Classical Art:

Greece and Rome

Introduction
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“Nothing moves in the world which is not Greek in origin.”
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No other culture has had as far-reaching or lasting an influence on art and
civilization as that of ancient Greece.
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Today, the Greece influence can be found in science, mathematics, law,
politics and art.
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During the fifteenth century, there was revival of Greece art and culture
called Renaissance.
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On the eve of the French Revolution of 1789, artists of the Neoclassical
period again turned to the style and subjects of ancient Greece.
Greece
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Humanity, reason and nature were central preoccupations of the Greek mind,
together formulating their attitude toward life.
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The Greeks considered human beings the center of the universe – humanism.
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In the result, democracy, Greek art and philosophy has been created.
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Perfection for the Greeks was the balance between elements: mind and body –
emotion and intellect.
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The result of their love of reason and intellectual pursuits was the development of
rationalism.
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Rationalism is a philosophy in which knowledge is assumed to come from reason
alone, without involving the senses.
Greece
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The Greeks also had a passion and respect for nature.
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They viewed human beings as a reflection of its perfect order.
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Naturalism based on the deep observation of nature, guided the
representation of human figure.
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When naturalism was about to extinguish, idealism held sway.
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Idealism is the representation of forms according to an accepted standard
of beauty.
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Elements of Greek Art and Architecture are:
Humanism, Rationalism, Naturalism and Idealism.
The Four Periods of Greek Art
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Geometric Period (900-700 BCE)
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Archaic (660-480 BCE)
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Classical
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Hellenistic
Geometric Period (900-700 BCE)
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Continued for two centuries.
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Prior period is called Dark Age of Greece because of virtual collapse
of civilization.
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The geometric period is so called, because the predominance of
geometric shapes and patterns in artworks.
 Dipylon Vase
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Used as grave marker
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Most of it, decorated with geometric designs.
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The two thicker bands.
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Differences are available between males and
females.
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Frontal and wedge-shaped torso, profile legs,
arms and head.
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Frontal eyes
Archaic Period
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Started from 660 to 440 BCE.
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The change from geometric style to archaic style was gradual.
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Flowing forms and fantastic animals inspired by Mesopotamian art,
appeared Greek pottery.
Archaic Period – Vase Painting
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During the Geometric period, the human figure was subordinated to
decorative motifs, but in the Archaic period it became the preferred
subject.
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Figures were more natural with an attempt to show more natural
gestures being made.
Francois Vase
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Six wide bands
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Shows the exploits of Greek heroes,
including Achilles and Theseus.
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We can see animals and people move.
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Black-figure painting
Black-figure painting
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The combination of black figures on the reddish background was achieved
through a three-stage, kiln firing process.
– Oxidizing Phase
– Reducing Phase
– Reoxidizing Phase
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paint figures with brush and slip then introduce to the kiln
– Slip is liquid of sifted clay.
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Firing under these conditions, turned both the pot and the painted slip
decoration red.
Black-figure painting
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In the second phase, we eliminate oxygen from the kiln, thus, both the
pot and slip turned black.
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In the third phase, we allow oxygen again into the kiln.
– The coarser material of the pot turned red, and the fine clay of the slip
remained black.
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The finer details of the figures were incised with sharp implements.
Archaic Period – Architecture
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Some of the greatest accomplishments of the Greeks are witnessed in
their architecture.
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Their personal dwellings were simple.
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The temples were amazing.
– Architectural format developed and provided basis for temples.
– Temples consisted of a central room (cella) for housing statues of gods and
goddess.
– The overall shape was rectangular with pitched roof.
Archaic Period – Architecture
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We have three styles: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
– The Doric style originated on the Greek mainland.
– It was the earliest, simplest and most commonly used.
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The Ornate Ionic:
– Introduced by architects from Asia Minor.
– Reserved for smaller temples.
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The Corinthian:
– Not widely used in Greek but became a favorite design of Roman architects.
– Differentiated from Ionic by its intricate column capital.
Archaic Period – Sculpture
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The sculptures at that time, were freestanding, life-size and larger-than-life-
size.
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The non-structural members of buildings, were often decorated with sculptures.
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Including frieze and pediment.
