Ancient Greek ART

490-148 B.C.

The Korai of the Acropolis
Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer)
​by Polykleitos
 Laocoön and his Sons
The Ancient Greeks became known for their perfection in art. During the classical era they developed their own style that historians would later call the Severe Style. 

Three Periods of Greek Art 

Archaic Period (725 - 500 / 480 B.C.): The Greeks from the Archaic Period made sculptures of men called Kouroi and women called Korai. These statues had similar features and stood stiffly with their arms at their sides.
  • influence of Egyptian sculpture
  • stiff, rigid
  • frontal poses
  • unifacial design – meant to be viewed from one angle only
  • arms held close to the body
  • legs unnaturally flat footed
  • decorative scrathed details on faces
  • Nude male figure as the standard. Female figures usually clothed with stiff drapery that concealed the body.
  • Imperfect knowledge of anatomy (women depicted like males, but with female characteristics

Classical Period (about 500 / 480 to 338 B.C.): During the Classical Period, Greek artists began to sculpt people in more relaxed postures and even in action scenes. The most famous works from this era include the statue of Zeus at Olympia and the statue of the Spear Bearer.
  • More naturalistic than Archaic sculpture – rigid poses have loosened up and figures are often shown in relaxed contraposto stance, or in movement
  • Naturalism never overrides good design. The overall effect is more important than making te sculpture realistic. Eg. The Discus Thrower
  • Perfection of proportions, idealized figures of youthful gods, goddesses, athletes
  • serene, relaxed, dignified, godlike, majestic
  • restraint, authority, confidence in the faces
  • musculature rendered in broad simple masses
  • still using unifacial design – meant to be viewed from one angle only


Hellenistic Period (338 B.C. to Roman conquest): After Alexander the Great conquered much of Asia, the sculpture and artwork of the Greeks became influenced by the cultures and people they had conquered. This period is called the Hellenistic Period. This period saw new subjects including women, children, and common people appear in Greek art. Famous works from this era include the Venus de Milo, the Dying Gaul, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. 
  • emotional, dramatic Eg. The Laocoon Group
  • Extreme realism at the expense of perfect design. Realism as an end in itself.
  • Technical mastery of drapery. Cloth appears to be fully independent of the figure, yet clings to and defines the body beneath. Sculpted to lead the eye over the contours of the body.
  • lots of movement Eg. Nike of Samothrace, The Parthenon Frieze
  • Musculature design – meant to be viewed from several angles. Cannot be fully appreciated from any vantage point
  • this style had a huge influence on the Romans, who conquered  Greece in 146 B.C.

Life syle.
  • merchants and fisherman
  • known for olives and wine
  • proud of the male athletic form with muscular detail
  • Greece was divided into city states with each having its own culture and laws. They often battled against each other for supreme rule. Athens was the leading city and the centre of the art scene. 
  • Sculpture and drama were the 2 main arts enjoyed by the Greeks
  • It was common for a young man to have an older partner as a lover
  • They did marry at 30 to a young virgin in order to have children

Painting.

Sculpture.

ARCHITECTURE.
  • mostly on vases and objects or as decoration on friezes of buildings
  • usually of Gods and Goddess’ of Mythology
  • believed that the accurate rendering of the human form was part of the search for truth
  • built temples for Gods and Goddess’ of mythology
  • development of the post and lintel system to hold up roof
  • creation of the 3 orders of capitals on the columns (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian)
  • used the Golden Section for ideal proportion
  • purity of style, harmony and technical perfection
Doric Columns ​are the simplest columns. The capital is a circle topped by a square. The simplicity continues down the 20 sides. The Doric columns do not have a base. The most famous place where you can still see a Doric column today is the Parthenon.

Ionic Columns are taller and more slender than the Doric columns. The capitals are scrolls. The shafts were designed with a slight bulge to make the columns appear straight. The base is large and looks like stacked rings. The most famous place you can still see an Ionic columns today is the Temple of Athena Nike.

Corinthian Columns are the most decorative. The capitals are decorated with leaves and scrolls. Like the Ionic, the Corinthian shafts have a slight bulge to make them look straight. The base is the tallest out of all three columns. The most famous place you can see the Corinthian columns today is at the Temple of the Sybil.

Key info - study of specific art pieces
​1. The Parthenon – Iktinus & Kallikrates  448-432 B.C.   CLASSICAL

“The world’s most perfect building.”  A red and blue, marble temple dedicated to Athena(the patron Goddess of Athens).  Athena was the Goddess of wisdom, the arts and righteous warfare.  Located at the highest point on the Acropolis, a hill in the centre of the city.  Housing a huge gold and ivory statue of Athena.  The structure was constructed using the post and lintel system, where vertical columns are arranged in rows with slabs of stone on top as a roof.  The Golden Mean/Section was the ratio used in construction.  A Doric peripteral temple, which means that it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on every side, and a colonnade (8 x 17) of Doric columns extending around the periphery of the entire structure.

KEY ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES: 
Colour
Line
Form (geometric)
Balance (formal)
Harmony
Proportion
​2. Dionysus in a Sailboat – Exekias  540 B.C.   
​ARCHAIC
This is an interior view of a Kylix or a clay drinking vessel.  Debates and drinking wine were common activities the Greek men engaged in, therefore there was much emphasis on vessel/pottery decoration.  Pottery decorations often told a story of an event or daily life.  Could be in Red Figure or Black Figure style.
The story of Dionysus – Dionysus (God of Inspiration) was abducted by pirates so he made a vine grow on the mast of the sailboat.  The pirates were scared and jumped overboard.  They were then turned into dolphins.

KEY ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES: 
​Form
Colour
Balance (asymmetrical:  7 dolphins to 7 grape clusters)
3. Doryphorus (Spearbearer) - Polykleitos  450 B.C.   CLASSICAL
Originally a cast bronze sculpture that depicts the Greek interest in the human male form and ideal athletic proportions.  No original exists though there are many marble Roman copies.  The relaxed pose suggests that the figure is standing still.  Contraposto is the term used to describe the pose where the weight of the body is balanced on only one leg.  In this pose the other leg is slightly bent and the hips are slanted.  The sculpted in the round (viewer can see from all sides).  Originally holding a spear.

​KEY ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES: 
​Form (realistic)
Texture (smooth)
Movement
Proportion
Balance
​4. The Laocoon Group – Agesander, Athhenodorus & Polydrus  125 B.C.   
HELLENISTIC
A marble statue that depicts the cruelty that the Gods subjected on mortals.  The statue is full of drama and realism.
The story -   Statue is of Laocoon and his two sons.  Laocoon suspected the Trojan Horse was a trick.  He tried to stop his countrymen from bringing the horse into the city, but Poseidon interfered by sending to sea serpents to kill them.  The Trojans saw this as a sign of divine approval of their plan.

KEY ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES: 
​Form (curved, very realistic)
Texture (smooth)
Value (on surface)
Movement
Proportion

Activities

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