Classical Art Study Guide Notes Flashcards
Cycladic ARt
Large number of marble idols found in tombs, mainly standing nude female figure with arms folded across the chest
MINOAN Architecture
Most ambitious palace found at Knossos
Palace at Knossos
Excavated by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans
Complicated maze of rooms, multi story, characteristic downward tapering column, thrown room
MINOAN Sculpture
Faience snake goddess
MINOAN Painting
Frescoes from Knossos include: La Parisienne, The Prince of the Lilies, Dolphin fresco, Toreador fresco
MINOAN Paintings Frescoes from Thera
Boxing Children, Blue Monkeys, Fisherman
MINOAN Vases
Harvester Vase, Octopus, Vase, Bull’s Head rhyton
MYCENAEANS Mycenae
Fortified with “cyclopean” walls, Lion Gate, Treasury of Artreus, Gold “Mask of Agamemnon” discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in shaft graves, Warrior vase
MYCENAEANS Pylos
Excavated by the American archaeologist Carl Blegen
MYCENAEANS Michael Ventris
Deciphered Linear B tablets
POTTERY Protogeometric
1000-900 BC
Pots were decorated with black hands, wavy lines, and simply geometric designs, concentric circles
POTTERY Geometric
900-700 BC
Human and animal figures added, meander pattern, triangles
Diplyon Vase - large vase that served as a grave monument, depicts a funeral scene
POTTERY Orientalizing
700-600 BC
Pottery begins to show signs of influence from the East, decorative floral motifs, animals
The Eleusis Amphora - depicts the blinding of Polyphemus by Odysseus
POTTERY Black Figure Technique
700 BC in Corinth
The design is silhouetted in black against the reddish clay, details are scratched in with a needle
Francois Vase - painter - Kleitias, depicts the wedding of Peleus and Thetis
Ajax and Achilles Playing Dice -amphora by Exekias
POTTERY Red Figure Technique
Athens 530 BC
The figures are left red and the background is black, allows for greater detail, foreshortening
Death of Sparpedon - krater by Euphronios
POTTERY Vase
Amphora
- two handled vase used for storage and transport
POTTERY Vase Shapes
Krater
Used for mixing wine with water
POTTERY Vase shapes
Kylix and Kantharos
Drinking cups
POTTERY Vase Shapes
Lekythos
Used for oils and perfumes, and for pouring funeral libations
SCULPTURE Archaic Period 600-480 BC
Kouros
Male, free standing nude, with one foot forward, stiff, hair - formalized (wig-like)
SCULPTURE Archaic Period 600-480 BC
Kore
Female, free-standing, always clothed
SCULPTURE Archaic Period 600-480 BC
Battle of the Gods and Giants
Frieze from the Siphnian Treasury
SCULPTURE Critias Boy
Marks the end of the Archaic and the beginning of the Classical Period. For the first time the figure is no longer looking or walking straight ahead, his head and the upper part of his body are turned, his weight shifts from one leg to another and his hips move (CONTRAPPOSTO)
SCULPTURE Classical Period 5th century BC
Parthenon Sculpture
92 metopes: North (Trojan War), East (Gigantomachy),
South (Lapiths and Centaurs), West (Amazonomachy)
Inner frieze: over 500 ft. in length, depicts Panathenaic Procession, done in low relief,
skillful handling of space (as many as 6 horses shown riding abreast)
West pediment: competition between Athena and Poseidon for patronage of Athens
East pediment: birth of Athena (surviving figures – Dionysus; Three Goddesses; and
Demeter, Persephone, and Iris
Massive chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Athena (kept in the cella) – does not survive
Elgin Marbles – the sculpture from the Parthenon displayed in the British Museum – taken there by
Lord Elgin in the 19th century
SCULPTURE Classical Period
Bronze Sculpture
lighter than marble, allows for a variety of poses, statues show movement
Zeus of Artemesium
Charioteer of Delphi
Doryphorus (Spear-Bearer) – by Polyclitus, survives only in marble copies, stands in contrapposto position, represented the ideal proportions of the human body.
Polyclitus wrote a book on this subject called the Canon.
