LESSON 2

• Ancient Greek art


  Visual arts produced in the Greek-speaking world from the 9th century BCE to the 1st century CE
• Ancient Greek art


  • Idealized representations of the human form
  • Naturalistic details
  • Architectural achievements
  • Pottery and vase painting
  • Influence of mythology and religion
• Fresco


  Painting of color pigments on wet lime plaster without a binding agent
• Fresco


  • Paint is absorbed by the plaster, fixed and protected from fading
  • Depict scenes from everyday life
  • Fragile and often get destroyed when removed from their original sites
• Pottery


  Achieved prominence from 1000 BCE to 400 BCE
• Pottery


  • Vases were meant to be used in everyday life
  • Painters partnered with potters in creating vases
  • Types of pottery: Amphorae, Kraters, Jugs, Kylixes, Hydra, Skyphos, Lekythos
• Greek sculpture


  Mixture of Egyptian, Syrian, Minoan (Crete), Mycenaean and Persian cultures
• Greek sculpture


  • Sculptors learned stone carving and bronze-casting from Egyptians and Syrians
  • Developed by Ionians and Dorians
• Periods of Greek sculpture

  • Archaic Period (c.650-500 BCE)
  • Classical Period (c.500-323 BCE)
  • Hellenistic Period (c.323-27 BCE)
• Archaic Period


  • Archaic free-standing figures have the solid mass and frontal stance of Egyptian models, but their forms are more dynamic
  • Common statues: Kouros, Kore, Seated woman
• Classical Period


  • Incorporated more diverse figure types and bodily poses
  • Sharp increase in technical dexterity, resulting in far more naturalistic and realistic sculptures
  • Famous sculptors: Phidias, Praxiteles, Kritios, Lysippos, Myron
• Hellenistic Period


  • Artistic subjects appear significantly more dramatized than before
  • Emotive facial expressions featured in monumental sculpture
  • Embraced adverse themes such as suffering, old age, and death
• Greek architecture


  • Characterized by simplicity, proportion, perspective, and harmony
• Doric order


  • Earliest of the three Classical orders of architecture
  • Transition from wood to stone
  • Plain, unadorned column capital
  • Column rests directly on the stylobate without a base
  • Entablature includes a frieze with trigylphs and metopes
• Ionic order


  • Originated in Ionia
  • Volutes (scroll-like ornaments) characterize the capital
  • Column has a base
  • Graceful proportions, more slender and elegant profile than Doric
• Corinthian order


  • Originated from Corinth
  • Elaborate, carved capital incorporating vegetal elements
• Architectural examples


  • Parthenon
  • Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
  • Theatre of Delphi
  • Theatre of Epidaurus
• Dionysus


  God of wine, had a cult following
• Greek theatre


  • Integrated to civic/religious discourse
  • Festivals included processions, sacrifices, celebrations, feasting and choral laments
  • Four Dionysian festivals: Rural Dionysia, Lenaia, Anthesteria and City Dionysia
• Thespis


  First actor, considered the first actor
• Greek theatre performers


  • All performers were male
  • Thespis was the first actor, Aeschylus added the second actor, Sophocles introduced the third actor
  • Masks were essential, tragic masks had formalized, expressionless faces, comic masks presented caricatures, grotesques, or animal heads
  • Costumes for tragedy included a tunic or long/short cloak, costumes for comedy were based on everyday wear and included a phallus
• Greek plays


  • Only 44 plays survived from the classical period, written by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes
  • Tragedies did not end with a terrible event, some end on an affirmative note, many address the history and character of Athens
  • Comedies by Aristophanes were bawdy, obscene, fantastical, or absurd, criticized politicians, militarists, oracle mongers and similar figures of power
• Aristotle's Poetics


  • First systematic treatise on drama developed between 336-331 BCE from the winners of the City Dionysia
  • Elements: Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Music, Spectacle
  • Concepts: Mimesis, Hubris, Hamartia, Anagnorisis, Peripeteia, Catharsis
• Ancient Greece was born on the shores of the Aegean Sea about 4,000 years ago, and expanded to lands as far west as Spain and as far east as India
• Ancient Greek political system

  • Greece was a collection of over 1,500 territories that acted as sovereign city-states, each with their own rulers
  • Athens developed the first large-scale democracy, giving the Greek people representation and political power
  • City-states united to defend their homeland from foreign invaders like the Persian Empire
• Ancient Greeks made political, militaristic, and cultural achievements that resonated long after their empire fell
• Political system of ancient Greece


  • Greece was a collection of over 1,500 territories that acted as sovereign nations, called city-states, each with their own rulers and sometimes fought each other
  • Athens pioneered the concept of democracy, providing representation and political power to its citizens
• Greek military


  • Helped expand the Greek Empire by establishing colonies overseas
  • Protected Greece itself from foreign invaders like the Persian Empire
  • City-states united to defend their homeland
  • Sparta took immense pride in their military and regarded their soldiers as heroes
• Cultural contributions of ancient Greece

  • Art and architecture, including sculptural works and iconic columns like those found in the Parthenon, left a lasting impact on global artistry
  • Greek religion, philosophy, and language profoundly influenced the spiritual beliefs, intellectual pursuits, and linguistic development of subsequent civilizations
• Ancient Greece's artistry, regard for heroes, and democratic rule left a considerable impression on world history
• Ancient Greece emerged around 4,000 years ago on the Aegean Sea and expanded its influence across vast territories
• Greek architecture


  • Emphasized balance and order, utilizing square geometric shapes and columns, such as Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles
• Greek sculpture


  • Created lifelike figures with intricate details and focused on depicting subjects in peak physical condition
• Greek painting


  • Pottery paintings showcased basic colors and themes, evolving over time with newer technologies
• Greek literature


  • The oldest surviving Greek works include the epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" by Homer, inspiring later generations of writers
• Greek music and dance

  • Accompanied various aspects of life, with instruments like the lyre and the cithara being prevalent
• Greek drama


  • Rooted in religious festivals, featured tragedies and comedies, reflecting on human emotions and societal dynamics
• Prophecy


  Oedipus is destined to kill his father, King Laius, and marry his mother, Queen Jocasta
• Story of Oedipus


  1. Abandoned as an infant due to the prophecy

  2. Rescued and raised by the King and Queen of Corinth

  3. Unknowingly kills King Laius at a crossroad

  4. Solves the riddle of the Sphinx, earning the throne and marrying Queen Jocasta

  5. Years later, a plague strikes Thebes, and the oracle reveals the murderer of King Laius must be brought to justice

  6. Through investigations, Oedipus discovers the truth of his origins and the tragic reality of his actions

  7. Queen Jocasta takes her own life, and Oedipus blinds himself as punishment

  8. Oedipus is exiled from Thebes, wandering the land as a broken man