Classical Greece
Classical Greece
 500 – 404 BCE Athens Golden Age
 490 BCE – Athens defeats the Persians at Battle of
Marathon
 480 BCE – Athens and the acropolis are destroyed by
Persian invasion force
 480 BCE – Athenian navy defeats Persian navy at
Battle of Salamis
 479 BCE – Athens and Sparta defeat Persian army at
Battle of Plataea
 461 – 429 BCE Pericles rules Athens as strategos
 431 – 404 BCE Peloponnesian War between Athens &
Sparta – Sparta wins
Classical Greece
 Greeks were polytheistic – had many
gods – the 12 leading gods were known
as The Olympians
 The Greek gods lived upon Mt Olympus
 There were also demi-gods – half god
half human (Herakles) and heroes
(Achilles, Perseus, Theseus, etc).
Classical Greece














The 12 Olympians were:
Zeus – king of gods, god of lightning, the skies
Poseidon – god of the sea, water
Hades – god of the underworld
Hera – queen of the gods, goddess of marriage
Aphrodite – goddess of love, beauty
Apollo – god of sun, music, archery
Athena – goddess of wisdom, war
Ares – god of war
Artemis – goddess of moon, the hunt
Hestia – goddess of the home, the hearth
Hermes – messenger of the gods, medicine
Haphaestus – god of metalwork, the forge
** Dionysius – god of wine, the theater, altered states
(added to 12 later)
Classical Greece





 Key terms
Agora – public square
Acropolis – citadel on a hill
Stoa – roofed colonnade
Cella – center of the temple where statue of
the god stood
Strategos – literally ‘general’ but an elected
position of power in the Athenian government
Characteristics of
Classical Greek Art




Emotionless, expressionless faces
Perfection is sought in human form
Man is the measure of all things
Golden ratio used in buildings – exact
ratios
 Attempt at the ideal
 Man has control over nature is a theme
Classical Greece - Art





Acropolis
c. 470-420 BCE
Athens, Greece
Architecture
Artists: Iktinos,
Kallikrates, Phidias,
Mneskiles
 Rebuilt by Pericles after
it was destroyed by
Persians
 Citadel on a hill
Acropolis
Athens, Greece
Classical Greece - Art
Classical Greece - Art





Parthenon
448-432 BCE
Athens, Greece
Architecture
Iktinos, Kallikrates and
Phidias
 Considered most perfect
building by architects
 Uses the Golden Ratio
 Roof was blown off by
Venetians during war
with Turks
Classical Greece - Art
Classical Greece - Art
 Lapith and Centaur
Metope
 440 BCE
 Athens, Greece
 Relief Sculpture
 Artist: Phidias
 Symbolizing the
conflict between
civilization and
barbarianism
Classical Greece - Art






Three Goddesses
438-432 BCE
Athens, Greece
Relief Sculpture
Artist: Phidias
Usually identified as
Hestia, Dione, Aphrodite
 The drapery appears wet
and hence is called –
wet drapery
Classical Greece - Art







Procession of Women
440 BCE
Athens, Greece
Relief Sculpture
Artist: Phidias
Physical types idealized
Concept of unity and
variety – similar enough
to unify the whole yet
different to capture the
eye
Classical Greece - Art







Erechtheus, Praxithea and Their Daughters
440 BCE
Athens, Greece
Relief Sculpture
Artist: Phidias
This stood above the entrance to the Parthenon
Shows King Erechtheus preparing his daughters for sacrifice
Classical Greece - Art






The Propylaia
437-432 BCE
Athens, Greece
Architecture
Artist: Mnesikles
This was the
monumental entrance
way into the acropolis
 Similar to Doric temple
Classical Greek Art – The
Propylaia Stairwell
Classical Greek Art