Discobolus (Discus-Thrower) – by Myron, only a Roman marble copy survives
Riace Bronzes
SCULPTURE Late Classical Period
Praxiteles
Hermes and the Infant Dionysus – elongated body, extreme contrapposto stance (S curve)
Aphrodite of Cnidos – known only through copies, first life-size female nude
Renowned for its beauty
Late Classical Period
Lysippus
Alexander the Great’s personal sculptor, created stock representation of god-like Alexander, with tousled hair and eyes looking upward Apoxyomenos (the Scraper) – known only from Roman copies
SCULPTURE Hellenistic Period
Sculpture is more dramatic and emotional than the Classical period, harsh diagonal lines, movement
Realism: for the first time, the elderly and unattractive are portrayed
Dying Gaul (from Pergamum), Gigantomachy frieze (Altar of Zeus, Pergamum) Winged Victory of Samothrace
Laocoon group
TEMPLES Parts
Naos
Room in which the statue of the god was kept
TEMPLES Parts
Pronaos
Porch
TEMPLES Parts
Opisthodomos
Back porch
TEMPLES Parts
Peristyle
Encircling colonnade
TEMPLES Parts
Stylobate
Top step of the platform on which the temple is built
TEMPLES Parts
Pediment
The triangle formed by the roof at each end of the temple - sometimes filled with sculpture
TEMPLES Architecture
Doric
massive and simple. Columns were topped by a cushion-like, undecorated capital, which supported a plain undecorated architrave. This supported the frieze which consisted of alternating triglyphs (a rectangle of three vertical grooves) and metopes (rectangles which could be plain, painted, or filled with relief sculpture). There was one triglyph over each column and one between each pair of columns
Temple of Hera at Olympia (ca. 600 B.C.), Temple of Zeus at Olympia (ca. 460 B.C.)
Temple of Hephaestus, (Athenian Agora)
Propylaea - entrance to the Athenian Acropolis
Parthenon (448-432 B.C.) – temple to Athena, Athenian acropolis
architects Ictinus and Callicrates,
the perfect embodiment of Doric architecture, also contains elements of the Ionic order
TEMPLES Architecture
Ionic
more delicate and ornate. The columns were slender, rested on elaborate bases, and their capitals were scroll-like (volutes). The frieze was undivided and sometimes decorated with a continuous band of relief sculpture
Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis (427-424 B.C.), architect Callicrates
The Erechtheum on the Acropolis (421-409 B.C.) – architect Mnesicles
South porch – Porch of the Maidens – 6 caryatids – sculptured maidens used as columns
TEMPLES Architecture
Corinthian
a version of the Ionic order, the column capital was elaborate, decorated with acanthus leaves, invented at the end of the 5th century B.C., much used in Hellenistic and Roman times
Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens
ETRUSCAN ART Tombs
Most of what we know about the Etruscans comes from their tombs whose frescoes depict scenes of
everyday life, mythology, and funeral rites, typically in bright colors and a lively style. The frescoes depict scenes of feasting, dancing, swimming, fishing, and playing. The decline of their civilization, in the shadow of Rome’s expansion, is reflected in their later art, which becomes more somber.
Tomb of Hunting and Fishing (ca. 520 B.C.) - Tarquinia
Tomb of the Triclinium (ca. 480 B.C.) – Tarquinia
Tomb of the Reliefs (4th century B.C.) – Cerveteri – imitates the interior of a house, covered with relief sculpture of weapons, armor, household implements, small animals, and busts of the deceased
ETRUSCAN ART Sculpture
Apollo of Veii (ca. 550 B.C.) – terracotta statue of Apollo, archaic style, decorated a temple pediment Sarcophagus of the Spouses (ca. 520 B.C.) Capitoline Wolf (ca. 480 B.C.) - bronze Chimaera of Arezzo (ca. 400 B.C.) – bronze
ETRUSCAN ART Bucchero pottery
Characterized by its shiny black surface
ROMAN REPUBLIC Temples
The earliest Roman temples were adapted from Etruscan architecture. Distinguishing features:
high podium, deep porch supported by widely spaced columns, gabled roof covered with terracotta tiles
and large antefixes along the edge of the roof
Temple of Fortuna Virilis (125 B.C.), Forum Boarium – fusion of Greek and Tuscan traditions
ROMAN REPUBLIC Sanctuary of Fortuna
at Praeneste (Palestrina), 1st century B.C. Large temple complex, laid out on a steep hillside, a series of ramps and terraces lead up to a large colonnaded court, from there a flight of steps arranged like the seats of a Greek theater lead to the semicircular colonnade at the top. An entire hillside transformed and articulated so that the architectural forms seem to grow out of the rock Illustrates early use of arches, barrel vaults, concrete (all impt. characteristics of Roman architecture)
ROMAN REPUBLIC Portraiture
characterized by verism – realisms, shows imperfections (“warts and all”) – compare to idealism of Greek portraiture
Capitoline Brutus, bronze
Pompey the Great – small eyes, bulbous nose, puffy face = the real Pompey. Thick, tousled hair reminiscent of Lysippus’ portraits of Alexander the Great
JULIO-CLAUDIAN EMPERORS Augustus of Prima Porta
displayed in the Vatican Museums
Augustus is depicted as a victorious general, the face is recognizable as Augustus, but the body is idealized, air of divinity, elaborate breastplate depicts the return of the Parthian standards. Structural support provided by Cupid riding a dolphin (a reference to Augustus divine ancestry – goddess Venus)
JULIO-CLAUDIAN EMPERORS Ara Pacis
(9 B.C.) – the Altar of Peace
Decorated with relief sculpture – Imperial Procession – portraits of Augustus and his family
Tellus (Earth goddess) Panel – seated goddess (perhaps the personification of Italy), embraces two children, lush vegetation, represents peace and prosperity of Augustan age
JULIO-CLAUDIAN EMPERORS Gemma Augustea
large cameo. Augustus portrayed as Jupiter, seated next to the goddess Roma, the lower scene depicts Roman soldiers erecting a war trophy in the presence of captured barbarians
JULIO-CLAUDIAN EMPERORS Domus Aurea
“Golden House” of the emperor Nero, extravagantly decorated, huge grounds, built after the great fire of Rome (64 A.D.)
