Lesson 5: Sculpture and The Architecture of the Golden Age

Part A: Characteristics of the Golden Age

Pottery

 Sculptural or architectural pottery, also very often painted, is referred to as terracottas,

and also survive in large quantities. In much of the literature, "pottery" means only painted
vessels, or "vases".

 Pottery was the main form of grave goods deposited in tombs, often as "funerary urns"
containing the cremated ashes, and was widely exported.
Metalwork

 Fine metalwork was an important art in ancient Greece, but later production is very poorly
represented by survivals, most of which come from the edges of the Greek world or beyond, from
as far as France or Russia. Vessels and jewelry were produced to high standards, and exported far
afield. Objects in silver, at the time worth more relative to gold than it is in modern times, were
often inscribed by the maker with their weight, as they were treated largely as stores of value, and
likely to be sold or re-melted before very long.
 During the Geometric and Archaic phases, the production of large metal vessels was an important
expression of Greek creativity, and an important stage in the development of bronzeworking
techniques, such as casting and repousse hammering.

Monumental structure

 The Greeks decided very early on that the human form was the most important subject for
artistic endeavor. Seeing their gods as having human form, there was little distinction
between the sacred and the secular in art—the human body was both secular and sacred.
A male nude of Apollo or Heracles had only slight differences in treatment to one of that
year's Olympic boxing champion.
 Statues were commissioned either by aristocratic individuals or by the state, and used for
public memorials, as offerings to temples, oracles and sanctuaries (as is frequently shown
by inscriptions on the statues), or as markers for graves.
 Ancient Greek architecture is best known from its temples, many of which are found throughout
the region, and the parthenon is a prime example of this, mostly as ruins but many substantially
intact. The second important type of building that survives all over the Hellenic world is the open-
air theatre, with the earliest dating from around 525-480 BC. Other architectural forms that are still
in evidence are the processional gateway (propylon), the public square (agora) surrounded by
storied colonnade (stoa), the town council building (bouleuterion), the public monument, the
monumental tomb (mausoleum) and the stadium.

Part B: Importance of Ancient Greece

-The first philosophers were greek
-they had some great mathematicians
- the literature is wonderful
-Greece was the country were the first democracy was
Greece is in many ways the root of our civilisation. The first philosophers were greek, they had
some great mathematicians, the literature is wonderful. But even more than that (and is too much
to name everything), Greece was the country were the first democracy was.
Athens was ruled by its civilians (not women and slaves ) in a very clever and directly voted politic
system. Their democracy was greater than ours. On top of that, Greece was on the split of Europe
and Asia, it fought the Persians, and prevented thus probably Eadtern civilisation from overtaking
Europe.
The Romans were lawmakers, politicians, aquaduct builders. The Greek were philosophers, writers,
artists and democrats. Not only was their influence on Roman civilisation immeasurable, but they
are the craddle of Western civilisation.
Because of these temples these provided people a place to communicate show their tradition
over time and help to unify all the people in Ancient Greece. Because, different temples were built
in this era it provided people a place to relax, communicate and such almost all artistical
performance from theatre to public exhibition of art starts with each random place or the
sometimes the center of the city.

