Greeks' ongoing search for perfection and balance in all things as they built their national identity.
As I said previously, many of the elements which were created by the ancient Greek civilizations were embraced in Roman art and were rediscovered during the Renaissance. Some of these elements can still be seen today all over the world. One striking example of how Greek art crossed centuries and continents to influence other civilizations would be the Neo-Classical architecture found in American cities such as Washington D.C., where the Supreme Court building was modeled on the Parthenon…nineteen centuries later, proving that the art created the Greeks is still appreciated as an expression of beauty, which is what art really is, after all.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
greek paper 3
Roman and Renaissance eras and her legend is still well known today.
The Archaic period presents us with the human figure as an object of study and artistic expression. Both females (Kore) and males (Kouros) were subjects for statues. The Peplos Kore depicts a female with softer features than the pair of Kouros known as Kleovis and Bitan, whose bodies are portrayed as being strong and well-muscled. An interesting point is that the Greeks celebrated the male body, which was invariably depicted nude, while the Kore female statues were clothed. What does that tell you about their society? In the detail I see a lot of Eastern influence. The face with the catlike eyes and even the style of the hair. The position is very static. It is not a lifelike position, it has no movement at all. It just stands upright and stiff, the way most Eastern statues were depicted. One aspect I noticed that was different is the muscle tone - in the Kouros there is a lot of detail especially in the abdominal region, while in Egyptian statues there was little muscle definition in their subjects.
The classical period was the golden age of Greece. Greece had become a culture that was highly advanced and which heavily influenced the cultures of Ancient Rome and then later the Renaissance and classical Greek art and ideas still has an enduring effect on European civilization. Much of modern politics, artistic thought, scientific thought, literature, and philosophy derives from this ancient society. In the context of the art, architecture, and culture of Ancient Greece, the classical period corresponds to most of the 6th ,5th , 4th centuries B.C. (The most common dates for the Classical period begin with the fall of the last Athenian tyrant in 510 B.C. until the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.). The power and advances of this period can be reflected through its art.
The techniques developed during preceding periods were perfected during the Classical period, as shown in the Bronze Zeus/Poseidon, and the Youth of Antiythera. Their bodies radiate the strength, balance and beauty of the male human form. The Youth of Antiythera's body is depicted as being in motion, holding a spherical object in his right hand, and possibly may have represented Paris presenting the Apple of Discord to Aphrodite. However, since Paris is consistently depicted cloaked and with the distinctive Phrygian cap, other scholars have suggested a beardless, youthful Heracles with the Apple of the Hesperides. The same idea is valid for the Bronze of Zeus/Poseidon. It is still a mystery. No one know who the form represents. It can be compared to either one the arm could have held Poseidon's trident or Zeus's thunderbolt. This gives you a good idea of how art it is interpreted through the eyes of a archeologist. Through Classical techniques you get a good sense of motion and energy which can be seen through these two works. All these works have one thing in common, they represented an artistic expression of their civilization's highest points, and laid or strengthened the foundations for the artistic eras which came after them.
It is one thing to look at an artwork in a book, or see it on TV, and another thing to see it in person, in the country where it was created. The impact is much greater when standing in front of an almost life-sized Kouros. It becomes hard to focus on one particular thing, because your senses were overwhelmed with the sheer quantity and beauty of Greek art.
The Classical period was the highest point of ancient Greek civilization. Democracy had been invented; philosophy was being taught; Athens' colonies in Magna Grecia (Southern Italy) had made it rich and expanded its sphere of influence to Italy. Its win over Persia had reinforced its image as a strong nation. Its art reflects this power and the
The Archaic period presents us with the human figure as an object of study and artistic expression. Both females (Kore) and males (Kouros) were subjects for statues. The Peplos Kore depicts a female with softer features than the pair of Kouros known as Kleovis and Bitan, whose bodies are portrayed as being strong and well-muscled. An interesting point is that the Greeks celebrated the male body, which was invariably depicted nude, while the Kore female statues were clothed. What does that tell you about their society? In the detail I see a lot of Eastern influence. The face with the catlike eyes and even the style of the hair. The position is very static. It is not a lifelike position, it has no movement at all. It just stands upright and stiff, the way most Eastern statues were depicted. One aspect I noticed that was different is the muscle tone - in the Kouros there is a lot of detail especially in the abdominal region, while in Egyptian statues there was little muscle definition in their subjects.
