Ancient Greek Art, Architecture, and Sculpture
Greek Art Introduction
Around the 8th century BC in the Mediterranean, a classical civilization was born and developed that would define the future of Western civilization. The Greek world was influenced by Egypt. Greece reflected its power through its expansion into colonies. Greece, in turn, influenced the development of Rome. Rome’s significant development began in the 2nd century BC when it dominated the Hellenistic territory. After the Republican period, Rome became the largest and most powerful empire of antiquity.
Greek Architecture
Greek architecture was closely related to the development of the polis (city-state).
Key Characteristics
- Materials: Stone and marble were primarily used.
- Construction: Employed lintel (post-and-beam) architecture.
- Orders: Utilized the distinct Greek orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
- Scale: Architecture was built to a human scale.
- Execution: Featured perfect execution, including optical refinements to correct visual distortions.
Most Important Buildings
- Temple: Considered the home of the divinity, built to honor the patron god of the city. Temples were often placed on the acropolis (high city) and typically stood in isolation, though sometimes arranged in complexes. Plans could be rectangular (with pronaos, naos/cella, and opisthodomos) or circular, among other typologies.
- Theater: Used for theatrical performances (tragedies and comedies), often held in honor of a god. Theaters were frequently located near sanctuaries. Many surviving examples date from the Hellenistic period. Key parts include the cavea (seating area), orchestra (circular performance space), and skene (stage building).
- Agora: The public square, serving as the center of civic and commercial life.
- Stoas: Covered walkways or porticoes, often bordering the agora.
- Greek House: The typical Greek house followed a Mediterranean style, closed off to the outside and opening onto an inner courtyard.
Urbanism
As Greek settlements expanded across the Mediterranean, new towns required planning. The model often used was the orthogonal (grid) plane. This plan is also known as the Hippodamian plan, named after the architect Hippodamus of Miletus who extensively utilized it.
Greek Sculpture
Key Characteristics
- Goal: The central goal was the pursuit of beauty, often based on mathematical proportions (the Canon).
- Style: Characterized by naturalism – the realistic reproduction of nature, especially the human form.
- Focus: Detailed study of the human body, reflecting the anthropocentrism (human-centered view) of Greek culture.
- Materials: The most commonly used materials were marble and cast bronze.
- Finish: Sculptures were often polychrome (painted), although the paint has rarely survived.
Evolution
Archaic Period (7th century BC – 480 BC)
- Characterized by Egyptian influence, resulting in hieratic (stiff, formal) figures.
- Anatomy was stylized.
- The most representative sculptures are the freestanding stone figures of Kouros (male youth) and Kore (female youth).
Classical Period (480 BC – 323 BC)
This period saw a significant move towards naturalism, abandoning the frontal stiffness of the Archaic style. Faces gained serene expressions, drapery was rendered with large, convincing pleats, anatomy became perfected, and an idealized form of beauty was pursued.
Early Classical (c. 480-450 BC)
- Myron: A bronze sculptor known for representing the human body in tension, capturing momentary, unstable poses. His best-known work is the Discobolus (Discus Thrower).
- Polykleitos: Developed a canon of proportions (often cited as a 1:7 head-to-body ratio) and introduced contrapposto (natural weight shift). Known works include the Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) and Diadumenos (Youth tying a fillet).
High Classical (c. 450-400 BC)
- Phidias: Embodied the ideal of classical beauty. He introduced the ‘wet drapery’ technique, where clothing appears thin and clings to the body, revealing the form underneath. His work includes freestanding statues (like the lost Athena Parthenos) and extensive relief work (such as the sculptures of the Parthenon).
Late Classical (c. 400-323 BC)
- Praxiteles: Introduced greater refinement, sensuality, and delicacy into sculpture. Figures often have a gentle, melancholy expression (the ‘Praxitelean curve’). Important works include Hermes and the Infant Dionysus, Apollo Sauroctonos (Lizard-Slayer), and Aphrodite of Cnidus.
- Scopas: Moved away from classical serenity towards more emotional intensity, depicting tormented characters and tragic themes. Important works include the Head of Meleager and contributions to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus frieze.
- Lysippus: Introduced a new canon of proportions (often cited as 1:8 head-to-body ratio), creating more slender figures. Primarily worked in bronze, known for realism and detail. Most important works include Apoxyomenos (The Scraper) and possibly the original of the Ares Ludovisi.
Hellenistic Sculpture (323 BC – c. 31 BC)
- Characterized by increased realism, drama, and emotional expression. Two major trends emerged: an ongoing idealistic realism and a more dramatic, intense naturalistic realism.
- Major Schools: Included Rhodes (artists like Agesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus, creators of the famous Laocoön Group) and Pergamon (known for dynamic representations of defeated Celts/Gauls and monumental reliefs like the Pergamon Altar frieze).