Greek Classicalism and Hellenism
Historical Context
Greek Historians • History: inquiry • Thucydides: wrote history of Peloponnesian Wars – Unbiased? – Showed human motives to show “big picture” of history
•Herodotus: father of history –History of the Persian Wars: described in detail –Questioned validity of sources –Wanted readers to draw own conclusion
• 490-479 BCE • Persians began advancing west (from modern day Iran) under leadership of Darius – Begin to take over Greek city states
Persian Wars
Major Battles • Marathon: Persians defeated, boosts Greek government and culture • Thermopylae: Leonidas, Athens destroyed • Salamis: Greeks defeat Persians using platform boats • Plataea and Mycale: defeat of Persians • Fighting continued for 30 years
Importance • Rise of Greek power – Growth of Sparta and Athens
• Formation of the Delian League – Dominated by Athens – Liberated remaining Greek city states
The Golden Age of Athens • Money from Delian league used to rebuild Athens – Growth of commerce – Development of religion – New philosophies – Artistic achievement
Growth of Democracy • Free men allowed to vote (majority) – Women – Slaves
• Power from ownership of lands, popularity • Solon reformed laws – democracy
Pericles • Came to power in 461 BC • Democratic, very popular • Wealthy
Peloponnesian Wars • Duel of the Titans • Conflict between Sparta and Athens • Polis: Greek community – Developed independently, including forms of politics, linguistics, and religion
Sparta • Simple, agricultural – Helots: state owned serf, labor force
• Army: Boys sent to military camps at age 7 – Trained, worked until age 30
• Arranged marriages to produce strong, warrior boys • Ekklesia (assembly) passes laws, elects leaders
Athens • Ecclesia: not as powerful as Sparta’s • Strong navy • Financially stronger • Tyrant leaders – Draco (621 BC): harsh, strict – Solon: government should extend itself to the people, wanted to improve economy
The War • Pericles advises Athens to not back down from Sparta, takes offensive • 6 year peace • Athens defeated, fall of democracy, rise of oligarchy
Philosophy and Religion • • • • • • •
Sophistry Stoicism Epicureanism Cynicism Skepticism Mystery cults S.P.A.A.
Sophistry • Led by Protagoras • Main ideas: – Wisdom is subjective, partial – Humans are the measure of all things
Stoics • Led by Zeno • Main ideas: – Apathy: don’t really care
Epicureanism • Led b Epicurus • Main ideas: – Humans were arrangements of atoms – Avoid problems, have good health – Pleasure was the avoidance of pain
Cynicism • Led by Diogenes • Main ideas: – Humans are animals who must satisfy their desires
Skepticism • Led by Pyrrho • Main idea: – Senses are unreliable – Truth is unachievable – Questioned everything
S.P.A.A. • Ethics: general nature of morals, moral choices – Socrates – Plato – Aristotle – Alexander the Great
Socrates • Father of ethics, Socratic method • The unexamined life is not worth living • Sat in agora and questioned people – Defended right to speak freely
• Soul was immortal, must be filled with knowledge, which created virtue • 399 BC arrested, tried, sentenced to death by hemlock
Plato • Wrote The Republic – Describes an ideal political state ruled by philosopher kinds
• Invented aesthetics – Metaphysical (abstract) approach to art
Plato’s artist • Had to have 3 abilities – Technical – Know and imitate ideas – Artistic impression
Aristotle • Tutor to Alexander the Great • Studied almost every subject • Art – Imitates nature, influence of human psyche – Asses form and method to determine if the work as a whole is good
Plato vs. Aristotle • Artistic imitation fuels the passions and misleads the seeker of truth • The search for beauty constitutes the proper end of art
• Arts repair deficiencies in nature; tragic drama influences morals • Arts are valuable and justifiable • Beauty is a property of artwork rather than its purpose • Emphasis on high (good) art and higher (great) art
What is the purpose of art? • Provide entertainment for lower (educated?) classes • Give pleasure – The amount of pleasure given determines how good the art is • good art makes us think • Great art produces catharsis (releasing strong, oppressed emotions)
Greek Art • Classicism – Harmony, order, reason, intellect, objectivity – Idealized perfection, beauty rather than real life – Wanted to influence other civilizations
• Hellenism – Shows more emotion – Naturalistic depiction
Art of the Classical and Hellenistic Ages
Painting • Murals (no surviving examples) • Vases • Some geometrics used from Ancient Greek styles
4 Characteristics • Figures portrayed in line drawings – New emphasis on depth – Not all in foreground
• Monochromatic – Use of shading to create highlights/shadows
• Use of earth tones • Depiction of heroes, ideals
Sculpture • Continually changed • Emphasis on physical body – Youth – Perfection
The Charioteer • Bronze • Symmetry isn’t absolute – Weight on feet – Position of head
• Facial expression – Rational, self control
Polyclitus • Cast metal • The male athlete – Focus on proportions – Importance of distribution of weight: conveys relaxation, control – Change from archaic rigid style
The Canon • Set of sculpture rules by Polyclitus • Based on ratios
Myron’s Discus Thrower • Cast metal
Myron’s Discus Thrower • Originally cast in bronze • How does a sculpture condense a series of movements into one ?frozen? pose? – Balance of restraint and movement • Arc from downward motion of arm/shoulder • Thrust of hips
– Dynamism (energy) – Viewing point impacts sense of motion
Discus Thrower • Severe style: observance, respect, and honor of the male nude – Morally ideal, dignified, sense of self control – Compare with static kouros and Kristos Boy
A thought to ponder… • Bruno Snell writes “if we want to describe the statues of the 5th century in the words of their age, we should say that they represent beautiful or perfect men, or, to use a phrase employed in the early lyrics for purposes of eulogy” ‘god-like’ men. Even for Plato the norm of judgment still rests with the gods, and not with men”
Three Goddesses or Fates • Originally at the Parthenon – Removed by British lord in early 1800s
• Originally located in pediment: curves of body vs. harsh angles of architectural structure – Drape of clothing – “perfect” bodies beneath
• Humans vs. symbols of humanity
The Riace Warriors • Glass eyes, silver teeth, copper lips & nipples • Contrapposto: meaning "counterpoise;" a human standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs
Cnidian Aphrodite • Page 90 • By Praxiteles • S-curve of body
Hermes and the Infant • Detailed individuality • Beauty • Non-heroic, femine?
