STYLES MORGUE
ANCIENT GREECE
Minoan Culture (Crete): ca 3000 - 1100 BCE
Mycenaean Culture (Late Helladic Period): ca 1600 - 1100 BCE
Geometric Period: ca 900 - 700 BCE
Archaic Period: ca 700 - 480 BCE
"Age of Tyrants," Athens: ca 650 - 510 BCE
Introduction of Democracy, Athens: ca 510 - 507 BCE
Classical Period: ca 480 - 323 BCE
Age of Perikles, Athens: ca 440 - 429 BCE
Rise to power of Macedonia: 359 - 323 BCE
Hellenistic Period, ca 323 - 31 BCE
Roman Rule (Mainland): ca 146 BCE - 330 CE
Panathenaic amphora, ca. 530 BCE; Archaic. Attributed to the Euphiletos Painter. Greek. MET Museum.
MINOAN CULTURE
What we know of the Minoan culture is attributed to the british archaeologist, Sir Arthur Evans. He named the period after King Minos. Much of what we know of the Minoan culture comes from the excavations of the Knossos Palace, its burials and settlement sites surrounding it. The Minoan culture was the first ot establish a "palace" or a specific location where concentrated political and economic power, artistic activity, and may have served as a a place to redistribute agricultural commodities. Other palaces on Crete were Mallia, Phaistos, and Zakros. These palaces were architecturally unique. There was a paved central court and utulized sophisticated masonry techniques. Due to their location on an island, there were really no great efforts put into defensive walls, although a few watchtowers did surround them. The walls and floors of the palaces were brightly painted frescoes depicting rituals or nature scenes. The greeks even had developed the first working plumbing.
Artistic works indicate that major advances have been made in gem engraving, stoneworking (particularly vases), metalworking, and pottery. Burnished tools were also used for decorating. Filigree, granulated jewelry and carved seal stones were used in metalworking and pottery. These newfound methods of artistic advancement could be found in other mediums as well: clay, gold, stone, bronze and ivory.
Unsure of actually what happened on Crete, archaeologists found evidence of widespread distruction on the island around 1450 BCE followed by a complete overhaul in artistic style as well as written language. The new style was that of the Myceneaen Greeks or from the mainland.
MYCENAEAN CULTURE
The term mycenaean comes from the site Mycenae which is thought to be the the seat of King Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the Trojan War. It is the the place in many of Homer's epics.
The art of the early Mycenaean culture is very close to that of the Minoans since mainland Greece got much of their early commodities from this established artistic hub. The Mycenaeans, however, were known for being fierce warriors and more barbaric than the Minoans. They created engineering feats unseen before including bridges, walls and bee-hive shaped tombs. Homer refers to these centers in Illiad and Odyssey as "Mycenae rich in gold" and "sandy Pylos."
GEOMETRIC PERIOD
This period establishes primary Greek institutions like the polis (Greek city-state), the Greek alphabet, and new opportunites for trade when Greek cities were developed in Asia, Italy and Sicily. The biggest advancement was the establishement of many of the Olympian Gods we know today.
Some of the most familiar artistic symbols from the Geometric period are the armed warrior, chariot and horse, as well as small funerary bronze sculptures.
Statuette of a horse, 8th century BCE; Geometric. Greek, Bronze.
Krater, second half of 8th century BCE; Geometric. Greek, Attic. Terracotta, MET Museum.
Statuette of a man and a centaur, ca. 750 BCE; Late Geometric, Greek. Bronze.
ARCHAIC PERIOD
The archaic period brought a huge shift in aesthetic quality of the art in Greece. Unlike Geometric, where the images were more abstract, the art became more naturalistic. WIth the quickly expanding civilization of the Greeks all over Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa, the art assimilated other styles into their own cultural ideals. During this period we see a lot of art revolving around Greek mythology and Gods.
Two common forms of statues came during this period: the male kouros and the female kore.
