THE ARTS OF THE GOLDEN AGE
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In 400BC Greece
entered a new era
of cultural progress
We call this the golden
age of Greek culture
Athens stood as the
symbol of Greece’s
golden age
Athens became a center
of learning and artistic
achievement
ATHENIAN ARCHITECTURE
Athens showcased their
pride by building temples,
gymnasiums, and theatres
 A high hill called the
Acropolis was the center
of the original city-state
 At the top of the Acropolis
stood the Parthenon,
a white marble temple
built in honor of Athena
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PARTHENON
The Parthenon is considered
the finest example of Greek
architecture
 It has perfectly balanced
proportions
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The relation of length to width,
and of length and width to height
Temples were built as
shrines to honor Greek gods,
NOT as meeting places for
worshippers
PARTHENON
Parthenon is surrounded
by columns, called
colonnades
 Use to be a large statue
of Athena inside made
of ivory and gold
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 Stood
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about (38 feet high)
Many people consider
the Parthenon and its
sculptures to be among
the Greek’s greatest
achievements
GREEK VASES
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Painting was an important
form of art in ancient Greece
Most original artwork has
been lost or damaged
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Best preserved Greek
painting are found on vases
Painters illustrated scenes
from everyday life as well
as mythological events
Greeks initially adopted styles
of painting from other cultures,
then transformed them into
their own
GREEK SCULPTURES
Original works are rare today
 We know about Greek
sculptures because like
Greek paintings the Romans
copied these works of art
 Early Greek sculptures people
were sculpted with hands at
the sides, later this changed
when Greeks artists made
them more lifelike
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Used mathematical proportions
to make their works look realistic
GREEK SCULPTORS
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Myron and Phidias were TWO
of history’s greatest sculptors
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Lived during the golden age
Myron sculpted the famous
figure The Discus Thrower
 Phidias created the statues
of Athena that decorated the
Acropolis and the Parthenon
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Phidias’s greatest work was the
statue of Zeus at the Temple of Olympia
Considered this statue as one of the
seven wonders of the world
PRAXITELES
 Praxiteles
lived 100
years after Phidias
 Sculpted figures that
were more life-like and
natural in form and size
 He expressed the Greek
admiration for the
beauty of the human
body
THE NATURE OF GREEK ART
 Greek
architecture, painting,
and sculpture reflected the
Greek’s view of themselves
and the world
 Artistic styles of the golden
age expressed Greeks ideals
in FOUR main ways
GREEK IDEALS
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(1) Greek art glorified human beings
 Placed
value on human qualities
and actions
 Created detailed statues of athletes,
warriors, and even ordinary citizens
 Painters focused on expressions of
the faces of men and women to show
what Greeks thought beauty was
 Statues also suggested important
traits admired by Greeks
 Strength,
intelligence, pride,
grace, and courage
GREEK IDEALS
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(2) Greek art symbolized
Greeks’ pride in their
city-states
 Art was meant
for public enjoyment
 Public buildings were
meant to be a monument
to the POWER and GLORY
of the polis
 Through art Greeks
honored and thanked
Gods and tried to win favor
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Example: The Parthenon
was built to honor Athena
GREEK IDEALS
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(3) Greek art expressed Greek
beliefs in harmony, balance,
order and moderation
 Emphasized
these
characteristics in day-to-day lives
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(4) Greek art expressed the
Greek belief in combining
beauty and usefulness
 Designed
vases with different
shapes intended for different
functions