Part C: Functions of the Architectures and Sculptures

These qualities were to manifest themselves not only through a millennium of Greek pottery
making, but also in the architecture that was to emerge in the 6th century.The major development
that occurred was in the growing use of the human figure as the major decorative motif, and the
increasing surety with which humanity, its mythology, activities and passions were depicted.
Temples served as the location of a cult image and as a storage place or strong room for the
treasury associated with the cult of the god in question, and as a place for devotees of the god to
leave their votive offerings, such as statues, helmets and weapons. Some Greek temples appear
to have been oriented astronomically.[18] The temple was generally part of a religious precinct
known as the acropolis. According to Aristotle, '"the site should be a spot seen far and wide, which
gives good elevation to virtue and towers over the neighbourhood".[2] Small circular temples,
tholos were also constructed, as well as small temple-like buildings that served as treasuries for
specific groups of donors.[19]
Public buildings became "dignified and gracious structures", and were sited so that they related
to each other architecturally.[21] The propylon or porch, formed the entrance to temple
sanctuaries and other significant sites with the best-surviving example being the Propylaea on the
Acropolis of Athens. The bouleuterion was a large public building with a hypostyle hall that served
as a court house and as a meeting place for the town council (boule). Remnants of bouleuterion
survive at Athens, Olympia and Miletus, the latter having held up to 1200 people.[23]
Every Greek town had an open-air theatre. These were used for both public meetings as well as
dramatic performances. The theatre was usually set in a hillside outside the town, and had rows
of tiered seating set in a semicircle around the central performance area, the orchestra. Behind
the orchestra was a low building called the skênê, which served as a store-room, a dressing-room,
and also as a backdrop to the action taking place in the orchestra. A number of Greek theatres
survive almost intact, the best known being at Epidaurus, by the architect Polykleitos the Younger.
The columns of a temple support a structure that rises in two main stages, the entablature and
the pediment.

The entablature is the major horizontal structural element supporting the roof and encircling the
entire building. It is composed of three parts. Resting on the columns is the architrave made of a
series of stone "lintels" that spanned the space between the columns, and meet each other at a
joint directly above the centre of each column.

Above the architrave is a second horizontal stage called the "frieze". The frieze is one of the major
decorative elements of the building and carries a sculptured relief. In the case of Ionic and
Corinthian architecture, the relief decoration runs in a continuous band, but in the Doric Order, it
is divided into sections called "metopes" which fill the spaces between vertical rectangular blocks
called "triglyphs". The triglyphs are vertically grooved like the Doric columns, and retain the form
of the wooden beams that would once have supported the roof.

The upper band of the entablature is called the "cornice", which is generally ornately decorated
on its lower edge. The cornice retains the shape of the beams that would once have supported
the wooden roof at each end of the building. At the front and rear of each temple, the entablature
supports a triangular structure called the "pediment". The triangular space framed by the cornices
is the location of the most significant sculptural decoration on the exterior of the building.
The Severe Classical style (500–450 BC) is represented by the pedimental sculptures of the Temple
of Zeus at Olympia, (470–456 BC). The eastern pediment shows a moment of stillness and
"impending drama" before the beginning of a chariot race, the figures of Zeus and the
competitors being severe and idealised representations of the human form.[49] The western
pediment has Apollo as the central figure, "majestic" and "remote", presiding over a battle of
Lapiths and Centaurs, in strong contrast to that of the eastern pediment for its depiction of violent
action, and described by D. E. Strong as the "most powerful piece of illustration" for a hundred
years.[49]

The shallow reliefs and three-dimensional sculpture which adorned the frieze and pediments,
respectively, of the Parthenon, are the lifelike products of the High Classical style (450–400 BC)
and were created under the direction of the sculptor Phidias.[50] The pedimental sculpture
represents the Gods of Olympus, while the frieze shows the Panathenaic procession and
ceremonial events that took place every four years to honour the titular Goddess of Athens.[50]
The frieze and remaining figures of the eastern pediment show a profound understanding of the
human body, and how it varies depending upon its position and the stresses that action and
emotion place upon it. Benjamin Robert Haydon described the reclining figure of Dionysus as "...
the most heroic style of art, combined with all the essential detail of actual life".[51]

