Chapter 5 Greek part 2
Early and High Classical Periods
(5th century BCE)
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Compare: Archaic vs Early Classical
Kritios Boy is the earliest known example
of contrapposto (counterbalance), a
relaxed and natural stance.
Notice how his weight shifts to his left leg,
with a slight dip of his right leg and how his
head turns slightly to his right.
This is the transitional piece between
Archaic and Classical
Notice absence of Archaic smile
It was so named because it was believed to
be by the artist Kritios
Figure 5-34 Kritios Boy, from the Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 480 BCE. Marble, 2’ 10” high. Acropolis
Museum, Athens.
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Contrapposto
Riace Warriors
• Found in 1972 by a scuba diver off the coast of Riace.
• The eyes are inlaid with bone and glass, the teeth are
in silver and the nipples are in copper.
• They originally held spears and shields
• A good example of Early Classical in its use of
contrapposto and the realistic musculature
This Riace Warrior, like most
Classical Greek statues, was
sculpted in bronze. Most Classical
bronzes have not survived.
Much of the “Classical Greek”
sculptures today are actually
Roman marble copies.
Figure 5-35 Warrior, from the sea off Riace,
Italy, ca. 460–450 BCE. Bronze, 6’ 6” high.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Reggio
Calabria.
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Zeus or Poseidon
Graceful turn of the body with
slightly lifted back foot
Zeus is about to throw a
thunderbolt or Poseidon holding a
trident
It is an idealized, youthful body but
has an older face.
Fig. 5-38 Zeus (or Poseidon?), from the
sea off Cape Artemision, Greece, ca. 460–
450 BCE. Bronze, 6’ 10” high. National
Archaeological Museum, Athens.
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The Discus Thrower
• Greek name: Diskoblos
• There is a major weight shift - an extreme use of
contrapposto
• He is in motion, in mid-swing
• In real life it would be impossible to throw the discus
this way - yet it works optically - to create that
illusion of movement
• The face is expressionless - some say he is in thought
• He has an idealized heroic body
• The use of negative space opens large areas of the
sculpture.
Thanks to the Romans’ interest in
Greek sculpture many Greek
sculptures have been preserved in
marble copies
The Roman copies are not perfect
replicas. Often, because marble is
heavier, they had to add portions
to help hold the sculpture up like
the tree trunk to the right. Also,
they would change aspects of the
sculpture to suit their needs - like
mirroring it.
Figure 5-39 MYRON, Diskobolos
(Discus Thrower). Roman marble copy
of a bronze original of ca. 450 BCE,
5’ 1” high. Museo Nazionale
Romano—Palazzo Massimo alle
Terme.
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Spear Bearer
• Greek name: Doryphoros
• Alternating and counterbalance of tense and
relaxed elements of the body; left arm and
right leg are tense and weight bearing while
the right arm and left leg are relaxed.
• He has broad shoulders, a thick torso and
ideal muscular body
• His hand once held a spear
Spear Bearer
• Artist: Polykleitos
• He used a mathematical approach which
focused on a variety of proportions. For
example: the head is 1/7 of the height of the
body.
• He felt that perfection was in how each part
related to each other and the whole.
• He named it Canon
Figure 5-40 POLYKLEITOS, Doryphoros (Spear
Bearer). Roman marble copy from Pompeii, Italy,
after a bronze original of ca. 450–440 BCE, 6’
11” high. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
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Pediment of Temple of Zeus
• Story of local importance: chariot race b/n King Oinomaos and
Pelops
• Oinomaos challenged any suitor of his only daughter
(Hippodameia) to a chariot race. If he won they were killed, if
they won they were able to marry his daughter. Oinomaos
had divine horses that his father Ares gave him and won every
race. Pelops, determined to marry Hippodameia, bribed
Myrtilos a servant of Oinomaos to rig the royal chariot. The
chariot fell apart, killing Oinomaos. Instead of paying Myrtilos,
Pelops killed him. Before he died, Myrtilos cursed Pelops and
his descendents. He and his descendents became the subject
of Aeschylus’ Oresteia plays
Zeus stands in the middle, Oinomaos and his wife are on one side and
Pelops and Hippodameia on the other. On both sides their respective
chariots are shown. The events have yet to occur, all are calm except one
figure - a seer who has a shocked expression on his face because he
knows what is about to happen.
Figure 5-31 East pediment from the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece, ca. 470–456 BCE. Marble, 87’ wide. Archaeological Museum, Olympia.