The classical period was the golden age of Greece. Greece had become a culture that was highly advanced and which heavily influenced the cultures of Ancient Rome and then later the Renaissance and classical Greek art and ideas still has an enduring effect on European civilization. Much of modern politics, artistic thought, scientific thought, literature, and philosophy derives from this ancient society. In the context of the art, architecture, and culture of Ancient Greece, the classical period corresponds to most of the 6th ,5th , 4th centuries B.C. (The most common dates for the Classical period begin with the fall of the last Athenian tyrant in 510 B.C. until the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.). The power and advances of this period can be reflected through its art.
The techniques developed during preceding periods were perfected during the Classical period, as shown in the Bronze Zeus/Poseidon, and the Youth of Antiythera. Their bodies radiate the strength, balance and beauty of the male human form. The Youth of Antiythera's body is depicted as being in motion, holding a spherical object in his right hand, and possibly may have represented Paris presenting the Apple of Discord to Aphrodite. However, since Paris is consistently depicted cloaked and with the distinctive Phrygian cap, other scholars have suggested a beardless, youthful Heracles with the Apple of the Hesperides. The same idea is valid for the Bronze of Zeus/Poseidon. It is still a mystery. No one know who the form represents. It can be compared to either one the arm could have held Poseidon's trident or Zeus's thunderbolt. This gives you a good idea of how art it is interpreted through the eyes of a archeologist. Through Classical techniques you get a good sense of motion and energy which can be seen through these two works. All these works have one thing in common, they represented an artistic expression of their civilization's highest points, and laid or strengthened the foundations for the artistic eras which came after them.
It is one thing to look at an artwork in a book, or see it on TV, and another thing to see it in person, in the country where it was created. The impact is much greater when standing in front of an almost life-sized Kouros. It becomes hard to focus on one particular thing, because your senses were overwhelmed with the sheer quantity and beauty of Greek art.
The Classical period was the highest point of ancient Greek civilization. Democracy had been invented; philosophy was being taught; Athens' colonies in Magna Grecia (Southern Italy) had made it rich and expanded its sphere of influence to Italy. Its win over Persia had reinforced its image as a strong nation. Its art reflects this power and the
greek paper 2
1) Fresco: Jumping of the Bull, Crete
Before coming to the Heraklion Museum in Crete we went to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. There we had our first exposure to Minoan art. I realized the Bull came up as the dominant animal in their art. I thought that like in many other early cultures the bull was a religious symbol. When I came across this Jumping of the Bull Fresco at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum again religion came to mind, but it also gave me an idea of the Minoans themselves. The fresco also involved three happy looking people performing a possible ritual, or even a sport for recreation. The art work of the people showed a familiar pattern seen in later Greek, and also Etruscan art with the man depicted as dark skinned and the women as light skinned. It also made me believe it was a male dominant culture because the man was the person jumping and was the central focus of this fresco. This fresco inspired me to think how the Minoans were more then a simple Bronze age people and their society was developed enough culturally to have time outside of work to develop a leisure activity for the people. Then I thought this could have laid the foundation for later sports like the ones in the Olympics, and also more modern ones like bull racing or bull fighting. In my opinion the religious and sport aspects could be linked because it may have begun as a ritual by their priests and then became so popular that ordinary men could perform the ritual while others were spectators.