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Tight space
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Cramped and Cumbersome figures
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Toward the end of the period:
– Architects compensated this irregularity of space by arranging figures in poses such as
Dying Warrior.
Dying Warrior – West Pediment
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Positioned to fit into one of the
angles of its west pediment.
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It is based on the observation of
nature
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Thick lidded eyes
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Stylized hair
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Artificial smile
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Linear patterns of the muscles.
 Fallen Warrior – East Pediment
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Thick-lidded eyes
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Subtle Smile
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Unnaturally pointed beard
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The whole body is not realistic but we can see
its representation in muscles, bones and
tendons.
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The warrior wounded in the battle
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He struggles to lift himself with his right arm
but to no avail.
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The hopelessness can be seen in the
helplessness of the left arm.
A century Earlier - Kouros Figures
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Large and free-standing figures
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Arms lie to the body
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One leg advances slightly
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The stone was carved out from the
figure
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Nude
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Stylized hair
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Thick-lidded eyes
● Grave markers
A century Earlier – Peplos Kore
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Female counterpart to Kouros
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Clothed
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Simplicity
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Long braids
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Right arm is attached to her body
while the left one is outward and
probably held a symbolic offer
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Unknown Purpose
Early Classical
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The change from the Archaic to the classical period coincided with
the Greek victory over the Persian in 480 BCE.
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The style of early classical art is marked by power and austerity.
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The Early Classical sculpture developed beyond Archaic stylizations,
and some of rigidity of the earlier period remains.
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Thus, sometimes, they call it Severe Style.
Early Classical – Sculpture
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The most significant development in Early Classical art was the
introduction of implied movement in figurative sculpture.
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The process was hand in hand with artist’s keener observation for
nature.
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In the most of Greek Classical Art, there is a balance between motion
and stability, between emotion and restraint.
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For e.g. Diskobolos or Discus Thrower by Myron.
 Discus Thrower
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Not the original, copied by Romans.
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Life-sized
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Depicts an event from Olympic Games.
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His muscles are tight and not relaxed.
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His torso is arc of his extended arms.
Classical Art
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Greek sculpture and architecture reached their height of perfection.
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Greek started a peace period and turned its attention to rebuilding its monuments
and advancing art, drama, and music.
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It was led by statesman Pericles.
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His reputation was encountered centuries after his death by the Greek historian
Plutarch.
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On the one hand, Plutarch talked about the anger of Greek at Pericles’ use of
funds set aside for mutual protection to pay for his ambitious Athenian building
program.
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On the other hand, the historian wrote glowingly about post-war Athens.
Classical Art – Architecture
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After Persians destroyed the Acropolis, the Athenians refused to
rebuild their shrines with the fallen stones.
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So, under the direction of Pericles, a massive rebuilding campaign
started.
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First, they started with the temple that was sacred to the goddess of
Athena, protector of Athens.
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This temple became one of the most influential buildings in the
history of architecture.
Classical Art – Architecture
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The Parthenon:
– Constructed by: Ictinos and
Callicrates.
– Doric Style/order
– Some Ionic elements
– Center of religious life
– It was a symbol of the power, wealth
and elevated culture of Athens.
– The structure has a rectangular floor
plan.
More...
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The Parthenon:
– Low steps surrounded each side of the
building.
– A portico of Doric columns standing on
a platform create a border around it.
– There are 46 outer columns and 19 inner
columns.
– The corner columns are larger in
diameter than the other columns.
– Incredibly, the Parthenon contains no
straight lines and no right angles, a true
feat of Greek architecture.
More...
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The Parthenon:
– We can fine a lot of variations
and we don’t why exactly.
– The Christian Byzantines
conquered Greece and converted
it to a church.
– The Ottoman Turks converted
the Parthenon into a mosque.
Classical Art – Sculpture
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The Pericles commanded sculptor Phidias to supervise the entire sculptural
program of the Parthenon.
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He concentrated his own efforts on creating ivory and gold statue of Athena.
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The artistic subjects were battles and gods.
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The Phidian Style Specs:
– Lightness of touch
– Attention to realistic details
– Contrasts of texture
– Smooth and graceful lines and designs
The Three Goddess
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They are remarkable for their
naturalistic.
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a harmonious representation of
complex draperies.
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The drapery falls over the
bodies in realistic fold.