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He is a rare
depiction of old
age
His expression is
also a rarity of
Classical sculpture,
it was not a regular
feature until the
Hellenistic age
Figure 5-32 Seer, from the east
pediment of the Temple of
Zeus, Olympia, Greece, ca. 470–
456 BCE. Marble, full figure 4’
6” high; detail 3’ 2 1/2” high.
Archaeological Museum,
Olympia.
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Athena, Herakles and Atlas
• Metopes of the Zeus temple depicts the 12 labors of Herakles
- the founder of the Olympic games
• Herakles is holding up the sky (with the help of Athena and a
cushion) while Atlas went on a dangerous journey to fetch the
golden apples of the Hesperites
• The high relief figures stand serenely just as the ones in the
pediment.
Metopes of Zeus
temple depicts the 12
labors of Herakles - the
founder of the Olympic
games
Herakles is holding up
the sky (with the help
of Athena and a
cushion) while Atlas
went on a dangerous
journey to fetch the
golden apples of the
Hesperites
Figure 5-33 Athena, Herakles,
and Atlas with the apples of the
Hesperides, metope from the
Temple of Zeus, Olympia,
Greece, ca. 470–456 BCE.
Marble, 5’ 3” high.
Archaeological Museum,
Olympia.
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Pericles:
•Elected stratego, general of
Athens 15 times
•Instrumental in rebuilding and
beautifying Athens after second
Persian invasion. Most
noteworthy: Acropolis
•Notice his idealized
appearance: unblemished
features, his aloof expression
Figure 5-41 KRESILAS, Pericles.
Roman marble herm copy of a bronze
original of ca. 429 BCE. Full herm 6’
high; detail 4’ 6 1/2” high. Musei
Vaticani, Rome.
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Pericles and the Acropolis
• The centerpiece of his great builidng project on the Acropolis
was the Parthenon (Temple of Athena Parthenos)
• Construction of the gateway - Propylaia began shortly after
the completion of the Parthenon
• The last two buildings were finished after Pericles’ death - the
Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike
• The greatest architects and sculptors were called upon to help
create the Acropolis
Figure 5-42 Aerial view of the Acropolis looking southeast, Athens,
Greece.
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Parthenon
• The Parthenon was transformed into a church during the
Byzantine era.
• It later became a mosque after the invasion of the Ottomans
• It was remodeled each time:
– Christians - removed statue of Athena and added an Apse
– Muslims - added a minaret
• In 1687, when the Venetians besieged the Acropolis, one of their rockets
hit an ammunition depot Turks installed there, which ruined most of the
the interior. Many of the remaining sculptures were removed and some
were broken when they were dropped on the ground.
Parthenon
• 447-438 BCE, architects - Iktinos and Kallikrates, over-seer of sculpture
- Phidias. It is a Doric structure
• Proportion: x = 2y + 1, ex: short side 8 columns and long 17. Everything
in the temple fits this proportion. Proportion= harmony
• Even with the importance of perfection through proportion, there are
some irregularities
– Stylobate curves upward toward the center forming a shallow
dome
– Columns lean in slightly and the corner ones are 2 in. thicker
– Portions are Ionic (treasury and inner frieze)
Parthenon
• Though it is a Doric structure, it did contain
some Ionic elements:
– An interior room used for a treasury had four Ionic
columns
– An inner frieze around the cella was Ionic
* This mixture of Doric and Ionic characterizes the
5th century buildings of the Acropolis
Figure 5-44 IKTINOS and KALLIKRATES, Parthenon, (Temple of
Athena Parthenos, looking southeast), Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 447–438
BCE.
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Figure 5-45 Plan of the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, with diagram of
sculptural program (after Andrew Stewart), 447–432 BCE.
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Chryselephatine - gold and ivory
38 ft tall
The Parthenon was for the most
part built around the statue.
She is representative of the
Athenian victory over the
Persians.
Her sandals contain images of
centaurmachy (Persians as
barbarians). Her shield contains
relief scenes from the battle of
the Greeks and Amazons. It also
has a painting of giantomachy on
the interior. Each is
representative of triumph of
order over chaos.
Figure 5-46 PHIDIAS, Athena Parthenos, in the cella of the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece,
ca. 438 BCE. Model of the lost chryselephantine statue. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
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Pediments of the Parthenon
• The west pediment depicted the contest between Athena and Poseidon to
determine who would be Athen’s patron
• The east pediment depicted the birth of Athena
– The center was damaged when the the apse was added to convert it
into a church
• Phidias, who designed the composition, discovered an entirely new way to
deal with the awkward triangular frame of the pediment. By reclining the
figures beneath the raking cornices – they appear to be relaxed, yet still
naturalistic.
Figure 5-48 Helios and his horses, and Dionysos (Herakles?), from the east pediment of
the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 438–432 BCE. Marble, greatest height 4’ 3”.
