Greek Art Sculpture and Painting St. Lawrence, 9/9/2016 Friday, September 9, 2016 Course Outline A brief overview of Ancient Greece Minoan art Mycenaean art Greek painting Greek sculpture Sculpture and Painting 1
2000-1400 BCE Minoan Culture 1600-1200 BCE Mycenaean Culture 1100-700 BCE Geometric Period c. 776 BCE List of Olympic winners 700-500 BCE Archaic Period 540-530 BCE Suicide of Ajax 480-338 BCE Classical Period c. 470-399 BCE Socrates 409-406 BCE Nike adjusting sandal 338-31 BCE Hellenistic Period 323 BCE Death of Alexander the Great 130-120 BCE Melos Aphrodite 09/09/2016 Key Notions -Black figure/red figure -Contrapposto -Ex-voto -Foreshortening -Megaron -Tholos Timeline Prehistoric Greek S & Art, P, St. Lawrence, 2016-09-09, Beaudoin Greece and Region 2
Minoan (2000-1400 BCE) Palace Mural paintings Plan of Knossos Source: 6 Minoan Mycenaean Reconstruction of Knossos, and Ruins Source: 8 Minoan Mycenaean 3
Bull Games, Knossos, c. 1500 BCE, Fresco, 81,3 cm high, Archaeological Museum, Herakleion Source: 2 Minoan Mycenaean The Legend of the Minotaur Pasiphae with the Minotaur. Image from a drinking cup, c. 340 320 BCE Michael Ayrton, Minotaur, 1969, Yorkshire Sculpture Park Theseus Killing the Minotaur Athenian, c. 550 BCE Source: 10 Minoan Mycenaean Dolphins, Queen s quarters, Knossus, c. 1450 BCE, Fresco, Ancient Art and Architecture Collection, Middlesex Source: 2 Minoan Mycenaean 4
Hall of the Double Axes Palace of Minos, Knossos, Crete, c. 1500 BCE Source: 2 Minoan Mycenaean Octopus Flask Palaikastro, c. 1500 BCE, 25,4 cm h, Archaeological Museum, Herakleion Source: 3 Minoan Mycenaean Bull s-head Rhyton Knossos, c. 1550-1450 BCE, Shell, rock crystal, and red jasper (gilt-wood horns are restorations), 30.5 cm h, Archaeological Museum, Herakleion Source: 3 Minoan Mycenaean 5
Earth-Goddess with Snakes Knossos, c. 1600 BCE, Faïence (glazed clay), 29,2 cm h, Archaeological Museum, Herakleion See another Minoan (?!) statuette here. Source: 2 Minoan Mycenaean Mycenaean (1600-1200 BCE) Palace and Megaron Cyclopean ramparts Funerary art Plan of Tiryns; Center of Mycenaen Palace, Megaron Source: 6 & 7 Minoan Mycenaean 6
Lion Gate Mycenae, c. 1300 BCE, Limestone, Relief, 289,6 cm high Cyclops from Sinbad movie Source: 11 & 2 Minoan Mycenaean Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae, c. 1300, 14,48 m diameter, 13,26 m high Source: 6 Minoan Mycenaean Funerary Mask of Agamemnon, c. 1500 BCE, Gold, 30 cm high, National Archaeological Museum, Athens Source: 7 Minoan Mycenaean 7
Vaphio Cups, Mycenae, c. 1500 BCE, Gold with repoussé decoration, 8,9 cm high, National Museum, Athens Source: 5 Minoan Mycenaean Dagger blade with decoration of a lion hunt, Mycenae, c 1550 BCE, National Museum, Athens Source: 5 Minoan Mycenaean 8
Greek Painting Or, painting pottery Amphora, Athens, c. 750 BCE, 150 cm high, National Museum, Athens Geometric ceramic -Funerary material (ex-votos) -Imposing forms, better compositions, funerary rituals Kidnapping scene, Geometric Bowl, Athens, c. 730-720 BCE, British Museum, London Geometric ceramic -Funerary material (ex-votos) -Imposing forms, better compositions, funerary rituals -Human form (mythology) 9
