Classical Art:

Greece and Rome

Introduction
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“Nothing moves in the world which is not Greek in origin.”
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No other culture has had as far-reaching or lasting an influence on
art and civilization as that of ancient Greece.
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Today, the Greece influence can be found in science,
mathematics, law, politics and art.
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During the fifteenth century, there was revival of Greece art and
culture called Renaissance.
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On the eve of the French Revolution of 1789, artists of the
Neoclassical period again turned to the style and subjects of
ancient Greece.
Greece
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Humanity, reason and nature were central preoccupations of the Greek
mind, together formulating their attitude toward life.
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The Greeks considered human beings the center of the universe –
humanism.
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In the result, democracy, Greek art and philosophy has been created.
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Perfection for the Greeks was the balance between elements: mind and
body – emotion and intellect.
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The result of their love of reason and intellectual pursuits was the
development of rationalism.
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Rationalism is a philosophy in which knowledge is assumed to come from
reason alone, without involving the senses.
Greece
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The Greeks also had a passion and respect for nature.
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They viewed human beings as a reflection of its perfect order.
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Naturalism based on the deep observation of nature, guided
the representation of human figure.
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When naturalism was about to extinguish, idealism held sway.
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Idealism is the representation of forms according to an
accepted standard of beauty.
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Elements of Greek Art and Architecture are:
Humanism, Rationalism, Naturalism and Idealism.
The Four Periods of Greek Art
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Geometric Period (900-700 BCE)
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Archaic (660-480 BCE)
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Classical
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Hellenistic
Geometric Period (900-700 BCE)
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Continued for two centuries.
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Prior period is called Dark Age of Greece because of
virtual collapse of civilization.
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The geometric period is so called, because the
predominance of geometric shapes and patterns in
artworks.
 Dipylon Vase
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Used as grave marker
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Most of it, decorated with geometric
designs.
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The two thicker bands.
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Differences are available between
males and females.
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Frontal and wedge-shaped torso,
profile legs, arms and head.
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Frontal eyes
Archaic Period
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Started from 660 to 440 BCE.
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The change from geometric style to archaic style was
gradual.
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Flowing forms and fantastic animals inspired by
Mesopotamian art, appeared Greek pottery.
Archaic Period – Vase Painting
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During the Geometric period, the human figure was
subordinated to decorative motifs, but in the Archaic
period it became the preferred subject.
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Figures were more natural with an attempt to show
more natural gestures being made.
Francois Vase
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Six wide bands
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Shows the exploits of Greek
heroes, including Achilles and
Theseus.
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We can see animals and
people move.
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Black-figure painting
Black-figure painting
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The combination of black figures on the reddish background
was achieved through a three-stage, kiln firing process.
– Oxidizing Phase
– Reducing Phase
– Reoxidizing Phase
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paint figures with brush and slip then introduce to the kiln
– Slip is liquid of sifted clay.
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Firing under these conditions, turned both the pot and the
painted slip decoration red.
Black-figure painting
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In the second phase, we eliminate oxygen from the kiln,
thus, both the pot and slip turned black.
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In the third phase, we allow oxygen again into the kiln.
– The coarser material of the pot turned red, and the fine clay
of the slip remained black.
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The finer details of the figures were incised with sharp
implements.
Archaic Period – Architecture
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Some of the greatest accomplishments of the Greeks are
witnessed in their architecture.
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Their personal dwellings were simple.
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The temples were amazing.
– Architectural format developed and provided basis for
temples.
– Temples consisted of a central room (cella) for housing
statues of gods and goddess.
– The overall shape was rectangular with pitched roof.
Archaic Period – Architecture
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We have three styles: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
– The Doric style originated on the Greek mainland.
– It was the earliest, simplest and most commonly used.
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The Ornate Ionic:
– Introduced by architects from Asia Minor.
– Reserved for smaller temples.
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The Corinthian:
– Not widely used in Greek but became a favorite design of Roman
architects.
– Differentiated from Ionic by its intricate column capital.
Archaic Period – Sculpture
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The sculptures at that time, were freestanding, life-size and larger-
than-life-size.
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The non-structural members of buildings, were often decorated with
sculptures.
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Including frieze and pediment.
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Tight space
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Cramped and Cumbersome figures
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Toward the end of the period:
– Architects compensated this irregularity of space by arranging figures in
poses such as Dying Warrior.
Dying Warrior – West Pediment
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Positioned to fit into one of the
angles of its west pediment.
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It is based on the observation
of nature
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Thick lidded eyes
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Stylized hair
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Artificial smile
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Linear patterns of the muscles.
 Fallen Warrior – East Pediment
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Thick-lidded eyes
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Subtle Smile
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Unnaturally pointed beard
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The whole body is not realistic but we
can see its representation in muscles,
bones and tendons.
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The warrior wounded in the battle
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He struggles to lift himself with his
right arm but to no avail.
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The hopelessness can be seen in the
helplessness of the left arm.