Erechtheion
421-405 BCE
Athens, Greece
Architecture
Artist: Mnesikles
Served as temple
that held sacred olive
tree and sacred salt
water pool
Erechtheion
Acropolis, Athens, Greece
Classical Greek Art
 Porch of the Caryatids
(from the Erechtheion)
 421 – 405 BCE
 Athens, Greece
 Architecture
 Artist: Mneskiles
 Temple was dedicated to
legendary king of Athens
Erechtheus
 Porch was used for
public speeches
 Use of female figures as
columns
Classical Greek Art







Temple of Athena Nike
427 – 424 BCE
Athens, Greece
Architecture
Artist: Kallikrates
Use of Ionic columns
Temple dedicated to
Athena Victorious as
protector of city of
Athens
Classical Greek Art






Kritios Boy
480 BCE
Athens, Greece
Sculpture
Artist: Kritios
First statue to use
contrapposto and
stand in true sense
with weight shifted
Warrior A
ca. 460-450 B.C.E.
from the sea off Riace, Italy
Sculpture
bronze
78 in. high
Found complete because it is from an
ancient shipwreck
Zeus (or Poseidon?)
ca. 460-450 B.C.E.
from the sea off Cape
Artemision, Greece
Sculpture
82 in. high
Not sure which god because item is missing
from his hands to identify him
Classical Greek Art






Doryphoros (Spear Bearer)
450 – 440 BCE
Athens, Greece
Sculpture
Artist: Polykleitos
Only exists in Roman
copies
 Greeks called in the canon
(meaning rule or measure)
 This was considered the
best example of
contrapposto.
Late Classical Greek Art
 Aphrodite of Knidos or
Knidian Aphrodite
 350-300 BCE
 Knidos, Greece
 Sculpture
 Artist: Praxiteles
 This is a Roman copy, there
are many versions of this.
 Praxiteles chose marble
rather than bronze to work in
 First nude monumental statue
 Blatant use of eroticism
 Early example of change from
Classical to Hellenistic
Late Classical Greek Art
Classical Greek Art
 Discobolus (Discus
Thrower)
 450 BCE
 Olympia, Greece
 Sculpture
 Artist: Myron
 Roman copy of Greek
bronze
 Tribute to athlete
 Perfection of frozen
movement
Late Classical Greek Art
 Apoxymenos (The
Scraper)
 330 BCE
 Athens, Greece
 Sculpture
 Artist: Lysippos
 Arm extending out into
space for first time in
sculpture
 Roman copies only exist
 Shows an athlete
scraping oil from his skin
with a strigil
Classical Greek Art






Muse and Maiden
440-430 BCE
Attic, Greece
Pottery
By the Achilles Painter
In classical era the use
of white backgrounds is
exclusively for funerary
vases
Classical Greek Art





Theater of Epidauros
350 BCE
Epidauros, Greece
Architecture
Artist: Polykleitos the
Younger
 Best natural acoustics in
the world; Greek
theaters were all built
into the sides of hills,
never freestanding like
Roman theaters
Late Classical Greek Art







Socrates
350 BCE
Athens, Greece
Sculpture
Artist: Lysippos
Copy of Greek bronze
Socrates is considered
the first great
philosopher of the West
Late Classical Greek Art






Plato
350 – 340 BCE
Athens, Greece
Sculpture
Artist: Silanion
Plato is considered
western history’s
greatest philosopher
 Plato was his nickname
meaning “broad one”
Classical Greek Art
Hellenistic Greece
 388 – 322 BCE Aristotle’s life
 360 – 336 BCE – Philip II King of Macedon begins conquest of
Greece
 343 – 340 BCE – Aristotle is assigned as tutor for Alexander III
 338 BCE – Greece united under Philip II of Macedon
 336 BCE – Assassination of Philip II ; Alexander III becomes king
 334 – 330 BCE – Alexander conquers Persian Empire
 327 BCE – Alexander reaches India but is forced to return by
troops
 June 10, 323 BCE – Alexander dies of fever in Babylon
 323 – 30 BCE Alexander’s Empire is split by his generals and
ruled over as Hellenism spreads throughout Mediterranean World
 Hellenistic World includes Persia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Greece,
parts of India, Italy, southern France and southern Spain.
Hellenistic Greek Art