Scraper • By Lysippus • Naturalness • Defines space by depicting motion
Hellenistic Sculpture • Increasing interest in differences between individual humans • Shift from ideal human towards pathos, evoking pity
Dying Gaul • Expression of emotion • On stage, part of a drama?
Nike of Samothrace • Aka Winged Victory • Strong, yet graceful • Wing span: achievement in marble • Aware of light creating shadows and highlights
Laocoon • Hellenistic theme of suffering • What emotions are seen on the faces?
Classical Greek Architecture
Greek Temples • Post and lintel structure – Problems of tensile strength (measures the stress required to pull something such as rope, wire, or a structural beam to the point where it breaks) and compressive strength (the capacity of a material to withstand axially directed pushing forces)
• Balance of post to lintel structure allowed for limited open space – Focus on exterior spaces
Three orders • Doric – archaic
• Ionic – classical
• Corinthian – Classical and Hellenistic
Doric
Ionic
Corinthian
Comparison • Doric – Massive appearance
• Ionic – Volutes: curly tops – Base rises above foundation – 22 flutings, deeper, wider separations
• Corinthian – More ornate capitals
Temple of Athena Nike
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Alter of Zeus
Parthenon
Greek Theater
Greek Theater • Vehicle for communal expression of religious belief – Used dance, music, and drama
Structure of Drama • Tragedy: Major form of drama at the time – – – –
Introduction or prologos Entrance of the chorus, parodos Episodes; the main events of the play Conclusion, exodus • Usually included one last song of the chorus
• Usually one actor, plus chorus • Author may serve multiple roles
Costume • Larger than life characters • Bright robes, heavy layers to create bulk • Oversized shoes added height • Large masks used • Big wigs used to add height
Festivals • 3 major festivals • City of Dionysia – Tragic and comic plays – 3 major authors • Aeschylus • Sophocles • Euripides
Aristotle’s views of Tragedy • 6 elements – Plot • Discoveries:characters learning about themselves and others • Foreshadowing • Reversals • crises
– Character – Thought: ideas explored by the play – Diction – Music – Spectacle: visual elements, costumes
• Protagonist must go through a significant struggle, usually ending in a disaster – Heroic character – Moral victory
• Tragedy should evoke catharsis
Aeschylus • Themes and questions still present today – Responsibility for actions – Subjectivity to uncontrollable forces
• Characters – Types rather than individuals – Ideals, yet undeniably human
• Changed structure of plays – 1 actor, 50 in chorus – 2 actors – 3 actors, 12 in chorus
Aeschylus’s Prometheus • Idealistic exploration of human capability, accomplishment, and power
Sophocles • Wrote Oedipus – More realistic – Used more human themes: responsibility, dignity, and fate • Hamartia: tragic flaw (which was excessive pride for Oedipus)
– More complexity • Can we control our destinies or are we the pawns of fate?
– Less formal restraints
Euripides • Competed with Sophocles – Most realistic of Greek tragedies • Psychological • Individual emotions • Lifelike, less formal
– Questions religion – Melodramas
• Not popular because of lack of idealism and formal themes and characters
• Hecuba: tragic relationship between those who rule and those who obey – Influenced by the fall of Athens – Attacks Gods; implies that “justice” from gods is so far removed that it doesn’t impact humanity
• The Bacchae – Echoes of fall of Athens, dissatisfaction
Greek Comedy • Fewer survived through history – Staple of Hellenistic era – No religion – No chorus
• Aristophanes – Satire on contemporary topics – Lysistrata: women withhold sex from men until they agree to end war
• Menader – Superficial themes without satire
Greek Music • Idea of ethos continued • Influenced by ideas of Plato, Aristotle • Monophonic: no harmony – Complex in technical difficulty
• Specific rules about what music was acceptable when • Study of math, intervals of musical scale
Greek Dance • Variety of styles – Classical styles – Dances of Dionysiac cult: lack of form, order, restraint
• Lack of labanotation: writing down dance movements – Guess about dances through paintings and sculptures
Greek Literature • Herodotus: writing history focused on people rather than events • Aristotle – Poetics – Republic – Apology
• Pindar: poetry – Odes to celebrate victories achieved in games