Exekias, Suicide of Ajax, Amphore, 54 cm high, c. 540-530 BCE, Musée du château, Boulogne-sur-mer Ceramic Athens -Black figure ceramic Andokides Painter, Farming Scene, Bilingual Amphora, Detail Ceramic Athens -Black figure ceramic -Passage from black to red figure ceramic (bilingual vase) Cyclops Painter, Odysseus and companions, Vase, c. 420-410, 47 cm high, British Museum, London Ceramic -Red figure ceramic -Better use of all available space -More motion -Representation in space 10
Greek Sculpture Or the pursuit of realism Centaur, Lefkandi, c. 900 BCE, 36 cm high, Archaeological Museum, Chalcis Geometric ceramic -Funerary material (ex-votos) -Portable Sculpture In the round Kouros, c. 590-580, 184 cm high, Metropolitain, New York Kouros -Interpretation of male body ; divinity or mortal hero -Canon: man standing, immobile, naked, arms close to the sides, fists against the thighs; frontal; perfect symmetry left/right, except leg that is slightly advanced 11
Kore, Crete, c. 650-625, 75 cm high, Louvre, Paris Sculpture In the round Kore -Young woman -Canon: standing; legs together, dressed, detailed clothing, headdress painted; position of the hands varies (against breast, presenting an offering, holding clothing) Apollo, Temple of Zeus, West Pediment, Olympia, c. 460 BCE, 315 cm, Archaeological Museum, Olympia Architectural sculpture Severe style -Calm expression -Lacking in emotion -Severity in posture (even if there is movement) Nike ajusting sandal, Acropolis, c, 409-406 BCE, 106 cm high, Acropolis Museum, Athens Relief Sculpture Greek classicism -Nudity and drapery, flexible feeling, wet to see the body -Musculature is mastered (and seen) -Less religious (public figures, ordinary life and humanized divinities) -Balanced presentation 12
Warrior, Riace, c. 450 BCE, National Museum, Reggio di Calabria Sculpture in the round Bronze -Movement is mastered (in contrapposto - hips one way, shoulders another) -Mastery of space -Loss of frontal style -Loss of symmetry Melos Aphrodite, c. 130-120, 202 cm high, Louvre, Paris Sculpture Movement in classical style -Sinuosity in movement -Body and drapery are delicately rendered Chrysippus, Old Man, Louvre, Paris Sculpture More mortals -Canon: social realism and naturalism -Children -Genre style -Portraits -Baroque realism -Old age 13
Lysippus (copy), Farnese Hercules, Marble, 317 cm, Rome, National Archaeological Museum, Naples Sculpture More mortals -Canon: social realism and naturalism -Children -Genre style -Portraits -Baroque realism -Old age -Colossal Conclusion -Greek painting evolved from frescoes to ceramic decorations, and then again from black-figures to redfigures; the themes were mainly mythological -Greek sculpture was principally based on the human body, and became more and more realist as artists mastered their trade; once the door was open to the possibility of having non divine subjects, themes became as varied as the inspiration of the artists Suggested readings -Gombrich, The Story of Art, p. 63-91 -Cleaver, Art, an Introduction, p. 84-113 -Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, vol. 1. p. 67-128 -Kleiner, Gardner s Art through the Ages, p. 105-169 14
Bibliography and Sources 1. Brommer, Discovering Art History 2. Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, vol. 1 3. Kleiner, Gardner s Art through the Ages 4. Gombrich, The Story of Art 5. Rogers, Art, a World History 6. Cleaver, Art, an Introduction 7. University Laval Course Notes 8. www.ile-de-crete.com 9. www.youtube.com 10. www.wikipedia.com 11. http://dcairns.wordpress.com 15