Octagonal room – ceiling rotated to reflect the movement of the heavens
Rooms decorated with frescoes (3rd Pompeiian style)
FLAVIAN EMPERORS Arch of Titus
commemorates Titus’ conquest of Jerusalem, erected in 81 A.D., located in the Roman Forum. Relief panel shows the triumphal procession (spoils from the Temple in Jerusalem)
FLAVIAN EMPERORS Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum)
completed in 80 A.D., accommodated 50, 000 spectators
Concrete core – miles of vaulted corridors, masterpiece of engineering efficiency to ensure the smooth
flow of traffic
Exterior – 80 arched entrances, three levels of arches framed by engaged columns (ground floor – Doric, followed by Ionic and Corinthian)
POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM Town
Buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D, discovered in the 18th century
POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM Frescoes
First Style
Imitates stone masonry
POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM Frescoes
Second Style
introduces images and landscapes surrounded by an
architectural frame, extending the interior space by the use of perspective. The illusions are always rational and naturalistic
Villa of the Mysteries
Bedroom from Boscoreale (from the villa of P. Fannius Synistor, displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of New York)
POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM Frescoes
Third Style
emphasized the flat confining nature of the walls,
characterized by the use of delicate and sophisticated details, denied all appearances of
rationality and logic. Wall was painted a solid color (red, black or white), slender architectural details enclose small vignettes in the center of the wall
Domus Aurea frescoes
Boscotrecase frescoes (also displayed in the Metropolitan Museum)
POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM Frescoes
Fourth Style
a synthesis between 2nd style spaciousness and 3rd style elegance, elaborate Baroque illusionism
House of the Vettii (Ixion Room), Pompeii
POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM House of the faun
large Roman villa, named for the bronze statue of a faun located in the impluvium Alexander Mosaic (a copy of a 3rd century B.C. Greek painting) – depicts Alexander the Great’s victory over the Persian king Darius
FIVE GOOD EMPERORS Forum of Trajan
largest of the imperial Fora, architect – Apollodorus of Damascus Trajan’s column – decorated with a spiral band of relief depicting Trajan’s Dacian campaigns, More than 2500 human figures, in addition to horses, boats, vehicles, military equipment
FIVE GOOD EMPERORS Pantheon
best preserved Roman structure, temple dedicated to all gods,
On the site of an earlier temple built by M. Agrippa (inscription)
The emperor Hadrian himself probably played a role in the design
Traditional exterior – deep porch, Corinthian columns,
Interior - round, dome roof, oculus (“eye”) – 25 feet wide, lets in light
The dome and the drum are of equal heights – in exact balance
FIVE GOOD EMPERORS Hadrians Mausoleum
Castel Sant’ Angelo
FIVE GOOD EMPERORS Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
columned (10 monolithic Corinthian columns) portico still visible in the Roman Forum
FIVE GOOD EMPERORS Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
Made of bronze, larger than life size
A copy stands in the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio, the square designed by Michelangelo on the Capitoline Hill
LATER EMPIRE Arch of Septimius Severus
Located in the Roman Forum
LATER EMPIRE Diocletian
reorganized the empire into a tetrarchy
Statues of the Four Tetrarchs – not individual portraits, each figure looks the same
Lack of realism, naturalism, figures are stiff and rigid
LATER EMPIRE Arch of Constantine
dedicated in 315 A.D. in honor of his defeat of Maxentius
Located near the Colosseum, three archways
Decorated with sculpture taken from earlier monuments (Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian)
Friezes from the time of Constantine – stylistic change, non-naturalistic approach, lacks spatial depth,
Constantine is disproportionately large, other figures stumpy, doll-like
LATER EMPIRE Basilica of Maxentius
located in the Roman Forum,
Was the largest building in ancient Rome Contained a colossal statue of Constantine (head, foot, hand remain)
Today only the north aisle (three large barrel vaults) is standing