British Museum, London.
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Figure 5-49 Three goddesses (Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite?), from the east pediment of
the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 438–432 BCE. Marble, greatest height 4’ 5”.
British Museum, London.
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Parthenon Friezes
• The best preserved metopes of the exterior depict the battle
of Laptihs and centaurs, a combat in which Theseus of Athens
played a major role.
• The interior Ionic frieze, depicts what most scholars believe to
be the Panathenaic Festival procession which took place in
Athens every four years.
– In the frieze, the gods are spectators to the parading
Athenians
Figure 5-50 Details of the Panathenaic Festival procession frieze, from the Parthenon, Acropolis,
Athens, Greece, ca. 447–438 BCE. Marble, 3’ 6” high. Horsemen of north frieze (top), British
Museum, London; seated gods and goddesses (Poseidon, Apollo, and Artemis) of east frieze (center),
Acropolis Museum, Athens; and elders and maidens of east frieze (bottom), Louvre, Paris.34
Propylaia
• Propylaia - 437-2 BCE monumental entrance to Acropolis, architect Minesikles.
• It was built on a steep slope, Minesikles was successful in disguising the
change in ground by splitting the builidng into eastern and western
sections - each one resembling a Doric façade
• Between the front columns was a ramp for the processions that occurred
during the Panthenaic festival. Inside tall Ionic columns supported the
spilt-level roof
• It was not finished according to plan because of lack of funding due to the
Peloponnesian War. Only one side wing was completed on the Northwest
side. It is significant because in Roman times it housed a pinakotheke
(picture gallery). It is uncertain if that was its original intent. But if it was, it
was the first recorded structure built to display paintings.
Figure 5-51 MNESIKLES, Propylaia (looking southwest), Acropolis, Athens, Greece,
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437–432 BCE.
Erechtheion
• 421 - 05 BCE, Ionic, architect unknown
• Built to replace the Archaic Athena temple destroyed by the
Persians, however it served as a multiple shrine.
• It houses tombs and shrines of various gods and demigods
including two former leaders of Athens - Erectheus and
Kekrops
• Asymmetrical design is unique. Also, each wall has different
character and rests on a different ground level.
Figure 5-52 Erechtheion (looking northwest), Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 421–405
BCE.
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Figure 5-53 Plan
of the Erechtheion,
Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 421–
405 BCE.
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On south porch of Erectheion.
Caryatid resemble Archaic korai, however
they exhibit the weight shift characteristic of
5th century statues.
The flute like drapery conceals the stiff,
weight bearing legs. However, the sculptor
was still able to make them seem flexible like
the human body.
Figure 5-54 Caryatid from the south porch of the
Erechtheion, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 421–405 BCE.
Marble, 7’ 7” high. British Museum, London.
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Temple of Athena Nike
• 427-4, Kallikrates - architect, Ionic
• Amphiprostyle - 4 columns on east and east façade
• Part of the frieze was devoted to the decisive battle
at Marathon.
• A parapet was built at the bastion’s ege in 410 BCE
decorated with reliefs. The theme was Nike (victory)
who is depicted in a variety of ways.
Figure 5-55 KALLIKRATES, Temple of Athena Nike (looking southwest),
Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 427–424 BCE.
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Nike Adjusting Her Sandal
• A High relief sculpture depicting Nike adjusting
her sandal – though an awkward position, she
is rendered in an elegant and graceful way.
• Her garments cling so tightly to the body that
they seem to be drenched with water. Thus,
revealing portions of her body that would
otherwise be hidden by heavy fabric.
Figure 5-56 Nike adjusting her sandal,
from the south side of the parapet of the
Temple of Athena Nike, Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 410 BCE. Marble, 3’ 6” high.
Acropolis Museum, Athens.
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Late Classical Period
(4th century BCE)
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The rise of Macedon
• In 338 BCE, the Greeks suffered a devastating loss and relinquished their
independence to Phillip II, king of Macedon. After his assassination, his
son Alexander the Great succeeded him.
• This defeat, the political upheaval and chaos of the time had a profound
impact on The Greeks and the art they created.
•
In the fifth century they believed in attempting to achieve perfect statues
and to use correct mathematical formulas for constructing temples.
• In the fourth century, they began to focus more on representing the real
world appearances rather than on the ideal world of perfect beings.
Praxiteles
• The new approach to art is apparent in the
work of Praxiteles.
• He continued depicting the themes favored by
sculptors of the High Classical the gods.
Although they kept their superhuman beauty,
they lost some of their solemn expression and
became more humanized.