The names of many famous sculptors are known from the Late Classical period (400–323 BC),
including Timotheos, Praxiteles, Leochares and Skopas, but their works are known mainly from
Roman copies.[1] Little architectural sculpture of the period remains intact. The Temple of
Asclepius at Epidauros had sculpture by Timotheos working with the architect Theodotos.
Fragments of the eastern pediment survive, showing the Sack of Troy. The scene appears to have
filled the space with figures carefully arranged to fit the slope and shape available, as with earlier
east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympus. But the figures are more violent in action, the
central space taken up, not with a commanding God, but with the dynamic figure of Neoptolemos
as he seizes the aged king Priam and stabs him. The remaining fragments give the impression of
a whole range of human emotions, fear, horror, cruelty and lust for conquest.[46] The acroteria
were sculptured by Timotheus, except for that at the centre of the east pediment which is the
work of the architect. The palmate acroteria have been replaced here with small figures, the
eastern pediment being surmounted by a winged Nike, poised against the wind.[46]

Hellenistic architectural sculpture (323–31 BC) was to become more flamboyant, both in the
rendering of expression and motion, which is often emphasised by flowing draperies, the Nike
Samothrace which decorated a monument in the shape of a ship being a well-known example.
The Pergamon Altar (c. 180–160 BC) has a frieze (120 metres long by 2.3 metres high) of figures
in very high relief. The frieze represents the battle for supremacy of Gods and Titans, and employs
many dramatic devices: frenzy, pathos and triumph, to convey the sense of conflict.[52]

Part D: Significant People and Their Works

Table of Contents
Myron of Eleutherae
Phidias of Athens
Polyclitus of Argos
Praxiteles of Athens
Scopas of Paros
Lysippus of Sicyon
Sources
by
N.S. Gill
Updated July 08, 2019
These six sculptors (Myron, Phidias, Polyclitus, Praxiteles, Scopas, and Lysippus) are among the
most famous artists in ancient Greece. Most of their work has been lost except as it survives in
Roman and later copies.

Art during the Archaic Period was stylized but became more realistic during the Classical Period.
The late Classical Period sculpture was three dimensional, made to be viewed from all sides. These
and other artists helped move Greek art — from Classic Idealism to Hellenistic Realism, blending
in softer elements and emotive expressions.

The two most commonly cited sources for information about Greek and Roman artists are the first
century CE writer and scientist Pliny the Elder (who died watching Pompeii erupt) and the second
century CE travel writer Pausanias.

Myron of Eleutherae
5th C. BCE. (Early Classical Period)

An older contemporary of Phidias and Polyclitus, and, like them, also a pupil of Ageladas, Myron
of Eleutherae (480–440 BCE) worked chiefly in bronze. Myron is known for his Discobolus (discus-
thrower) which had careful proportions and rhythm.

Pliny the Elder argued that Myron's most famous sculpture was that of a bronze heifer, supposedly
so lifelike it could be mistaken for a real cow. The cow was placed at the Athenian Acropolis
between 420–417 BCE, then moved to the Temple of Peace at Rome and then the Forum Taurii in
Constantinople. This cow was on view for nearly a thousand years — the Greek scholar Procopius
reported that he saw it in the 6th century CE. It was the subject of no less than 36 Greek and
Roman epigrams, some of which claimed that the sculpture could be mistaken for a cow by calves
and bulls, or that it actually was a real cow, attached to a stone base.

Myron can be approximately dated to the Olympiads of the victors whose statues he crafted
(Lycinus, in 448, Timanthes in 456, and Ladas, probably 476).

Phidias of Athens
c. 493–430 BCE (High Classical Period)
Phidias (spelled Pheidias or Phydias), the son of Charmides, was a 5th century BCE sculptor known
for his ability to sculpt in nearly anything, including stone, bronze, silver, gold, wood, marble, ivory,
and chryselephantine. Among his most famous works is the nearly 40-foot tall statue of Athena,
made of chryselephantine with plates of ivory upon a core of wood or stone for the flesh and solid
gold drapery and ornaments. A statue of Zeus at Olympia was made of ivory and gold and was
ranked among one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Athenian statesman Pericles commissioned several works from Phidias, including sculptures
to celebrate the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon. Phidias is among the sculptors associated
with the early use of the "Golden Ratio," the Greek representation of which is the letter Phi after
Phidias.

