in contact with the Greek colonies in southern Italy. Greek potters and more so the works they were involved in was a major influence to development towards Etruscan painted wares/sculptures. Etruscan artists become interested in Greek art and culture that they ended up reproducing similar artifacts (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 677-679). How were they different from the Greeks? Etruscan art did not use marble or other stones in early monumental sculpture. They used soft stone called nenfro that was commonly available. The Etruscan temple is made of wood and brick and has low deep, overhanging eaves. Moreover, it consists of three cells, a deep porch, and is entered from the front only. It is also placed on high podium (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 789-790). How many cells did an Etruscan temple have? What is a tumulus? What is Tufa? Etruscan temple comprised three cells. Tumuli are Etruscan tombs that were excavated in flat land and covered by soil and gravel. Tumuli had a central chamber accessible from a long passage that abutted other chamber. Tufa is a soft limestone that was used in building subterranean multi-chambered tombs (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 844-846). How are their tombs similar to Egyptian art? Extrusion tombs resembled Egyptian art in many ways for example the tombs were built like a house and given furnishings and decorations. The walls of the tombs were decorated with scenes of daily life processes or a memorable event in the deceased’s life. Both tombs were made from stone. In addition, both Egyptian and Etruscan tombs were supplied with valuable to accompany the dead. These valuable were placed in the internal chambers. They, however, differed in various ways: Etruscan tombs were huts with a round or oblong floor plan. That is, they were generally circular in shape whereas Egyptian tombs were pyramidal in shape (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 567-580). Roman art The Roman city Pompeii: Pompeii city was destroyed on august 24, the year 79 A.D. by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A black stream and lapilli from the crater drowned the city leaving a trail of horrid demise and destruction. The former brilliant city was buried under twenty feet of hot earth and ash (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1023-1025). What is a forum? What is a basilica? Forum was the nerve center for economic, political and religious sectors of Pompeii. Basilica on the other hand was the vital public building in the city that was the center of commercial activities and justice (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1024-1026). Early empire: Augustus Augustus was the founder empire of Rome. He substituted the roman republic for a monarchy bringing peace, unity and stability during his reign as the empire. Augustus art as propaganda Augustus ruled the Roman Empire subtly and claimed to possess no greater power over colleagues. However, in real sense it is Augustus alone who ruled despite all the circumlocutions. His statues, Augustus as general, Augustus s diplomat, Augustus as religious leader and as god depict how he dominated over all the aspects of the empire. He marshaled different public display to achieve new status and justify power (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1030-1032). What message did each artwork try to convey? Augustus as the general depicted military control; Augustus as diplomat depicted administrative and resources control; Augustus as religious leader depicted piousness and Augustus as god depicted highest authority and dominance over men (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 1023). What does the Pont-du-Gard do? Pont-du-Gard is a long ancient Roman aqueduct that was used to transport water to the roman colonies. What is a barrel vault? Barrel vault is an architectural element used in the Roman buildings. It is formed by the extension of a single curve along an appropriate distance. The curves that are formed are circular creating a cylindrical form to the entire design (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 1025). What kind of events took place at the Colosseum? Colosseum is an immense elliptical amphitheater built to accommodate about fifty five thousand people. Empires entertained their subjects with free games used the building. These games were symbol of prestige and power. Emperors enhanced their popularity using the games events (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 993-995). Arch of Titus – what do monumental arches do? Arch of Titus was constructed between 81 and 85 A.D. to mark the capture of Jerusalem from the Jewish Zealots. What is the subject matter of the Arch of Titus? The arch consists of two panels one of which depicts the triumphal entry with spoils derived from Jerusalem. The other depicts Titus in a chariot together with goddess Victoria and goddess Roma (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1031-1032). High empire What is an oculus? Oculus is a circular opening at the center of dome and an example was used in the dome of Pantheon. It was used to allow convey rain to the floor and into the drains. It was also used to cool the buildings during hot months (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 787-789). Late empire Bath complexes – why were they so important to the Romans? The bath complexes were used for leisure in Rome. They were public sites for bathing and for socialization. Attest to roman engineering. Romans laid emphasis on engineering. Some of the products of Roman engineering have been able to survive to date in the form of roads, amphitheaters, and baths among others. It can only take sound engineering structures to survive that long. The core of engineering in Rome was the supply of water through a system of aqueducts most of which still exist to date (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1027-1029). Diocletian – who was he? Diocletian was a Roman empire who ruled between c.244 and c.312. He hailed from poor family and rose to ranks in military to become commander of the cavalry. After the death of the ruling king, he proclaimed himself as the emperor. He employed the rule of four, known as the Tetrarchy that involved division of the empire into four and put under the rule of co-emperors (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 1029). What is tetrarchy? Constantine – why was he so important to early Christians? Constantine was a roman empire who ruled from c.306 to c.307. He is important to Christians because he was the first empire to be converted to Christianity. As such, he extended privilege to the practice of Christianity in Rome in terms of different religions (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, p. 1033). Use of sarcophagi: Portraits lose individuality and identity Sarcophagi figures repeat the liveliness of the living through facial expression and gestures. They are unique in the ancient world. Their interiors conveyed joyful emotion, suggesting that Etruscans contend the celebration, even in death (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 635-637). Late antique art: Jewish and Christian Who was Jesus? Jesus is a central figure in Christianity around whom the entire teachings of christens attribute. He regarded as the messiah. Most Christians believe he was conceived through the Holy Spirit, performed several miracles and crucified to save sinners. He then rose from the dead and ascended to heaven (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1040-1042). Old St, Peter’s Rome – how does this church adopt elements of the Roman basilica? Old St. Peter’s Rome is the largest church in the world and the core of Christianity. The church is built based on the first basilica built by Emperor Constantine. Its architecture copies the exact from of the first Roman basilica (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1032-1033). What are catacombs? Catacombs were underground tombs used in Rome and Italy. They were mainly Christian burial tombs used by the Christian to bury their dead. Catacombs were dug into rocks. What is an orant? Orant is a figure of Christian art that depicts a praying posture adopted by Christians. It was used to decorate the catacombs (Helen, Fred, & Christin, 2005, pp. 1032-1033) Works Cited Helen, G., Fred, S. K., & Christin, J. M. (2005). Gardners art through the ages: (Vol. 2). Thompson/Wordsworth. Read More