Aphrodite of Knidos
•Bold step to render a goddess in the nude – it was so controversial that is was
rejected by a city before the city of Knidos purchased it. People traveled to
Knidos just to see the statue.
•It became popular because of the rarity of representing a female nude. The
only depictions of female nudes were of servants, never a goddess or
noblewoman. It was considered of low character for a woman to be represented
nude.
•She is also engaged in a trivial act from everyday life – she is getting ready to
take a bath
•Sensuous and humanizing qualities – different from the cold, aloof gods and
athletes of the High Classical
Figure 5-62 PRAXITELES, Aphrodite of
Knidos. Roman marble copy of an original of
ca. 350–340 BCE. 6’ 8” high. Musei Vaticani,
Rome.
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Hermes and the Infant Dionysos
• Artist: Praxiteles Or a follower
• Hermes has a smaller head, and thus is representative of the
Late Classical preference of the head to be 1/8 of the body.
• His off-balance S-curving pose, requires him to lean on a post,
a clear contrast to the work of Polykleitos.
• It is humanizing in the tenderness shown between the two
figures. This type of tenderness did not exist in sculpture prior
to the 4th century.
Figure 5-63 PRAXITELES(?), Hermes
and the infant Dionysos, from the Temple
of Hera, Olympia, Greece. Copy of a statue
by Praxiteles of ca. 340 BCE or an original
work of ca. 330–270 BCE by a son or
grandson. Marble, 7’ 1” high.
Archaeological Museum, Olympia
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Scraper
•
•
•
•
•
Greek name: Apoxyomenos
Artist: Lysippos
Young athlete scraping off dirt and oil from his arm.
Taller and lighter in appearance
Arms extended in space instead of being contained.
• It invites viewers to look from various angles.
• Established a different canon of proportions from that of
Polykleitos – 1/8 head to body rather than 1/7
Figure 5-65 LYSIPPOS, Apoxyomenos
(Scraper). Roman marble copy of a bronze
original of ca. 330 BCE, 6’ 9” high. Musei
Vaticani, Rome.
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In right hand, Herakles holds the golden
apples of Hesperides
He is depicted as being tired after
completing his 12 tasks, unlike earlier
representations of him which show him
serene and content at the completion of
his tasks.
He is depicted with superhuman
musculature, yet he is so tired he must
lean on his club
Late classical interest in humanizing the
gods and heroes
Figure 5-66 LYSIPPOS, Weary Herakles (Farnese
Herakles). Roman marble copy from Rome, Italy,
signed by GLYKON OF ATHENS, of a bronze
original of ca. 320 BCE. 10 ‘ 5” high. Museo
Archeologico Nazionale,Naples.
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Alexander the Great
commissioned Lysippos to
create a portrait statue of
him
The original is lost, however
scholars believe that the
image to the right is the
closest to the original in
capturing Alexander’s
likeness
Figure 5-67 Head of Alexander
the Great, from Pella, Greece,
third century BCE. Marble, 1’
high. Archaeological Museum,
Pella.
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Mosaic: Stag Hunt
• Mosaic – an image created through the use of small glass tiles
or stones called tessarae.
• The Stag Hunt was prominently signed by the artist Gnosis.
• It was made through an assortment of natural pebbles.
• Its subject of of two hunters slaying a stag.
Figure 5-68 GNOSIS, Stag hunt, from Pella, Greece, ca. 300 BCE. Pebble mosaic, figural panel 10’
2” high. Archaeological Museum, Pella.
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The Battle of Issus
• This mosaic is a replication of a Greek painting
which Pliny the Elder mentioned in his
writings.
• The radical foreshortening draws the viewer
into the action.
• Alexander is on the left, upon a rearing horse
as he challenges the Persian leader - Darius III
who is depicted in a golden helmet.
• Darius’ chariot is turned, ready for retreat.
Figure 5-70 PHILOXENOS OF ERETRIA, Battle of Issus, ca. 310 BCE. Roman
copy (Alexander Mosaic) from the House of the Faun, Pompeii, Italy, late second or
early first century BCE. Tessera mosaic, approx. 8’ 10” X 16’ 9”. Museo
Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
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Greek Theatre
• Plays were performed as part of sacred festivals. The
great tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides were performed at the Dionysos festival.
• Finest theatre was the one at Epidauros
• Theatres were comprised of the following parts:
– Orchestra - (dancing place) flat circular area
– Theatron - (place for seeing) in early theatres
– Cavea - composed of stone benches
Figure 5-71 POLYKLEITOS THE YOUNGER, Theater, Epidauros,
Greece, ca. 350 BCE.