The Snake goddess is a important piece of Minoan art that gives me the impression of the role of women during this time. Unlike later works of art where women are depicted as beautiful and almost unreal. The snake goddess on the other hand is depicted as being more powerful, with a fierce looking face. I believe the snakes could represent the strength of women, since snakes are smaller and less powerful than bigger animals, but at the same time they can be just as lethal when they know how and where to strike. So the Snake Goddess even though it is a small statue has a lot of importance, and also makes you think how the Minoans judged the power of women. In later art work there was powerful women, but none seemed to have the fierce power that certain male gods had. The only powerful woman that comes to mind that seems just as fierce and was feared by men, was the Medusa. I think that maybe the snake goddess could have been the inspiration for the terrifying Medusa, which was important all throughout the Greek and
Before coming to the Heraklion Museum in Crete we went to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. There we had our first exposure to Minoan art. I realized the Bull came up as the dominant animal in their art. I thought that like in many other early cultures the bull was a religious symbol. When I came across this Jumping of the Bull Fresco at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum again religion came to mind, but it also gave me an idea of the Minoans themselves. The fresco also involved three happy looking people performing a possible ritual, or even a sport for recreation. The art work of the people showed a familiar pattern seen in later Greek, and also Etruscan art with the man depicted as dark skinned and the women as light skinned. It also made me believe it was a male dominant culture because the man was the person jumping and was the central focus of this fresco. This fresco inspired me to think how the Minoans were more then a simple Bronze age people and their society was developed enough culturally to have time outside of work to develop a leisure activity for the people. Then I thought this could have laid the foundation for later sports like the ones in the Olympics, and also more modern ones like bull racing or bull fighting. In my opinion the religious and sport aspects could be linked because it may have begun as a ritual by their priests and then became so popular that ordinary men could perform the ritual while others were spectators.
The Snake goddess is a important piece of Minoan art that gives me the impression of the role of women during this time. Unlike later works of art where women are depicted as beautiful and almost unreal. The snake goddess on the other hand is depicted as being more powerful, with a fierce looking face. I believe the snakes could represent the strength of women, since snakes are smaller and less powerful than bigger animals, but at the same time they can be just as lethal when they know how and where to strike. So the Snake Goddess even though it is a small statue has a lot of importance, and also makes you think how the Minoans judged the power of women. In later art work there was powerful women, but none seemed to have the fierce power that certain male gods had. The only powerful woman that comes to mind that seems just as fierce and was feared by men, was the Medusa. I think that maybe the snake goddess could have been the inspiration for the terrifying Medusa, which was important all throughout the Greek and
Greek paper
Michael Trotta
ARTH 294 - Greek Art in Context
The Development of Greek Art from the Minoan through the Archaic to the Classical Period As Seen through 2 major works from each period and its influence on Roman and Renaissance art, and through those periods on modern art in the 21st century.
One of the earliest innovations in what would become known as ancient Greek art actually began on the island of Crete with the Minoan people, whose culture anticipated many aspects that influenced later Greeks.
Two major works from this era were produced in two different media: a painted fresco known as "Jumping of the Bull" , and a small clay figurine, known as the Snake Goddess.
One celebrated the male sphere; the other exalted the female role.
Little is known of this civilization, even the name "Minoan" itself was given by a English archeologist basing it on the mythical King Minos. So when you are there, standing before the artworks, you are free to add your own interpretation to those of the scholars who have spent centuries trying to unlock the secrets of this civilization which died out, but not before it had passed its iconography to Athens and the mainland.
ARTH 294 - Greek Art in Context
The Development of Greek Art from the Minoan through the Archaic to the Classical Period As Seen through 2 major works from each period and its influence on Roman and Renaissance art, and through those periods on modern art in the 21st century.
One of the earliest innovations in what would become known as ancient Greek art actually began on the island of Crete with the Minoan people, whose culture anticipated many aspects that influenced later Greeks.
Two major works from this era were produced in two different media: a painted fresco known as "Jumping of the Bull" , and a small clay figurine, known as the Snake Goddess.
One celebrated the male sphere; the other exalted the female role.