 Hellenistic Art Aspired to:
Show that idealism was not important
Show that maybe humans could NOT impose
order on nature and the universe
Believe that perfection was NOT attainable
Show more truth and reality in art
Make art more human and emotional
Hellenistic Art
Characteristics






Dramatic
Violent
Erotic
Spontaneous
Passionate
Emotional
Alexander’s Hellenistic
Empire
Battle of Issus
ca. 310 B.C.E.
Pompei, Italy
Mosaic/Painting (original)
Artist: Philoxenes of Eretria
tessera Mosaic
8 ft. 10 in. x 16 ft. 9 in.
Shows Alexander battling the Persian Emperor
Battle of Issus
Darius III
Philoxenes of Eretria
Battle of Issus (detail)
Detail of Alexander.
Hellenistic Art






Alexander the Great
330 BCE
Pella, Macedonia
Sculpture
Roman copy of bronze
Alexander was perhaps
the greatest military
general the world has
seen
 His empire spread
Hellenism to the east
Hellenistic Art
 Temple of Olympian
Zeus
 2nd century BCE
 Athens, Greece
 Architecture
 Use of Corinthian order
for a major temple is
first employed here
 Romans would prefer
this order to all others
Choragic Monument of Lysikrates
334 B.C.E.
Athens, Greece
Architecture
Marble
Was originally open in middle and trophy was
displayed with statue
Hellenistic Greek Art






Altar of Zeus
180 – 160 BCE
Pergamon, Turkey
Architecture
Finest example of existing Hellenistic architecture
Sculpture on the friezes is full of movement, violence
and emotion
Hellenistic Greek Art





Athena and Alkyoneus
166-156 BCE
Pergamon, Turkey
Relief Sculpture
High relief shows play of
shadows to create depth
 Emotion and movement
portrayed effectively
 From Altar of Zeus
Hellenistic Greek Art





Trojan Horse Frieze
2nd – 3rd century CE
Gandhara, India
Relief Sculpture
Greek art and themes spread all the way to India
because of Alexander’s triumphs
Hellenistic Greek Art
 Nike of Samothrace (Winged
Victory)
 200 - 190 BCE
 Samothrace, Greece
 Sculpture
 Artist: Pythokritos of Rhodes
 One of the 3 Masterpieces of
Hellenistic art
 Part of a monument to a naval
victory by Eudamos of
Rhodes
 Rare instance of a monument
and statue being found in its
original location – found in
1863
 Captures movement of wind
Hellenistic Greek Art





Laocoon
1st century BCE
Rhodes, Greece
Sculpture
Artists: Hagesandros,
Athanodoros &
Polydoros
 One of the 3 great
masterpieces of
Hellenistic Art
 Extreme show of
emotion, violence and
passion
Hellenistic Greek Art
 Aphrodite of Melos
(Venus di Milo)
 190 – 130 BCE
 Sculpture
 Melos, Greece
 Artist: Alexandros of
Antioch
 One of the 3
masterpieces of
Hellenistic art
 Erotic pose and drapery
 Return to classical smile
Aphrodite, Eros and Pan
ca. 100 B.C.E.
Delos, Greece
Sculpture
marble
52 in. high
Dramatic movement is typical of Hellenistic Art
Sleeping Satyr (Barberini Faun)
ca. 230-200 B.C.E.
Pergamon, Turkey
Sculpture
marble
85 in. high
Captures a more intimate moment as he melds
back into the tree
Old Market Woman
ca. 150-100 B.C.E.
Rome, Italy
Sculpture
marble
54 in. high
Dramatic realism and even slight eroticism
Some Roman artists continued in the
Hellenistic style./tradition
Hellenistic Greek Art
Hellenistic Greek Art
Hellenistic Greek Art
Hellenistic Greek Art
Hellenistic Art
Hellenistic Art
Greek Art
 The end . . .
 Next Lecture . . .
 The Etruscans
 Zeitgeist
 www.zeitgeist.com