Classical

Art
Lesson 4 – Art Appreciation

Prepared by:

Chloe Nicole Piamonte

Intended Learning Outcomes

– Identify the art forms prevalent in the classical age

– Discuss how classical art spread through different regions
– Research and present a classical artwork to class
 “We are all Greeks. Our laws,
our literature, our religion, our
arts have their root in Greece.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Overview
Enduring as the cornerstone of Western civilization,
Classical Art encompasses the cultures of Greece and
Rome. This include innovations in painting, sculpture,
decorative arts, and architecture. Classical Art highlighted
ideals of beauty, harmony, and proportion, even as those
ideals shifted and changed over the centuries. Though
often employed in propagandistic ways, the human figure
and the human experience of space and their relationship
with the gods were central to Classical Art.
How it started
– The Mycenaeans (1600-1100 BCE), who are considered as the first
Greeks, incurred a lasting influence on later Greek art, literature,
and architecture.
– Mycenae was an elite warrior society characterized by division of
classes: the king’s attendants, the common people, and the slaves.
This bronze age civilization is dominated by palace states ruled by
a king leading a military, political, and religious authority.
The Mask of Agamemnon

It was discovered by the

archaeologist
Heinrich Schliemann in
1876 at Mycenae.
Mycenaen Architecture

The genius of the

Myceneaen engineering
and architecture paved the
way for the creation of
dams, drainage system,
bridges, and roads.
Mycenaen Architecture

The Myceneaens
developed the
acropolis, or citadels
typically found on
hilltops that
characterized the
Greek cities.
 Mycenaen Architecture

As innovative architects, they

developed Cyclopean masonry,
using large boulders, fit together
without mortar, to create
massive fortifications. The name
for Cyclopean stonework came
from the later Greeks, who
believed that only the Cyclops,
fierce one-eyed giant of myth
and legend, could have lifted the
stones.
The Greek Archaic Period

– With the establishment of Olympic

Games, the Archaic period began
in 776 BCE until around 480 BCE.
– With the Olympic Games pursuing
human achievement, the Greeks
believed this sets them apart from
non-Greeks who they consider as
“barbarians”.
The Greek Archaic Period

– The Greeks of this period

displayed how they valorize the
Mycenaen heroic era as they
idealize male athletes.
– The male figure then became
dominant subjects of their art.
The Greek Archaic Period

– Male nudes anyway, were seen as

manifestations of perfection and
beauty of body and nobility of
character.
 Classical Greece

– This historical
transition expands
from 480 to 323 BCE.
– Also known as the
Golden Age, this era
has been significant
for the Western
civilization especially
in the progress of
philosophy,
literature, politics,
science, and art.
The Spread of Greek Culture
Before Philip could extend his empire further, he was assassinated while attending
his daughter’s wedding. His successor was his 20- year-old son, Alexander the
Great, who soon launched an amazing career of conquest. Alexander, whose
teacher had been the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle, inherited his father’s
admiration for Greek culture. Alexander was determined to spread this culture
throughout the world. As he marched with his army from one country to another,
the Greek culture that he brought with him blended with other, non-Greek
cultures. The period in which this occurred is known as the Hellenistic age. It lasted
about two centuries, ending in 146 B.C. when Greece fell under Roman control.
Hellenistic Greek

– The death of Alexander

the Great in 323 BCE
marked the beginning of
the Hellenistic period.
This period transpired
from 323-31 BCE.
Hellenistic Greek artworks

Venus de Milo (130-100 BCE) Winged Victory of Samothrace (200-190 BCE)

The Greek Influence
Most of Roman art was copied from the Greeks. From the very
beginning, well-born and cultured Romans exhibited a great
admiration for Greek art forms of every period and style.
They imported Greek works by the shipload and even brought Greek
artists to Rome to work for them. Generally, it can be said that the
Romans became the heirs of Greek art although they also made
important contributions of their own, especially in the development
of architecture.
Open Forum

Any questions?