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Hellenistic Period (323 – 30 BCE)
Artists shifted focus to the individual and to representing the
everyday. They changed from representing gods to mortals,
aloof serenity to individual emotion.
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Corinthian order
• Corinthian order is a slight
variation of Ionic, with the
one difference being the
capital of the columns.
• The capitals are comprised
of acanthus leaves and
coiled flower shapes
• One example of Corinthian
architecture can be found in
the tholos (circular shrine)
of Delphi
Figure 5-73 POLYKLEITOS THE YOUNGER, Corinthian capital, from the tholos,
Epidauros, Greece, ca. 350 BCE. Archaeological Museum, Epidauros.
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Stoas - porticos which housed shops and civic offices
This stoa was a gift from King of Pergamon who studied in Athens as a youth
Figure 5-77 Stoa of Attalos II, Agora, Athens, Greece, ca. 150 BCE (with the
Acropolis in the background).
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Altar of Zeus
• Original Location:Pergamon
Figure 5-78 Reconstructed west front of the Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, Turkey, ca. 175
BCE. Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
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Athena battling Alkoneos
• A detail of the frieze on the Altar of Zeus
• Athena has the hair of Alkoneos in her hand as she is
about to slay him.
• Nike flies in to crown her
• The frieze is over 7 ft. high.
• Alkoneos has a look of anguish upon his face.
Figure 5-79 Athena battling Alkyoneos, detail of the gigantomachy frieze, from the Altar of Zeus,
Pergamon, Turkey ca. 175 BCE. Marble, 7’ 6” high. Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
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Four E’s of Hellenistic
Sculpture:
1.Emotional
2.Erotic
3.Expressionistic
(Dramatic)
4.Everyday people
Figure 5-80 EPIGONOS(?), Gallic
chieftain killing himself and his wife.
Roman marble copy of a bronze
original of ca. 230–220 BCE, 6’ 11”
high. Museo Nazionale Romano–
Palazzo Altemps, Rome.
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Figure 5-81 EPIGONOS(?), Dying Gaul. Roman marble copy of a bronze original of ca.
230–220 BCE, 3’ 1/2” high. Museo Capitolino, Rome.
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Nike of Samothrace
• AKA: Nike Alighting a Warship
• Meant to represent a figurehead of a boat
• Her garment looks as though it is blowing in the wind
• Her missing right arm was possibly raising a victory crown or
held an open hand in greeting
• The boat at the base is a battle ship with oarboxes and traces
of a battering ram
Nike of Samothrace
• It was discovered in 1863 and was taken to the
Louvre where it was restored.
• The wings and most of the upper torso were
rebuilt using plaster - and were modeled after
other statues of Nike.
Figure 5-82 Nike alighting on a warship (Nike of
Samothrace), from Samothrace, Greece, ca. 190 BCE.
Marble, figure 8’ 1” high. Louvre, Paris.
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Figure 5-83 ALEXANDROS OF ANTIOCH-ON-THE-MEANDER, Aphrodite
(Venus de Milo), from Melos, Greece, ca. 150–125 BCE. Marble, 6’ 7” high. Louvre,
Paris.
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Rare original bronze cast
Battered veteran with
broken teeth and scared
face
An athlete resigned to his
fate - fame and youth are
both fleeting
Figure 5-85 Seated boxer,
from Rome, Italy, ca. 100–50
BCE. Bronze, 4’ 2” high.
Museo Nazionale Romano–
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme,
Rome.
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Hellenistic interest in extreme
realism and old age
It had an unknown function but some scholars believe she
could be representative of an
elderly worshipper of
Dionysos
Another interpretation is that
she is an old market woman;
poor, crippled with
infirmities, returning from the
market with provisions
Figure 5-86 Old market woman, ca.
150–100 BCE. Marble, 4’ 1/2” high.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York.
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Laocoön
• Illustrated scene from the Trojan war
• Laocoön was a priest who advised the Trojans to not accept
the offering of a wooden horse. Poseidon sent two sea
monsters to kill Laocoon and his two sons.
• The monsters entangled the figures and the faces of the men
express their fear and anguish
• The twisting and curving forms causes viewer’s eyes
to wander around the composition. It is meant to be
seen from different angles.
Figure 5-88 ATHANADOROS, HAGESANDROS, and POLYDOROS OF RHODES,
Laocoön and his sons, from Rome, Italy, early first century CE Marble, 7’ 10 1/2” high.
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Musei Vaticani, Rome.
Figure 5-89 ATHANADOROS,
HAGESANDROS, and POLYDOROS OF
RHODES, head of Odysseus, from Sperlonga,
Italy, early first century CE. Marble, 2’ 1 1/4”
high. Museo Archeologico, Sperlonga.
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