A century Earlier - Kouros Figures
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Large and free-standing figures
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Arms lie to the body
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One leg advances slightly
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The stone was carved out from
the figure
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Nude
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Stylized hair
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Thick-lidded eyes
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Grave markers
A century Earlier – Peplos Kore
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Female counterpart to Kouros
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Clothed
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Simplicity
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Long braids
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Right arm is attached to her
body while the left one is
outward and probably held a
symbolic offer
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Unknown Purpose
Early Classical
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The change from the Archaic to the classical period
coincided with the Greek victory over the Persian in 480
BCE.
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The style of early classical art is marked by power and
austerity.
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The Early Classical sculpture developed beyond Archaic
stylizations, and some of rigidity of the earlier period
remains.
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Thus, sometimes, they call it Severe Style.
Early Classical – Sculpture
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The most significant development in Early Classical art
was the introduction of implied movement in figurative
sculpture.
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The process was hand in hand with artist’s keener
observation for nature.
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In the most of Greek Classical Art, there is a balance
between motion and stability, between emotion and
restraint.
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For e.g. Diskobolos or Discus Thrower by Myron.
 Discus Thrower
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Not the original, copied by
Romans.
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Life-sized
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Depicts an event from Olympic
Games.
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His muscles are tight and not
relaxed.
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His torso is arc of his extended
arms.
Classical Art
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Greek sculpture and architecture reached their height of perfection.
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Greek started a peace period and turned its attention to rebuilding its
monuments and advancing art, drama, and music.
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It was led by statesman Pericles.
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His reputation was encountered centuries after his death by the Greek
historian Plutarch.
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On the one hand, Plutarch talked about the anger of Greek at Pericles’
use of funds set aside for mutual protection to pay for his ambitious
Athenian building program.
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On the other hand, the historian wrote glowingly about post-war Athens.
Classical Art – Architecture
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After Persians destroyed the Acropolis, the Athenians
refused to rebuild their shrines with the fallen stones.
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So, under the direction of Pericles, a massive rebuilding
campaign started.
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First, they started with the temple that was sacred to
the goddess of Athena, protector of Athens.
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This temple became one of the most influential
buildings in the history of architecture.
Classical Art – Architecture
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The Parthenon:
– Constructed by: Ictinos and
Callicrates.
– Doric Style/order
– Some Ionic elements
– Center of religious life
– It was a symbol of the power,
wealth and elevated culture of
Athens.
– The structure has a rectangular
floor plan.
More...
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The Parthenon:
– Low steps surrounded each side of
the building.
– A portico of Doric columns standing
on a platform create a border around
it.
– There are 46 outer columns and 19
inner columns.
– The corner columns are larger in
diameter than the other columns.
– Incredibly, the Parthenon contains no
straight lines and no right angles, a
true feat of Greek architecture.
More...
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The Parthenon:
– We can fine a lot of
variations and we don’t
why exactly.
– The Christian Byzantines
conquered Greece and
converted it to a church.
– The Ottoman Turks
converted the Parthenon
into a mosque.
Classical Art – Sculpture
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The Pericles commanded sculptor Phidias to supervise the entire
sculptural program of the Parthenon.
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He concentrated his own efforts on creating ivory and gold statue of
Athena.
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The artistic subjects were battles and gods.
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The Phidian Style Specs:
– Lightness of touch
– Attention to realistic details
– Contrasts of texture
– Smooth and graceful lines and designs
The Three Goddess
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They are remarkable for
their naturalistic.
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a harmonious representation
of complex draperies.
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The drapery falls over the
bodies in realistic fold.
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The thinner drapery clings to
the body as if wet, following
the contours of the flesh.
Rival of Phidias
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Some of the greatest freestanding sculptures of the
Classical period was created by the rival of Phidias
names Polykleitos.
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His favorite medium was bronze
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His preferred subject was athletes.
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Developed the weight-shift principle –
contrapposto -
weight-shift principle
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In the visual arts, a sculptural scheme, originated by
the ancient Greeks, in which the standing human figure
is poised such that the weight rests on one leg (called
the engaged leg), freeing the other leg, which is bent at
the knee.
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With the weight shift, the hips, shoulders, and head tilt,
suggesting relaxation with the subtle internal organic
movement that denotes life.
Doryphoros by Polykleitos
Classical Art – Vase Painting
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The weight-shift principle and naturalistic use of
implied movement can also be seen in Classical vase
painting such as Argonaut Krater.
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In Dipylon krater and the Francois Vase, the human
figures were confined to registers.
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Later, human figure in a variety positions.
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In the Classical period, the figures were placed in a
frieze-like arrangement.
Argonaut Krater
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The Niobid Painter attempted to
create a three-dimensional space
by outlining a foreground, middle
ground and background.
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This was a noble attempt at
naturalism.
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It failed, because the artist did not
shrink the sizes of background
figures to suggest distance.
Late Classical Art – Sculpture
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More humanistic and naturalistic
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They focused on emotions
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Bodies became more sensual and graceful with a pronounced
shift in weight.
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Praxiteles was a major proponent.
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His works were more lively and fluid than in previous periods
with variations in texture.
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S Curve: a posing of figurative sculpture that creates a sway
similar to the letter ‘S’.
Thank You!