Earlier version of the male kouros is very similar in style to Egyptian statue in stance except the body scupting is more refined and naturalistic. The hair on both of these scuptures shows traditional styles worn by men and women: long braids or curls. Women's hair was usually pulled back from their faces by fillets (headband).
In the later part of the 6th century, Greek artists became increasingly interested in representing the human form in more relaxed positions as well as in motion. This came right around the same time that the Panathenaic Games were established in Athens (566 BCE). Sculptures of victorious athletes became popular.
Major scientific advancements include: Thales of Miletos figured out the cycles of nature and predicted a solar eclipse. Pythagoras discovered the Pythagoreum Theorem in mathematics. Solon established a written code of laws.
Art consisted of mostly black figure painting and Andokides developed red figure painting.
CLASSICAL PERIOD
The Greeks defeated the Persians in 479 BCE. After this, Athens became the artistic and political hub of Greece. The Delos League was formed, which was the first United Nations League. Empires/Civilizations privided either ships or money to secure freedom and peace. Athens became the center of the world because of this.
Perikles created the Parthenon (Doric order).
Polykleitos of Argos developed a system of proportion in sculpture that conveys a
vitality of life as well as a sense of permanenance, clarity, and harmony. This
system of proportion can be seen in Greek marble sculpture as well as future
Roman copies.
One of the most celebrated sculpture was the Nude Aphrodite of Knidos by
Praxiteles. This scupture was the first representing a female figure in completely
in the nude instead of elegantly draped.
Artistic schools developed as academic institutions. The most famous was Sicyon of Peloponnese, which developed a cumulative development of art, aka art history.
HELLENISTIC PERIOD
During Alexander the Great's rule, the Greek culture experienced widespread influence from cultures all over Europe as the Greek armies quickly expanded and took control. The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE marks the beginning of the Hellenistic Period.
For Royals, life was elaborate and splendid. They lived in palaces with elaborately decorated banquet halls, rooms and gardens. Court festivals and symposia were held in order to show elaborate displays of wealth. Hellenistic kings patroned the arts, commissioning architecture and sculpture, as well as private pieces. The rapidly expanded empire created a koine or common language across Europe.
Library of Alexandria
The largest collection of history and art from the ancient world was housed in the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. The library consisted of lecture halls, meeting rooms, gardens, as well as the actual library/museum with its enormous collection of works. These works were mostly papyrus scrolls. The research institution was used by many great philosophers, scientists, and artists alike. The library was dedicated to the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts. The Library of Alexandria and all of its immense knowledge burned down. There are rumors that the fire was started by Julius Caesar in 48 BC, an attack by Aurelian in the A.D. 270s, the decree of Coptic Pope Theophilus in A.D. 391, and the decree of the second caliph Omar ibn Al-khattāb in A.D. 640.
Representation in Art
Aside from adapting earlier styles, greek gods took on a new form. The nude aphrodite reflected the increased secularization of traditional religion. Representations of Dionysus, Hermes, and Eros were also very common.
A new subject matter was beginning to be represented which included more grotesque images like the elderly and ethnic people. A growing number of people commissioned works of the more common people instead of just the Gods. This slowly turned the focus from the Gods to the everyday Greek person.
*** It's important to note that the style of this period blends in so much to the Roman culture that some Roman artwork is accurate representation of Greek art from this period.***
LITERATURE & PLAYS
Homer - epics Sappho - lyric poetry Aristotle - Plato's student
The Illiad Poetics
The Odyssey
Aeschylus - playwright that introduced dialogue and interaction between characters in plays
Oresteia Trilogy
Sophocles - Used irony as a literary technique Euripides - used plays to challenge social norms and mores Aristophanes - a comic playwright
Oedipus the King Medea Lysistrata
The Bacchae The Frogs
The Trojan Women
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ancient Greece. Roma: Vision S.R.L, 1997. Print
Deger-Jalkotzy, Sigrid, and I S. Lemos. Ancient Greece: From the Mycenaean Palaces to the Age of Homer. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Internet resource.