Phidias the accused of trying to embezzle gold but proved his innocence. He was charged with
impiety, however, and sent to prison where, according to Plutarch, he died.

Polyclitus of Argos
5th C. BCE (High Classical Period)

Polyclitus (Polycleitus or Polykleitos) created a gold and ivory statue of Hera for the goddess's
temple at Argos. Strabo called it the most beautiful rendering of Hera he'd ever seen, and it was
considered by most ancient writers as one of the most beautiful works of all Greek art. All his other
sculptures were in bronze.

Polyclitus is also known for his Doryphorus statue (Spear-bearer), which illustrated his book
named canon (kanon), a theoretical work on ideal mathematical proportions for human body parts
and on the balance between tension and movement, known as symmetry. He sculpted
Astragalizontes (Boys Playing at Knuckle Bones) which had a place of honor in the atrium of the
Emperor Titus.

Praxiteles of Athens
c. 400–330 BCE (Late Classical Period)

Praxiteles was the son of the sculptor Cephisodotus the Elder, and a younger contemporary of
Scopas. He sculpted a great variety of men and gods, both male and female; and he is said to
have been the first to sculpt the human female form in a life-sized statue. Praxiteles primarily used
marble from the famous quarries of Paros, but he also used bronze. Two examples of Praxiteles'
work are Aphrodite of Knidos (Cnidos) and Hermes with the Infant Dionysus.

One of his works that reflects the change in Late Classical Period Greek art is his sculpture of the
god Eros with a sad expression, taking his lead, or so some scholars have said, from a then-
fashionable depiction of love as suffering in Athens, and the growing popularity of the expression
of feelings in general by painters and sculptors throughout the period.

Scopas of Paros
4th C. BCE (Late Classical Period)

Scopas was an architect of the Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea, which used all three of the orders
(Doric and Corinthian, on the outside and Ionic inside), in Arcadia. Later Scopas made sculptures
for Arcadia, which were described by Pausanias.

Scopas also worked on the bas-reliefs that decorated the frieze of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
in Caria. Scopas may have made one of the sculptured columns on the temple of Artemis at
Ephesus after its fire in 356. Scopas made a sculpture of a maenad in a Bacchic frenzy of which a
copy survives.

Lysippus of Sicyon
4th C. BCE (Late Classical Period)

A metalworker, Lysippus taught himself sculpture by studying nature and Polyclitus' canon.
Lysippus' work is characterized by lifelike naturalism and slender proportions. It has been
described as impressionistic. Lysippus was the official sculptor to Alexander the Great.

It is said about Lysippus that "while others had made men as they were, he had made them as
they appeared to the eye." Lysippus is thought not to have had formal artistic training but was a
prolific sculptor creating sculptures from tabletop size to colossus.

Sources
Bellinger, Alfred R. "The Late Bronze of Alexandria Troas." Museum Notes (American Numismatic
Society) 8 (1958): 25–53. Print.
Corso, Antonio. "Love as Suffering: The Eros of Thespiae of Praxiteles." Bulletin of the Institute of
Classical Studies 42 (1997): 63–91. Print.
Lapatin, Kenneth, D. S. "Pheidias." American Journal of Archaeology 101.4 (1997): 663–82. Print.
Palagia, Olga. "Pheidias "Epoiesen": Attribution as Value Judgement." Bulletin of the Institute of
Classical Studies. Supplement.104 (2010): 97–107. Print.
Squire, Michael. "Making Myron's Cow Moo? Ecphrastic Epigram and the Poetics of Simulation."
The American Journal of Philology 131.4 (2010): 589–634. Print.
Stewart, Andrew. "Praxiteles." American Journal of Archaeology 111.3 (2007): 565–69. Print.
Waldstein, Charles. "The Argive Hera of Polycleitus." The Journal of Hellenic Studies 21 (1901): 30–
44. Print.
Wycherley, R. E. "Pausanias and Praxiteles." Hesperia Supplements 20 (1982): 182–91. Print.