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The thinner drapery clings to
the body as if wet, following the
contours of the flesh.
Rival of Phidias
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Some of the greatest freestanding sculptures of the Classical period
was created by the rival of Phidias names Polykleitos.
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His favorite medium was bronze
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His preferred subject was athletes.
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Developed the weight-shift principle – contrapposto -
weight-shift principle
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In the visual arts, a sculptural scheme, originated by the ancient
Greeks, in which the standing human figure is poised such that the
weight rests on one leg (called the engaged leg), freeing the other leg,
which is bent at the knee.
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With the weight shift, the hips, shoulders, and head tilt, suggesting
relaxation with the subtle internal organic movement that denotes life.
Doryphoros by Polykleitos
Classical Art – Vase Painting
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The weight-shift principle and naturalistic use of implied movement
can also be seen in Classical vase painting such as Argonaut Krater.
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In Dipylon krater and the Francois Vase, the human figures were
confined to registers.
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Later, human figure in a variety positions.
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In the Classical period, the figures were placed in a frieze-like
arrangement.
Argonaut Krater
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The Niobid Painter attempted to create
a three-dimensional space by outlining
a foreground, middle ground and
background.
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This was a noble attempt at naturalism.
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It failed, because the artist did not
shrink the sizes of background figures
to suggest distance.
Late Classical Art – Sculpture
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More humanistic and naturalistic
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They focused on emotions
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Bodies became more sensual and graceful with a pronounced shift in
weight.
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Praxiteles was a major proponent.
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His works were more lively and fluid than in previous periods with
variations in texture.
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S Curve: a posing of figurative sculpture that creates a sway similar to the
letter ‘S’.
Hellenistic Art
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Greece entered Hellenistic period under the reign of Alexander the
Great.
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Alexander had been raised amid the art and culture of Greece.
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Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt and entire Near East, bringing
with him his beloved Greek culture.
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Hellenistic art is characterized by:
– excessive, almost theatrical emotion
– and the use of illusionistic effects to heighten realism.
Hellenistic – Sculpture
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Hellenistic artists focused on high drama and unleashed passion.
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During this period, sculptors pursued and perfected naturalism—an
artistic interest that Greek artists had been developing over hundreds
of years.
The Dying Gaul
The Etruscans
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The Etruscan civilization on the Italian peninsula was the most
significant before that of ancient Rome.
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Their history dates from around 700 BCE to the 4th century BCE.
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They are believed to have come from Asia Minor.
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This link may explain some of the similarities between Etruscan art
and culture, and that of Eastern countries.
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Etruscan and Greek had somethings in common.
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By 88 BCE, the Romans had vanquished the the last of the Etruscans.
Etruscan Architecture
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The only architecture that survives from the Etruscans are its tombs.
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Tomb construction was similar to that of a domestic dwelling.
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Walled were covered with hundreds of everyday items carved in low
relief.
Etruscan Sculpture
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Bronze and clay (terra-cotta) sculptures have survived from the
Etruscan tombs.
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Cinerary urns often portrayed Etruscan dwellings.
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Figural sculpture often topped the sarcophagi in the tombs.
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The figures are highly stylized.
Sarcophagus from Cerveteri
Classical Art:
Rome
Roman Art
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Artistic Periods:
– Republican
– Early Empire
– Late Empire
Rome
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Established in 500 BCE.
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Eventually Rome would control Greece, Western Europe, northern
Africa, and part of the Near East.
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Roman art combined native talents, needs and styles with other
sources, especially Greek.
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It was fashionable to own copies of Greek art.
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Roman’s invented concrete.
The Republican Period
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The Republican Period: 500 BCE – 44 BCE.
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The ancient city of Rome was built on seven hills to the east of Tiber
River.
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Served as the central Italian base from which Romans would come to
control most of known world in the west.
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The government system of Rome was based on two different parties.
– The distribution of power was not equitable.
Two Classes
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They had two classes
– The Patricians: ruled the country and were like an aristocratic class
– The plebeian class: common folk with little say in running the government.
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The patricians became richer and more powerful as a result of
plundering of vanquished nations.
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On March 15th (the Ides of March) in 44 BCE Julius Caesar was
assassinated by members of the senate.
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With his death came the absolute end of Roman republic and the
beginnings of the Roman Empire under Augustus.