Little is known of this civilization, even the name "Minoan" itself was given by a English archeologist basing it on the mythical King Minos. So when you are there, standing before the artworks, you are free to add your own interpretation to those of the scholars who have spent centuries trying to unlock the secrets of this civilization which died out, but not before it had passed its iconography to Athens and the mainland.
Day 12 - Crusing/Santorini-Pireaus-Athens
Day 12 -Heraklion(Crete)-Santorini- Today we landed on the southern island of Crete. Crete and Heraklion are well known for their very ancient history and were the site of one of the first civilized cultures of Europe, the Minoans. At Heraklion we visited the archaeological museum, where we saw the Minoans' type of art in particular. After the museum we walked around, took photos and visited more of the little city. A couple of hours later we got back to the ship and sailed east to our final island, Santorini. From the ship you could see that Santorini is a different kind of island. All around it is volcanic and the town itself is at the top of the mountains. We had two choices: we could take the lift up or ride donkeys up. Just about everyone took the donkeys and I thought it would be a slow ride up but actually the donkeys are faster and fiercer then I thought. At the top you had a amazing view of the landscape around you, part of the town to the south and a volcanic island was right in front of you. Here we walked around, visited the town, took some great pictures and by about sunset, I think around 8:00-8:30 p.m. we rode the lift down back to the boat and said good-bye to our last island. That night we had our last dinner together as a group. Then we packed our suitcases and got ready to go back home the following day.
Day 10-11 Crusing/Mykonos-Kusadasi-Patmos
Day 10 -Cruise/Mykonos- This morning we left Athens on our cruise. We got settled and most of us met on deck and relaxed, after all our fast-paced tours and being constantly on the move, we enjoyed a relaxing moment on the ship. Enjoying the sunshine and the landscape as we sailed by was a great feeling. Later that afternoon we landed at our first island, Mykonos. There we visited all the beautiful landscapes the island had to offer, especially its windmills. This island is very colorful and seemed to be an island to party on, with many bars and clubs. But it still had many small churches and buildings so it wasn't completely modern. We left late, around 9 p.m., got back on the boat and watched a World Cup game.
Day 11 -Kusadasi-Ephesus (Turkey)-Patmos- Today we took our first steps into Asia, in the town of Kusadasi, which was originally known as Ephesus, an important center in ancient Greece. The town looked like a Greek or Italian seaside town, but one major difference is that all the churches were now mosques. We walked around for couple hours. We saw some nice landscapes and got good prices on a lot of different merchandise at the shops. After about 3 hours we got back onto the ship and ventured back to Greece. On the ship we had one moment where Greece was on one side and Turkey on the other, we were between two continents. I had to get a picture of this. The next stop was to the island of Patmos. Patmos was another beautiful little island which to many Christians is a sacred holy place because St. John the Evangelist wrote the Book of Revelation there. There we got another chance to take a swim, and then walked around the town. We got back to the ship and that night watched another World Cup game.
Day 11 -Kusadasi-Ephesus (Turkey)-Patmos- Today we took our first steps into Asia, in the town of Kusadasi, which was originally known as Ephesus, an important center in ancient Greece. The town looked like a Greek or Italian seaside town, but one major difference is that all the churches were now mosques. We walked around for couple hours. We saw some nice landscapes and got good prices on a lot of different merchandise at the shops. After about 3 hours we got back onto the ship and ventured back to Greece. On the ship we had one moment where Greece was on one side and Turkey on the other, we were between two continents. I had to get a picture of this. The next stop was to the island of Patmos. Patmos was another beautiful little island which to many Christians is a sacred holy place because St. John the Evangelist wrote the Book of Revelation there. There we got another chance to take a swim, and then walked around the town. We got back to the ship and that night watched another World Cup game.
