Periklean Building Project on Athenian Acropolis, 447-406 BC, cont.
Propylaia (Gateway), 437-2 BC, by Mnesikles
-Doric façade; interior Ionic passage columns;
-Pinakotheke (picture gallery)
Temple of Athena Nike, 427-424 BC, by Kallikrates
-Ionic tetrastyle amphiprostyle
Nike= “Victory” (often associated with Athena)
Defeat of Persians at Marathon
Nike Balustrade, around Temple of Athena Nike, ca. 410 BC
-Nike Figures lead Cows to Sacrifice
-“Sandal-Binder”—one of the Nikai
- use of running drill
Compare Sandal-binder to Grave Stele of Hegeso, 410 BC, Athens
Erechtheion, by Mnesikles (Prof T. believes this is completely unfounded), built 421406 BC
-Erectheus (mythical king of Athens), Karyatid Porch (Porch of the Maidens)
Vase-painting
Black-figure: silhouette figures, incised detail, use of added red (and sometimes
white); introduced from Corinth to Athens, ca. 620 BC
-François Vase, ca. 570 BC, by Kleitias (painter) and Ergotimos (potter):
Athenian volute krater, from Etruscan tomb. Numerous mythological scenes.
-Neck amphora, ca. 540 BC, by Amasis Painter: Dionysos & maenads
-Belly Amphora, ca. 540 BC, by Exekias: Ajax committing suicide
Red-figure technique: vase background painted so that reserved areas left red—
effectively red figures on a black ground. Use of black relief lines. Some added red
or purple. Invented ca. 530 BC in Athens
-Calyx krater by Euphronios, ca. 510 BC: death of Sarpedon (related in
Iliad)
-Bell krater by Pan Painter, ca. 470 BC: death of Aktaion (note Artemis &
hounds)
White ground technique: vase background coated with iron-free slip that stays
white. Various colors used: blue, red, green, yellow, in addition to black. Often
found on the lekythos, a vase placed in graves
-lekythos by Achilles Painter, ca. 440 BC
-note “profile eyes”
FOURTH CENTURY SCULPTURE & HELLENISTIC ART (350-30 BC)
Praxiteles: an Athenian sculptor; tended to work in marble, not bronze
Praxiteles, Hermes and Dionysos, 330 BC
-“slenderized” male anatomy
Praxiteles, Aphrodite of Knidos, Praxiteles (350 BC), Roman copy
-Sensuality, decorum; voyeuristic display
-compare with later “Medici Venus”—overt gesture of modesty, covering
breasts & genitals
Lysippos: a sculptor from Greek city of Sikyon
Lysippos, Apoxyomenos, 330 BC
-Lysippos’ Canon, an answer to Polykleitos
Lysippos, Herakles Farnese, ca. 330-310 BC (Roman copy)
-heavy musculature looks toward “Baroque” genre of Hellenistic Period
Lysippos, Portrait of Aristotle, c. 325 BC
-beginnings of veristic/realistic portraiture, another Hellenistic genre
-naturalism vs. realism
Lysippos, Head of Alexander the Great, poss. after 4th century original
-Lysippos was official court sculptor of Alexander’s regime
-melting gaze
-ethos (“character”) / pathos (lit., “suffering,” but refers to strong emotion in
general)
-Alex set new fashion of beardlessness for many Greek males
Silver coins, Alex the Great with horns of Egyptian god Amun, 300 BC
Hellenistic Period (323-31 BC)
-Division of Alexander’s kingdom among generals
-Constant warfare between Hellenistic rulers
-New city of Alexandria in Egypt an important cultural center
-City of Pergamon in western Anatolia an important center
-increasing involvement of Romans after 200 BC
Hellenistic genres:
“baroque” genre= dramatic; heightened emotion; (frequently) bulging, exaggerated
musculature
Examples:
Suicidal Gaul, Pergamon, ca. 220 BC
-“pyramidal” composition
Dying Gaul, Pergamon, ca. 220 BC
-commemorates victory of Attalus I over Gauls
Pergamon Altar Base, 160 BC
Subject: Gigantomachy (battle of gods & giants)
Athena & Alcyoneus (a giant)
Laocoon Group, orig. (2nd c. BC) by Hagesandros, Polydorus, Anthanadorus of
Rhodes
Laocoon: Trojan priest, denounced wooden horse as a trick; punished by
Athena
The date is more likely (Professor T’s opinion) to be Julio-Claudian, ca. 20
AD. This is actually a very planar work, designed to be displayed in a niche—this is
a feature of very late Hellenistic sculpture
This work found in Rome in 1506—provided inspiration to Renaissance
sculptors such as Michelangelo
Nike of Samothrace, 200 BC, marble, 8 ft. tall; part of a victory monument for a
naval battle
“rococo” genre= playful & unserious; representations of satyrs, children, low-lifes,
rustics
Examples:
Barberini Faun (Drunken Satyr), 220 BC
Sleeping Eros, c. 250 BC
Old Fisherman, 3rd c. BC and Old Market Woman (3rd c. BC)
-veristic, even cruel, depiction of old age
Sleeping Hermaphrodite, 3rd c. BC—delight in surprise, make viewer go
around entire work
“bland deity” genre [I’m being sarcastic here, folks]
Venus de Milo (aka, the Melian Aphrodite, Aphrodite of Melos)
Apollo Belvedere, 330 BC
androgynous, Winckelmann (early art historian) believed this was THE
masterpiece of Greek sculpture
“ruler portrait” genre
bronze “Hellenistic Ruler” (aka The Terme Ruler), ca. 150 BC
LATE CLASSICAL & HELLENISTIC ARCHITECTURE
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, 350 BC, almost 100 ft tall; one of seven ancient
wonders of the world
Mausolus (King of Caria; not a Greek); finished by Artemisia, his sister &
wife
Amazonomachy: each side of continuous frieze done by different sculptors,
including Praxiteles
Epidaurus, Sanctuary of Asclepius (4th-3rd cents. BC)
Asclepius—god of healing
1) Temple of Asclepius
2) tholos (round building)—uses Corinthian order on interior
-Corinthian order based on Ionic order, with capital decorated with
acanthus leaves
3) stadium
4) gymnasium
5) Theater
390 feet in diam., 55 tiers, 14000 people
Theater parts: orchestra, cavea, parodos, skene
Monument of Lysicrates, Athens, 334 BC
-monument to celebrate victory in a theatrical competition
-first use of Corinthian order on exterior of a building
-engaged columns