One of the most memorable and important pieces of architect from the Hellenistic Greek era would be the Altar of Zeus at Pergamon in western Turkey. The altar was commissioned in the first half of the second century (166- 156 BC) during the rule of King Eumenes II or Attalos II to commemorate territorial victories over Pontos and Bithynia. The Altar was also dedicated to Zeus and Athena in gratitude for their help in the war against the Galatians (aka: barbarians) that were threatening the Pergamane Empire from the east. The Altar of Zeus is very well known for its very grand design and also for it’s frieze, which wraps 370 feet around the base of the altar, depicting gigantomachy (the struggle between gods and the giants). The statue as a whole is thought to have been designed by Phyromachos of Athens, the last of the greatest sculptors from Ancient Greece. The gigantomachy shows the Olympian gods fighting against the Giants; also know as the children of the goddess of Earth, Gaia. The frieze is known for its incredibly high relief on which the figures are barely restrained by the wall and for …show more content…
The gigantomachy frieze represents the full becoming of Hellenistic sculptures. All the statues/ friezes are chiastic and dramatic and full of tension, they are al carved in high relied with deep drilling that allowed the increase of naturalism because of the play of light and shadows. “Pergamon was to be an Athens in the East. Attalos' victory over the Gauls was to be regarded as a triumph of Greeks over barbarians like the Athenian triumph over the Persians. So the Altar of Zeus was the Parthenon of the Pergamenes; and the temple of Athena, which could not carry this symbolism, was yet given a resemblance to the Parthenon when the gateway was built, because a similar slanting view faced the spectator when he emerged from the Parthenon gateway on the Athenian
The Cycladic figurine lacks dimension; it is highly stylized and contains little to no detail that could be found in other ancient Greek art, which suggests that this figurine is commonplace and not one of a
The Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon appeals to our senses by its distinct appearance and story behind it. Each figure is detailed in their facial expressions and/or clothing and surroundings in order to illustrate the deep sense of anguish and supremacy going on within the piece. For example, Athena in the center is created to be beautiful and graceful while what is surrounding her appears to be chaotic and filled with movement. On Athena is deeply carved drapery to create dark shadows and elicit more movement going on. These innovations are what the Hellenistic artists created in order to find more ways to appeal to the
This a testament to the patriarchal nature of the Athenian society. The Parthenon’s sculpture of Athena, created of gold and ivory, shows Athenian’s wealth and power. The inner Ionic frieze representing the Panathenaic Festival shows aristocratic politics, as only important Athenians and gods are shown, and not commoners. It elevates the body
Visual Analysis of the Marble Statuette of Aphrodite The Marble Statuette of Aphrodite is also known as Venus which symbolize Roman imperial power. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, sexuality who was worship by many. The marble sculpture is create by an artist know as Praxiteles during the 4th century BC, ca 150-100 B.C. It was later discover in Benghazi, eastern Libya.
The Roman replica of the Dancing Maenad marble relief showed a dancing woman holding a stick as she looks down in a carefree ecstasy in the famous Greek tragedy The Bacchae. The dancing woman, a maenad, accompanied the Greek god Dionysus up toward the mountains. Although the relief is dated from approximately 27 BCE to 14 CE, the stone sculpture is a replica of a past work from the late 5th century BCE sculpted by Greek sculptor Kallimachos (Metmuseum.org). He also sculpted many other similar works (Richter, 10). Much of Roman culture bore resemblance to past Greek legend, as is exemplified by Dionysus’ transformation into Bacchus.
Two very important historic buildings from the Greek and Roman civilizations, namely the Parthenon and the Pantheon respectively, are worthy of academic exploration. An analysis of their function and style will help to put their design and features into perspective, and create a better appreciation for their emulation in Western civilization. These buildings possess very unique individual characteristic designs, which bears testimony to the societies from which they originate. However, they are also a resourceful database of knowledge in terms of their symbolism, rich heritage of their era and application to the present civilization.
Uncontrolled emotionalism and shameful truth were now common characteristics to most of them. Still throughout the hellenistic, many sculptures were distinguished by their calmness, grace, and compassion for human suffering. The Ancient Greek sculptures were commonly made from stone or wood and very few of them are still existing to this day. Many were made to reflect the image of a freestanding human form even when the statue was of a god, and for this reason many of the sculptures were naked, the Greeks saw nudity as something beautiful. Other of the sculptures showed athletic figures, to essentially portray what the Greeks perceived as an ideal human and what it should look
Statue I displays the subject as a man of remarkable duration in action; the seemingly impossible biological conflict between his young body and mature head shows a successful man that desires to present his lasting legacy of experience and wealth. The body of the Statue forms most of the sculpture and therefore is significant in its execution of symmetry, motion, and style as a means to display the subject as a man of action. Adapted from the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, this piece uses the contrapposto scheme in the symmetrical planes of the joints to convey realistic motion. Like Doryphoros, the system of contrasting joint pairs which traverse the vertical line of symmetry all stem from the right leg that bears his weight.
The relief sculpture was intended to link Augustus and his rule to the achievements of Athens under Pericles by mimicking the style of the processional frieze on the Greek Parthenon. The alter and screen wall are modeled after the Greek altar of Mercy in Athens. The Ara Pacis depicts Augustus’ great achievements beginning with the defeat of Mark Anthony and the Egyptians at Actium ending
(http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/hermes-kriophoros-ram-bearer-152668) • Artifact 2: Fallen Warrior from Temple of Aphaia is a statue of a dying Greek warrior dating from about 480-470 B.C.E. It portrays a mighty hero fighting to the last breath in a battle, which is the traditional Greek concept of tragedy, bravery and loyalty. Even without many details, his figure and muscles are well depicted and his facial expression is remarkably lively and realistic. (http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/aug/14/top-10-ancient-greek-artworks-jonathan-jones) •
Greek Architecture in whole was based on the desire to honor a god or a goddess. In the Parthenon (447 BCE), the goddess of war, victory and wisdom Athena was honored and depicted as Athena Parthenos; meaning virgin. The marble working and combination of both doric and ionic orders served as an example of the complexity and devotion to the goddess Athena, and a height of Greek architecture in the high classical period. As a part of the Akropolis (meaning “high point of the city”), Athena was depicted as such; a goddess who ruled the city of Athens. It embodied the power and wealth of the Athenian people which was illustrated in the details of the work.
Based on “the stylistic characteristics of each of these periods, the style and subject matter of this sculpture, and the conventions that apply to the representations of bodies during these periods” I came to the conclusion that this sculpture belongs to the Greek Archaic period 1050 to 700 BC. The roots of the Greek culture during this period have roots in the Mycenaean culture. Artists from Greek were the first to discover imitation of nature as a principle for art. Greek's humanity was depicted by the repeated nude human figure. A belief that "man is the measure of all things" as seen in the portrait.
Second sculpture is Kroisos from Anavysos, Greece (530 BCE). Although there is a big gap between time and geography, two of these culture has some similarity of form and feature. Firstly, both
“Dying Warrior” (430 BCE) from the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia in Aegina, Greece. It is 5 feet 2 ½ inches long made out of marble. In Khafre’s sculpture he is sitting very stiff and there is no true natural fluidity of the body. For instance, Khafre is sitting but his whole body is attached to the throne or there is no negative space in the arch of the back or where his legs are.
Many believe the Frieze depicts the Panathenaic festival. This is evident in the depiction of gathering outside the Agora, the chariot races, as well as the handing over of the peplos, in Athens. The depiction of a procession in such a marquee architectural structure signifies the importance of processional practices within Greek culture. Not only were processional activities embedded within the structures of ancient Greek structures, they also were embedded within the Greco