Day 8 - Day 9 Delphi-Athens
Day 8 -Delphi/Athens- Today we left the town of Delphi early in the morning and went down to the Museum of Delphi down the road. Then we toured the museum, where we saw all different kinds of Greek art - statues, pottery and other things like weapons from around the 7th -5th century B.C.., a good viewing of Archaic art work. After we visited the museum we headed uphill to the ruins. We started at the bottom and listened to the tour guide explain that this place has been important for thousands of years not only for Greeks but for people from everywhere. It became the sanctuary for people to worship Apollo. But long before the popular Greek gods were organized this place was dedicated to the Earth goddess Gaia. After the tour we had time to go out on our own, so as we did on Vesuvius, we climbed upward to see more of what the area had to offer. After Delphi we set out for Athens. The trip took a little more time we expected because like Roma Athens suffers from the same terrifying problem, traffic. So after a couple hours, we finally made it to Athens. I've only really seen pictures of Athens in antiquity, so I pictured it kind of like Roma, a modern city with a lot of buildings coming from different time periods. By comparison, Athens is actually bigger and more modern-looking then Roma is. We got to the hotel, then set out on the Metro (it looks brand new). We stopped at Monostrakias and walked around the small square, saw the Plaka and a Roman forum constructed by Emperor Hadrian. Then we went and checked out the shops, did some shopping, went to eat dinner and then hung out a little more. One thing I noticed and took a lot of pictures of is the graffiti. I saw it all over this area, and coming from seeing it all over NYC, this graffiti was a work of art.
Day 9 -Athens- Today we set out to see the city of Athens. We started with a bus tour on our way toward the Plaka, where the Parthenon is. We stopped and visited the 1896 Olympic stadium constructed 2,500 years after the first Olympic Games began in Greece. From there we took a bus down to the Plaka. We started at the bottom and walked to the Athenian Acropolis. This Acropolis is comprised of many important buildings like the Parthenon, Old Temple of Athena, Erechtheum, Athena Promachos, Proylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Eleusinion and many more. This area was amazing to me because I've waited a long time to see the Parthenon and there it was right in front of me. It gave me a crazy, unreal feeling. Next we walked down, left the Plaka and made our way to the museum. There we saw Greek art from pre-historic to Roman times. One thing I noticed on most of the Archaic statues' labels was a "?"next to the name. I've never seen so many artworks labeled that way, and when I asked why that was, I was told when they find these statues they give a educated guess of who it could be based on the normal style of the figure, for example, Zeus with a thunderbolt, Pericles with a helmet on and a beard etc. This museum also offered a movie on the history of the Parthenon throughout the ages and what it went through. After the museum we got back to the hotel late in the afternoon. We stayed there for about an hour. Then headed back on the Metro to Monostrakis, then went out to dinner and walked around the area for our final night in Athens and got ready for our cruise the next day.
Day 9 -Athens- Today we set out to see the city of Athens. We started with a bus tour on our way toward the Plaka, where the Parthenon is. We stopped and visited the 1896 Olympic stadium constructed 2,500 years after the first Olympic Games began in Greece. From there we took a bus down to the Plaka. We started at the bottom and walked to the Athenian Acropolis. This Acropolis is comprised of many important buildings like the Parthenon, Old Temple of Athena, Erechtheum, Athena Promachos, Proylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Eleusinion and many more. This area was amazing to me because I've waited a long time to see the Parthenon and there it was right in front of me. It gave me a crazy, unreal feeling. Next we walked down, left the Plaka and made our way to the museum. There we saw Greek art from pre-historic to Roman times. One thing I noticed on most of the Archaic statues' labels was a "?"next to the name. I've never seen so many artworks labeled that way, and when I asked why that was, I was told when they find these statues they give a educated guess of who it could be based on the normal style of the figure, for example, Zeus with a thunderbolt, Pericles with a helmet on and a beard etc. This museum also offered a movie on the history of the Parthenon throughout the ages and what it went through. After the museum we got back to the hotel late in the afternoon. We stayed there for about an hour. Then headed back on the Metro to Monostrakis, then went out to dinner and walked around the area for our final night in Athens and got ready for our cruise the next day.
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