Transcript Compartive Civilizations 12 Greek Sculpture K.J. Benoy

Compartive Civilizations 12
Greek Sculpture
K.J. Benoy
Ancient Greek Sculpture
It was in ancient Greece that sculpture as an
art form was revolutionized.
In the hands of the greatest sculptors, stone
was made flesh.
Over a few centuries, Greek sculptors took
the rigid formalism of the Egyptians and
transformed it completely.
The Greeks invented naturalism in
sculpture.
Greek Sculpture
Yet their realism was
more than a portrayal
of mankind as he
really is.
It went much further,
trying to portray man
as he might be.
Greek sculpture
portrayed the ideal,
rather than the real.
Archaic
The Archaic form
dates to around 650
BC.
Forms Tend to be stiff
and representative of
types, rather than
portraits.
All were originally
painted.
Archaic
All wear the
characteristic “Archaic
Smile”
The Rampin Head
Archaic – Kouros Figures
The “Kouros” –
“youth” – is a male
nude form.
Sounion
Kouros
Archaic -- Kouros
Delphian
Kouros
“twins”
Like Phaoronic
standing statues,
one leg is
placed in front
of the other.
Arms are
straight and
stiffly at his
side. Weight is
equally divided.
Archaic -- Kouros
Unlike the
Egyptian
Sculptural forms
that they seem to
be derived from,
these statues are
“in the round” –
divorced from
any stone
background or
architecture.
Anavyssos Kouros
Archaic -- Kore
The female equivalent
of the Kouros is the
“Kore,” or “maiden.”
Kore from Acropolis Museum
Archaic -- Kore
Unlike the Kouros, she
is always clothed. She
shares the stiff and
upright form and
archaic smile,
however.
Peplos Kore
Archaic -- Kore
Like the
Kouros, she
is intended to
be seen from
all directions.
Peplos
Kore
Archaic -- Kore
Both Kouros and Kore
figures were not left in
white marble, as they
are generally seen
today. Rather, they
were luridly painted.
The following images
show how startlingly
different they looked in
their original
appearance.
Archaic Architectural Sculpture
This existed in relief carving.
Olympian gods and the Giants
Archaic Architectural Sculpture
Entire carved figures
were also placed into
architectural settings.
Caryatids (female
columnar supports) in
porch. Treasury of the
Siphnians, Delphi
Classical Sculpture
In the early 5th century
BC, a remarkable
transition took place in
Greek Sculpture.
Archaic stiffness gave
way to greater
naturalism.
This is noticeable in
the Kritios Boy – a
new interpretation of
the Kouros form.
Classical – Kritios Boy
Kritios Boy has softer
lines.
He also is given a
contrapposto stance –
his weight is unevenly
distributed between
his feet and his body
has a slight s-curve as
a consequence.
Motion is apparent,
rather than implied.
Classical Sculpture
Here, in
Doryphorus, the
spear bearer, the
contraposto
stance is readilly
apparent.
Again, this is a
Roman marble
copy, this time of
a work by the
other great Greek
master,
Polykleitos.
Classical Sculpture
The archaic
smile is
replaced
with varied,
but
generally
serious
expressions.
Riace Bronze
Warrior
Athena
Classical Sculpture
Often a moment of
balance is portrayed.
As in this statue of
Poseidon (Zeus?)
Classical Sculpture
Or in this statue,
Discobolus, by
the great master,
Myron.
Here in Roman
copies in marble
of the bronze
original.
Classical Sculpture
The Parthenon
One of the world’s
greatest architectural
achievements, the
Parthenon, in Athens is
also one of the world’s
most important sculptural
sources.
Unfortunately, like the
building itself, most of its
sculptures are now
fragmented.
Classical Sculpture
The Parthenon
Many figures have
been removed
altogether.
The British museum
holds a considerable
number of significant
pieces, known as the
Elgin Marbles.
Dionysus
Classical Sculpture
The Parthenon
The frieze, a 160 meter long portrayal of the Panathenaic
Procession, displays a rhythmic sense that matches the
columnar architecture perfectly.
Classical Sculpture
The Parthenon
At the heart of the
Parthenon stood an
enormous statue of
Athena, now lost.
Clad in ivory and
gold, she dominated
the main chamber, or
cella.
Marble copy of the Parthenon Athena
Classical Sculpture
The Erectheum
Of course the Parthenon is
not the only building to grace
the Athenian Acropolis.
The Erectheum also has
notable sculpture in the form
of the caryatids that support
the roof of the Porch of the
Maidens
Hellenistic Sculpture
The term Hellenistic
generally is applied to
the last phase of Greek
art and is associated
with the expansion of
the Greek state under
and after Alexander
the Great.
Hellenistic Sculpture
However, the
characteristic style of
the Hellenistic period
predates Alexander.
Most art historians
now see it as a natural
progression from
Classical traditions.
Late Classical or Hellenistic?
The Dying Niobid
Hellenistic Sculpture
From the late 5th
century BC, patrons
seemed to look for
more variety and even
greater realism, as in
this portrayal of an old
woman.
Hellenistic Sculpture
Portrait sculptures
were quite popular,
like the Mausolus and
the many statues and
busts of Alexander the
Great.
The statue of Mausolus
Hellenistic Sculpture
Drapery in the
Hellenistic
period is
particularly
detailed and
gives a sense of
movement that
was lacking in
the classical
period.
Classical – The Charioteer
Hellenistic – The
Veiled Dancer
Hellenistic Sculpture
The Best example of
this is the Nike of
Samothrace.
The fabric both drapes
and clings to the
underlying flesh in
unsurpassed
naturalism.
Hellenistic Sculpture
Sensuousness is
stressed as
clothing reveals
rather than
conceals the
form of the body
beneath
Hellenistic Sculpture
Female nudes were
much more in
evidence in the
Hellenistic period.
The most famous is
the Louvre’s other
great Hellenistic work,
the Venus de Milo.
Hellenistic Sculpture
Hellenistic Sculpture
Expression took
the form of
dramatic
gestures and
contorted
figures.
Like the Dying
Gaul.
Hellenistic Sculpture
…or the
Laocoon
group.
Hellenistic Sculpture
…or this
Centaur
tortured by
cupid.
Conclusion
The importance of Greece’s contribution to
sculpture is impossible to overstate.
In the hands of its best sculptors, stone became a
plastic substance capable of mimicing or even
exceeding reality.
Its Classical and Hellenistic forms entranced
Greece’s Roman conquerors and provided
inspiration for the great stone carvers from the
Renaissance to modern times.
Finis