Garland, Robert. Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1998. Print.
Hart, Mary L, and J M. Walton. The Art of Ancient Greek Theater. Los Angeles, Calif: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2010. Print.
Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. , 2013. Print.
Pinsent, John. Greek Mythology. New York: P. Bedrick Books, 1983. Print.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.
Stansbury-O'Donnell, Mark. Pictorial Narrative in Ancient Greek Art. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Print.
REPRESENTATIONS OF AFRICANS IN GREEK ART
In rare occasions, due to the vast reach of the Greek civilization, artists included other ethnicities in their artwork including Africans.
For more information: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/afrg/hd_afrg.htm
Lentoid seal with a griffin, ca. 1450 - 1400 BCE; Late Minoan Period, Agate, MET Museum.
Pyxis, ca. 1400 - 1100 BCE, Late Minoan, Terracotta, MET Museum. A small box or casket used in funerary rituals.
Knossos Throne with elaborate frescos painted on the walls.
Stirrup jar with octopus, ca. 1200 - 1100 BCE; Late Helladic Period, Mycenaean style. MET Museum
Three female figures, ca 1400 - 1300 BCE; Late Helladic, Mycenaean, Terracotta
Gold kantharos (drinking cup with two high vertical handles), ca. 1550 - 1500 BCE; Late Helladic, Mycenaean, gold.
Chariot krater, first half of 13th century BCE; Late Helladic, Mycenaean, Terracotta.
Column-krater, ca. 550 BCE; black-figure. Attributed to Lydos. Greek, Attic. Terracotta
Amphora, ca. 530 BCE; Archaic; red-figure. Signed by Andokides. Greek, Attic. Terracotta
Statuette of Herakles, last quarter of 6th century BCE; Archaic Greek. Bronze
Epimenes: Scaraboid with Archer Testing an Arrow, ca. 500 BCE. Greek. Chalcedony.
Amphora, ca. 490 BCE; Classical; red-figure. Attributed to the Berlin Painter. Greek, Attic. Terracotta.
Statuette of the Diadoumenos (youth tying a fillet around his head). Greek; copy of a Greek bronze statue by Polykleitos, ca. 430 BCE. Terracotta
Calyx-krater (mixing bowl) with theatrical scene, ca. 400 - 390 BCE. Attributed to the Tarporley Painter. Greek, South Italian, Apulian. Terracotta.
Mirror with a Support in the Form of a Draped Woman, mid 5th century. Greek, Classical. Bronze
Grave stele of a little girl, ca. 450 - 440 BCE. Greek, Parian marble.
Grave stele with a family group, ca 360 BCE. Greek, Attic. Pentelic marble.
Statue of Eirene (personification of peace), ca 14 - 68 AD; Julio-Claudian. Copy of a Greek bronze statue by Kephisodotos. Ca 375 - 360 BCE. Marble
The Three Graces. Roman copy of a Greek work of the second century BCE. Marble
Statuette of a standing woman, late 4th - early 3rd century BCE. Greek, probably Boeotian. Terracotta.
Statuette of a standing girl, ca. 300 BCE. Greek, Attic. Terracotta.
Statue of Eros sleeping, Hellenistic, 3rd century - 2nd century BCE. Greek. Bronze.
Statuette of a veiled and masked dancer, Hellenistic, 3rd - 2nd century BCE. Greek. Bronze.
Statue of a draped seated man, Republican or Early Imperial, 1st century BCE. Roman, Marble.
Statue of Pan, 1st century AD, Roman, Marble
Statue of an old market woman, Early Imperial, Julio-Claudian, 1st century AD. Roman. Marble
Fresco wall painting in a cubiculum (bedroom) from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, ca. 40 - 30 BCE. Late Republican, Roman, Plaster