Roman Sculpture
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Much of Roman art is derived from that of Greece.
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However, their realistic portrait sculpture were wholly Roman.
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Wax death masks were made and often converted to bronze and terra-
cotta sculptures.
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This led Roman sculpture to become more realistic and detailed.
Head of Roman
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Records a facial features of an old
man.
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Bold head
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Protruding ears
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Furrowed brow
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Cavernous cheeks
Roman Architecture
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Rome’s greatest contributions were in architecture and engineering
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Architecture in the Republican period is linked to that of Greece and
Etruscans.
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Romans adopted the Ionic style/order and post-and-lintel
construction.
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From Etruscans, they adopted the temple podium, the wide cella plan
with columns and a portico.
Roman Architecture
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Roman Innovations:
– Column shafts are one piece.
– Not freestanding columns but are engaged or attached.
– No relief sculpture on the friezes.
– Architecture not sculpture. Instead, emphasized the relationship between
form and function.
Temple of Fortuna Virilis
Roman Painting
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The walls of Roman domestic dwellings were decorated with frescoes
and mosaic.
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They had link to the Greece art.
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Roman wall painting went passed through four overlapping styles.
– Architectural Style – the illusion of space created through herringbone
perspective, a system where orthogonals vanish to a specific point along a
vertical line that divides that canvas.
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Ulysses in the Land of the Lestrygonians
The Early Empire
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Believed that art should be created in the service of the state.
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They desired to glorify Rome’s power through magnificent buildings
and civic monuments.
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In the areas they invaded, Rome built apartment buildings, roads,
bridges, water systems, sanitation, recreation facilities, gymnasiums,
public baths and theaters.
Architecture
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From Greece, they adopted structural systems and certain motifs.
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Roman’s Innovations:
– The Roman Arch
– Dome
– Reinforced Concrete, which allowed for domed and vaulted structures
 Architecture
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Three of the most famous structures:
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The Aqueducts: Pont du Gard
– Series of arches for irrigation and water.
Architecture
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The Coliseum: Famous monument
– Made of 2 back-to-back
amphitheaters.
– Contained columns of all 3 styles:
Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
 Architecture
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The Pantheon
– Temple to all the gods
– So the function was religious.
– Inside of the dome is coffered for storing
valuable objects.
– Oculus – a large 30 ft hole in the center
of the dome that let the light in.
Early Empire – Sculpture
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Augustus was determined to create a monuments that reflected
Rome’s power, glory, and influence on the Western World.
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During the Empire period, the pure realism of the Republican period
portrait busts joined with Greek idealism.
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The result was classical idealized bodies and poses with
individualized heads.
 Early Empire – Sculpture
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One of the most famous monuments is The
Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace.
– Created to celebrate the
empire-wide peace.
– Composed of four walls surrounding a sacrificial
altar.
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Panels such as Imperial Procession show the
blend of Greek and Roman devices.
– Despite the noble grandness that gives the panel
an idealistic cast, the participants in the
procession look and act like real people.
Early Empire – Sculpture
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They also invented the equestrian
portraits.
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Marcus Aurelius on a sprightly horse.
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Love of realism and later concern for
psychology penetrating portraits.
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Stoicism: said it was best to be indifferent
to emotion and the things of this world,
maintaining that virtue was the most
important goal in life.
The Late Empire
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The declining years of the Empire.
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The Empire was ultimately divided into two sections, with separate
rulers.
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Constantine moves the capital to Constantinople (Istanbul).
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Eastern empire left Rome and western empire vulnerable.
The Late Empire – Architecture
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Constantine continued to erect monuments to glorify it.
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Before moving to east, he completed a basilica begun by his
predecessor Maxentius.
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Basilicas were large meeting halls that were constructed in or near the
public forums.
The Late Empire – Sculpture
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Christianity, a new force, began to gnaw at the frayed edges of the Roman
Empire.
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The christian people suffered a lot under the reign of Roman Empire.
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Constantine proclaimed tolerance for the faith and accepted the mantle of
Christianity himself.
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These events influenced the artistic styles.
– As can be seen in the Head of Constantine the Great.
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AS a result of growing religious beliefs, sculpture began to reflect the new
spiritualism.
Thank You!