Activity – Chapter 5

Name: Willyn Nicole J. Martesano Course/Year: BSED-1

Pick out three (3) from the lists of artworks, representing the different stylistic periods. Research and
find out about the following:

1). Parthenon

a. Background

The Parthenon was the center of religious life in the powerful Greek City-State of Athens, the head of
the Delian League. Built in the 5 century B.C., it was a symbol of the power, wealth and elevated culture
of Athens. It was the largest and most lavish temple the Greek mainland had ever seen.

b. Medium

Measured at the stylobate, the dimensions of the base of the Parthenon are 69.5 by 30.9 metres (228 by
101 ft). The cella was 29.8 meters long by 19.2 meters wide (97.8 × 63.0 ft). On the exterior, the Doric
columns measure 1.9 metres (6.2 ft) in diameter and are 10.4 metres (34 ft) high. The corner columns
are slightly larger in diameter. The Parthenon had 46 outer columns and 23 inner columns in total, each
column having 20 flutes. (A flute is the concave shaft carved into the column form.) The roof was
covered with large overlapping marble tiles known as imbrices and tegulae.

c. Stylistic period they represent

When work began on the Parthenon in 447 BC, the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power.
Work on the temple continued until 432, the Parthenon, then, represents the tangible and visible
efflorescence of Athenian imperial power, unencumbered by the depradations of the Peloponnesian
War. Likewise, it symbolizes the power and influence of the Athenian politician, Perikles, who
championed its construction. The Parthenon frieze is the defining monument of the High Classical style
of Attic sculpture. It stands between the gradual eclipse of the Severe style, as witnessed on the
Parthenon metopes, and the evolution of the Late Classical Rich style, exemplified by the Nike
balustrade.
2). Statue of Athena

a. Background

The colossal bronze statue of Athena, known as Athena Promachos, dominated in the area between the
Propylaia and the Erechtheion, to the left of the visitor walking along the processional way of the
Acropolis. It was made by the renowned sculptor Pheidias probably at the bronze foundry situated at
the southwest slope of the Acropolis.

b. Medium

The statue Athena Parthenos was created around 170 BC. Its impressive size measures 4.05m height,
1.19m width and 0.65m depth.

c. Stylistic period they represent

It was dedicated to the city’s deity Athena. The temple was made to give a statue made in Athena’s
honor a home. When Athena led the Greek forces during the Persian wars, the people of Athens thought
the world needed to see her success through a statue. Pheidias began sculpting the statue in 447 BCE.
The statue would remain the city’s symbol for thousands of years until it completely disappeared from
the historical record during the Late Antiquity period. Some sculpture details and descriptions of the
statue allowed the piece to be accurately reconstructed.

3). Statue of Zeus

a. Background

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It truly was a
wonder to behold. The building itself, designed in 450 B.C. by the architect Libon, was as tall as a
modern four-story building, and the statue filled most of it. Zeus's head nearly brushed the ceiling, he
was so tall. The noted geographer Strabo once commented that if Zeus were to come to life and stand
up, "he would unroof the temple."

b. Medium

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated figure, about 12.4 m tall, made by the Greek sculptor
Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus there.

c. Stylistic period they represent

Created in the beginning of the Classical Period of Greek sculpture (ca. 480–300 BCE), this elegant and
balanced figure is the embodiment of beauty, control, and strength. Thought to represent the mightiest
of the Olympian gods, Zeus (or less likely Poseidon), this monumental bronze sculpture was found in two
pieces at the bottom of the sea off the Cape of Artemision in the 1920s.