LATE CLASSICAL GREEK ART

In this lesson, we'll learn about the great Greek arts of the Classical period. The influence of earlier periods is evident in the Classical period, but here you'll see how many of those techniques were improved and becoming even more astounding.

OBJECTIVES

• Identify the changes from Archaic sculpture to Classical.

• Discuss characteristics of Classical Greek sculpture.

• Describe the process of building the Parthenon.

• Identify the types of art within the Parthenon.

• Discuss the changes in sculpture during the Hellenistic Period.

VOCABULARY

LATE CLASSICAL GREEK ART

As humans, we are all born as infants from a mother, but the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece were not limited to the same rules. In fact, one goddess was said to have sprung from her father's head fully formed as an adult.

That's just one of the myths about the goddess Athena. Athena was known as the goddess of wisdom and household arts, such as spinning and weaving, and also as the goddess of war. As the daughter of Zeus and defender of the city that was named after her — Athens — she was called on to protect the Athenians when they had problems with their neighbors. She was also honored with great statues and a temple, which stands today as a testament to the ingenuity of the Greeks.

Greek art during the classical period remained pure and fully developed. For these reasons, it was in high demand across other lands. The Classical period lasted from about 475 to 323 BC. It was followed by the Hellenistic period, which lasted from 323 to 31 BC.

Overview of the Classical Period

The Classical period of Greek art is divided into three separate periods:

• Early Classical (475 to 448 BC) — occurred after the Greek victory over Persia, which you learned about when you studied the Persian Empire. Because the war with Persia entailed so much destruction, Greece entered a period of rebuilding, providing an opportunity for artists to do new things with old structures.

• Middle Classical (448 to 400 BC) — grew as a movement during the latter part of the 5th century. Periclean Athens' architecture and sculpture has never been matched. It is still considered perfection unequaled.

• Late Classical (400 to 323 BC) — saw the decline of architectural projects in Greece and a new, detailed characterization of figures in the visual arts, reflecting an interest in the individual.

You probably remember from the previous lesson that statues during the Archaic period bore the "Archaic smile" on their faces. The sculptures were also intricately detailed and showed movement for the first time.

Early Classical sculpture was subtly different. The statues were more solemn in expression and simpler in form. As the artists developed in skill, the statues became more realistic and then swung to the other side of realism to become exaggerated. The symmetrical frontal stance of Archaic figures changed in the Early Classic period and was soon discarded in favor of a more complex positions and forms grounded in realism.

The most important achievement of the Classical period was the development of the ideally proportioned human figure and the ideally proportioned temple.

There are four characteristics that the statues of the Classical period display:

• contrapposto

• motion

• natural facial expression, no Archaic smile

• ideal proportions

Examine this picture of the sculpture Doryphoros to see another example from the Classical period. 

In the later Classical period, there were more developments, exemplified in this statue seen in the photograph:

This statue is notable for the following reasons:

• It was the first nude goddess sculpture.

• The effect of the style has less grandeur and is more worldly and sensuous.

• The goddess is shown about to step into the bath, an action from the everyday life of common people

There have been many smaller statues found called Tanagra figurines. These hollow statues, using molds, were made from unfired terra cotta and the majority of them were discovered in tombs. The statues portrayed people such as actors, comics, fashionably dressed women and idols of gods.

As we examine the architecture of the Classical period, we'll focus on one particular example: the Parthenon, the temple designed and built by the Greeks in honor of Athena Parthenos on the acropolis at Athens. The Parthenon was built in 447 BC on the same site as two previous temples. One of the temples was the older Parthenon, which was torched by the Persians in 480 BC.

The sculptor Phidias oversaw the building and decorating of the Parthenon. The following are the main characteristics of the Parthenon building:

• incorporates both the Doric and Ionic orders

• made predominantly of marble

• surrounded by a large colonnade consisting of eight slender columns in front and back and seventeen on each side.

The Parthenon architects actually created an optical illusion. This was done to help adjust the distorted perspective. The temple terrace was made to have an upward curve in the center, the column's taper was convex, and the column's axes had an inward or outward slant.

Greek Art and Architecture in the Parthenon

While the style of the Parthenon sculptures was created by Phidias, he probably had his pupils do the actual work. Here are the scenes depicted in the reliefs on the four metopes of the Parthenon:

• East side — a battle of giants

• West side — a battle with the Amazons

• North side — the fall of Troy

• South side — the battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs

The frieze on the top displays Athena approached by a festive crowd presenting her a robe. The Parthenon’s interior was just as opulent and complex as its exterior. The entire ceiling is marble and there was a gold and ivory statue of Athena. The east room had a two-story Doric colonnade and the west room had four Ionic columns for support.

The huge war between the Persians and Alexander the Great ended the Classical Period of Greek art; however, the Parthenon was in use for many centuries later.

THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD

With the domination of Alexander the Great, Greek culture spread throughout the Middle East. This opened the door to various eastern and oriental cultures, traditions, and religions. This infusion of eastern and oriental culture was especially prosperous in the cities of Asia Minor and Alexandria, Egypt.

One of the most interesting features of the sculptures at that time was that they had an open feel and tried to focus the attention of the spectator beyond the sculpture’s form. A common technique in the Hellenistic Period was called the cross axe. With the cross-axe technique, the human form would have its torso twisted so that the head and arms would be facing in different directions.

In Greek mythology, the nine Muses were the patron-goddesses of the arts. They were believed to be the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, a Titan who personified memory. During the Hellenistic period, the island of Rhodes was the home of a highly developed school of sculpture founded by Lysippus, sculptor to the court of Alexander the Great. His school continued to flourish well into the period of the Roman Empire.

LET'S REVIEW!

In this lesson, you covered the following topics:

• The Classical period began with the defeat of the Persians under the tyrant, Xerxes.

• Greek sculpture evolved from the stiff archaic figures to figures that were twisted and lifelike. Artists finally managed to achieve ideal proportions of the human figure.

• The Parthenon is one of the great architectural achievements of all time.

• The great statue of Athena within the Parthenon has disappeared, and many of the marble statues were taken to England by Lord Elgin where they remain today — to the consternation of many Greeks.

• The Classical period ended with the rise of Alexander the Great, at which point the Hellenistic period began.

Complete the quiz before moving on.