CLASSICAL

ART?
 CLASSICAL PERIOD ROMAN EMPIRE

ARCHAIC PERIOD HEDONISTIC PERIOD

Archaic Period
• Governed by a love for knowledge

• Focused on the nature of things. In contrast to Egyptians, art wasn’t

stagnant.

• Foreshortening, used to create the illusion of depth, came into being.

• Popular styles of this period included a more natural depiction of

young men and women.
Classical Period
• Greece was at its pinnacle where Athens became the center of
learning and culture.

• Architecture:

- Temples transitioned from wood to stone and made use of mathematics and
symmetry to gain a sense of rhythm and harmony.

- Most of which are seen in an area in Athens called the Acropolis.

- 3 main types of columns used: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

DORIC IONIC CORINTHIAN
Parthenon
Parthenon:
• Built by Iktinos, Kallikrates, Phidias dedicated to the Goddess Athena.

• A symbol for Athenian imperial power under Pericles.

• On all four sides, it depicts a lot of imagery.

- Procession of horsemen
- Musicians
- Sacrificial Animals
- A child handling a folded cloth to an older man while the Gods watch.
Theatre of Dionysius
Amphitheatre:
• Greece is known for their open-air amphitheatres, built to host the
Dionysian festivals.

• The theatre of Dionysius was carved at the side of the Acropolis.

• Actors wore masks that served as a resonator for better voice

projection.
Sculptures:
• Greece showcased their growing knowledge of human anatomy
through sculptures and were more three-dimensional.

• Phidias did most of the sculptures in the Parthenon, the monuments

of Apollo and Athena, and the frieze across the upper section of the
temple.

• Sculptures of the Gods and Goddesses were created in the idea of The
Ideal.
Discus Thrower
Myron (c. 460-450 B.C.)
Classical Art = Classical Ideals
Form-oriented
• Works followed rules thus the creation of such works often come out
as similar.

• These rules were followed and non-compliance was unheard of.

• The form is a basis for beauty.

Sense of Logic
• Each work, art or architectural, had reason and logic behind it. From
human anatomy to the use of columns in constructing temples.

• This reflected a lifestyle the Greeks shared. “Nothing in excess.”

Harmony
• A basic principle for all Greek that manifests in everything.

• In art, the unity of all details and elements of work, contributing to

the stability of the whole, is what makes it harmonious.

• In drama, being one with the universe rather than go against it.

• Greeks relate harmony to the complementing importance of

intelligence and health, mind, body.
Balance and Proportion
• Balance suggests symmetry whereas proportion suggest that each
part contributes to the whole.

• A basis for beauty. In relation to a lot of works in Classical Greece, art

or architectural, it is more pronounced.

• A reflection of their lifestyle. “A sound mind in a sound body.”

Hedonistic Period
• War changed Greece resulting to Classicism being eclipsed by Art
principles in the Orient.

• However, this wasn’t a dark period. During this time, King Phillip of
Macedon spared Athens for its intellectual prowess and Greek
influence still expanded.
Visual Arts: Painting and Sculpture
• Art became more dynamic compared to artworks before. It became
more realistic than idealistic.

• In sculpture, it evoked more emotion and more fluid movements.

• These works decorated urban centers which were centers of culture

and learning during Alexander’s time.
Venus de Milo
Alexandros ( 150 bce )
Roman Period
• Like the Macedons, Romans respected Greek culture that much of it
was adapted by conquerors.

• Their visual arts reflected the expressive Hellenistic principles of Art

as they are enamored to it.

• Roman Art was inferior to the Greeks but they made up for it with
military prowess and architecture and engineering.
Roman Arch
Arches
• Romans are known for their architectural wonders and one of these is
the Arch.

• The Arch was built to support buildings where people would gather for
social purposes and worship and supported large tunnels that brought
water from the mountains.

• The Arch dominated cathedrals when Christianity held influence in

Medieval Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

• Arches of Triumph were built on conquered cities as symbols of victory.