Download Classical Greek Figures

The end of Archaic Greece: Classicism Beginse
The Greco-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between
several Greek city-states and the Persian Empire that started in
499 BC and lasted until 448 BC. At this time Persia controlled a
great empire, and wanted Greece to be a part of it. After years of
difficult fighting, the Greeks united to defeat the Persians in the
battle of Salamis. This victory forever separated the western
civilizations of Europe and eastern civilizations of Asia. This
victory for Greece marks the beginning of the Classical period.
Early Classical/Transitional Period:
-Greek city-states
defeated Persians in
479 BCE
-Victory gave Greeks
confidence- helped
advance their art/
culture
Kritios Boy, ca. 480 BCE
Compare and contrast the Classical
Kritios Boy with the late Archaic statue of
the warrior Kroisos
Kritios Boy, ca. 480 BCE
!"#$%#%!"#$%&'(')!*+,,-,!-$.!/01!23!
Diffs btwn Kritios Boy
and Archaic sculpture:
-No more rigid,
Egyptian-inspired stance
-Right hip slightly down
to show shift of weight
(contrapposto)
-head slightly turned
and tilted
-no archaic smile
Kritios Boy, ca. 480 BCE
Contrapposto is when
a figure stands with
one leg holding its full
weight and the other
leg relaxed. This
classic pose causes
the figure’s hips and
shoulders to rest at
opposite angles, giving
a slight s-curve to the
entire torso.
In this example the red
lines show where his
muscles are tensed
and the blue ones
where his muscles are
relaxed.
Early Classical or Transitional Period
Riace Warrior:
-Bronze allowed
more details of
anatomy
- Inlaid eyes, silver
teeth/eyelashes,
copper lips/nipples
Riace Warrior, ca. 470-460 BCE, Bronze
Polykleitos
-Wrote “Canon of Polykleitos,” set
of mathematical rules for human
sculpture
Doryphoros – The ‘Spear-Bearer’
Myron:
-First example of showing
vigorous motion in a Greek
statue
-This is Roman copy in
marble (original was
bronze)
-Most knowledge of Greek
sculpture comes from
Roman copies
Myron, Diskobolos (Discus Thrower),
Roman copy after a bronze original of ca.
450 BCE
Classical Greek Art: Video Questions:
1) What discovery was made off the coast of Italy
by an Italian fisherman?
2) How was the Krition/Kritios boy different from
Archaic Greek sculptures? What made it look
so naturalistic?
3) What did Greek artist Polykleitos do to make
his sculptures look so balanced?
4) Why are the Riace Warrior statues considered
“unrealistic”?
Classical Greek Art: Video Questions:
Please Note- for your flashcards this week, you
MUST include the period of Greek art each
piece was made (Early/High Classical, Late
Classical, Hellenistic, etc.) Next, list the artist,
then title, tehn date.
Early/High Classical Greek
Myron
Diskobolos
450 BCE
Exit Slip:
Write ONE sentence
explaining what you think
Greek figurative sculpture
reveals about Ancient
Greek culture.
In other words, based on
the art the Ancient Greeks
created, what can we learn
about them as people?
What was important to
them?
The
ACROPOLIS
-Acropolis means “City on
the Edge”
-The Acropolis refers to
the one in Athens
-Rebuilt under leadership
of Pericles after Persian
attacks in 478 BCE
-A holy center with many
temples to Greek gods
3 main structures on Acropolis: The Parthenon, The
Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion
An image of the Acropolis today: notice how it
is strategically built on a hill for safety
The PROPYLAIA
The Propylaia is the entranceway into the Acropolis
PARTHENON
TEMPLE of ATHENA NIKE
PROPYLAIA
The PROPYLAIA
The Propylaia is the entranceway into the Acropolis
Designed by Mnesikles and began construction in 437 BCE
Parthenon, Temple of
Athena Parthenos,
Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 447-438
BCE
The PARTHENON
-Constructed by the order of Pericles to honor Athena
-Architects: Iktinos and Kallikrates
-Considered ideal/perfect Doric Temple
-Followed strict mathematical proportions
The PARTHENON
-centerpiece of Parthenon
was statue of Athena in the
main cella
-Designed by Phidias
-Made of gold and ivory
-approximately 38 feet tall.
Although no longer around,
Ancient copies and literary
descriptions have allowed scholars
to produce fairly accurate
reconstructions.
Here’s a model of what the ACROPOLIS looked like in it’s heydey.
The TEMPLE of
ATHENA NIKE
-Nike means "Victory"
in Greek
-Earliest Ionic temple
on the Acropolis
Temple of Athena Nike,
Acropolis, Athens,
Greece, ca. 427-424
-citizens worshipped
the goddess in hope of
victory in the long war
against the Spartans
Artist’s
Rendering of
what the
Temple of
Athena Nike
probably
looked like in
it’s prime.
Classical or “Golden Age” Period
- Built on ruins of
an archaic temple
to Athena
-Dedicated to
Athena and
legendary Athenian
citizens
The Erechtheion, Acropolis,
Athens, Greece, ca. 421-405 BCE
-Ionic style
CARYATIDS:
Greek columns shaped like women (In Egypt, they had
similar columns of MEN called ATLANTIDS.)
Early Classical/ Classical Greek Review:
1) What major event marked the end of the Archaic
period?
2) Who was Pericles?
4) Which goddess was the Parthenon dedicated to?
5) What is the Acropolis?
6) Who is Polykleitos? What famous statue was he
known for creating?
7) Describe hallow bronze casting.
8) What is significant about the “Diskobolos” sculpture?
9) What is contrapposto?
10) How do we know so much about Classical Greek
sculptures if many of the originals did not survive?
The marble decoration of the Parthenon is now in the British Museum in
London ("Elgin Marbles"). This is a fragment, showing reclining gods
who are waiting for the beginning of a great procession.
The
ERECHTHEION
Built between 421-406 BC,
the Erechtheion is situated on
the most sacred site of the
Acropolis. It is said to be
where Poseidon left his
trident marks in a rock, and
Athena's olive tree sprouted,
in their battle for possession
of the city. Named after
Erechtheus, one of the
mythical kings of Athens, the
temple was a sanctuary to
both Athena and Poseidon.
The south is the Porch of the
Caryatids, the maiden statues
which the originals are now in
the Acropolis Museum. (One
of the 6 is still part of the
Lord Elgin marbles collection
in the British Museum.)
PARTHENON
Doric Order
ERECHTHION
Ionic Order
Classical or “Golden Age” Period
Lasted from about
450-400 BCE
Sparta and Athens
became enemies
ELGIN MARBLES –
Statue Pieces from the
Parthenon that Lord
Elgin (Thomas Bruce)
recovered from ruins
and sold to British
Government
The Parthenon, completed in 438 BCE.
Sculptural designs by PHIDIAS