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Classical Civilization = Greek + Roman
* Word "classical" used by Europeans in the 16th­17th centuries; comes from Latin "classicus": "first rank"
* In 1599 it means first defining form * Shows what Europeans in late Renaissance and early Enlightenment thought was the first defining form for THEIR civilization: Greek + Roman.
* Why not just GREEK? Romans borrowed a lot from Hellenistic culture (late Greek civilization):
> Sculpture copies made.
> Architecture imitated.
> In literature, realist forms used.
Classical
Polis
Greek Civilization
Many city­states
Larger political units
Greek age of monarchs
(all powerful)
Rise of tyrants
(strong leaders)
Predominance of
Athens
...in Athens Draco (severe reign)
and Solun (law­giver, reformer)
...Later: some develop
aristocracies (rule by landowning nobles)
...Later: others develop
oligarchies
(rule by small groups of
landowners, merchants, artisans)
Macedonian Empire
then local Greek rulers
5th century
...largely because of
role in defeating Persians
...the Golden Age.
...Pericles (495­425)
...ended with Sparta's invasion
...democracy
...Philip: "non­Greek" who conquered Greece
...Alexander: builds short­lived empire (Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, Armenia India)
...Generals divide up the spoils:
Ptolemy in Egypt
Seleucus in Persia
Antigonus in Macedonia
Lysander in Asia­Minor
No more independent
city­states
Greek Civilization
1
Athens v Sparta
Philip
2
Polis
Greek Civilization Many city­states
Larger political units
Macedonian Empire
then local Greek rulers
Predominance of
Athens
5th century
...largely because of
role in defeating Persians
...Philip: "non­Greek" who conquered Greece
...Alexander: builds short­lived empire (Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, Armenia India)
...the Golden Age.
...Pericles (495­425)
...ended with Sparta's invasion
...Generals divide up the spoils:<<
<
Ptolemy in Egypt
ese
Seleucus in Persia er th
qu
Antigonus in Macedonia
n
co
Lysander in Asia­Minor
ns
a
om
No more independent
>R
>> city­states
Greek Civilization
Alexander the Great's Empire and its Division among Generals
Alexander
3
In terms of culture...
Polis
Many city­states
• Individualism and “Freedom” • Participatory Government (Democracy) • The Primacy of Rational, Secular Thought • Emphasis on the IDEAL (the perfect image)
Naturalism in Drama and Philosophy
Visual truth! Drama: Aeschylus > Euripides
Philosophy: Sophists, Socrates
Larger political units
• Syncretic (Greek merged with other cultures)
• Eclectic
• Alexandria important, not Athens
• Commerce determines status, not birth
• Increased secularism (gods less popular)
• More female nudes than male.
• Much more animated positions.
• Triumph of humanism over idealism?
Fixed framework; frontal only position
Greek Civilization
Classical Greek
Hellenistic
Capture the Ideal and Perfect
Heroic
Serenity and Peace
Individual and Specific
Individual Emotion
Pathos and Melodrama
Mar 27­5:56 AM
4
Classical
Humanism vs Idealism?
Nature vs Truth?
* More naturalistic
* Slightly turned; weight shifted > no strict front­on view
* "Greater" expressiveness
Kritios Boy (480 BCE)
Classical
Classical
Humanism vs Idealism?
Nature vs Truth?
* Roman copy (original gone)
* Even greater expressiveness
* Less timid stance
* Movement suggests "strolling"
* Very much an IDEAL
* "consevative, idealizing tendency"
...like Plato's philosophy?
Polykleitos, Spear Thrower (450 BCE)
Classical
5
The Hellenistic Period
Nike of Samothrace
Samothrace, Greece ca. 190 BC
Nike’s missing right arm was
The wind sweeps her drapery. Her
himation (cloak) bunches in thick folds
around her right leg,
and her chiton (undergarment, like a slip)
is pulled tightly across her abdomen and
left leg.
The statues theatrical effect
was amplified by its setting.
This sculpture was part of a two­tiered
Mar 27­5:56 AM
The Hellenistic Period
Dying Gaul
Pergamon, Turkey ca. 230­220 BCE
Again, this depiction is reflective of the drama seen on the stages of the Greek amphitheaters at this time. The dying Gaul winces in pain as blood pours from the large gash in his chest. The concept of pathos became increasingly popular toward the end of the history of Greek sculpture. Mar 27­5:56 AM
6
The Hellenistic Period
Still classical in
feeling…
Aphrodite of
Knidos
Praxiteles , 330 BCE
Nude
Modest
At rest
Definitely Hellenistic
Aphrodite (of Melos)
ca. 150­125 BC
Undressed
More twist to the body
More sensuous
garment has slipped –
makes her seem undressed,
naked and revealed
Mar 27­5:56 AM
The Hellenistic Period
Sleeping Saytr (Barberini Faun)
Rome, Italy ca. 230­220 BC
Overtly erotic
Mar 27­5:56 AM
7
The Hellenistic Period
Old Market Woman
ca. 150­100 BC
This old woman is depicted carrying
chickens, fruit, and vegetables to sell at the
market.
Her face is wrinkled, her body is bent with
age...grotesque
Hellenistic art reflects a new
and unstable social climate
in Greece. Social instability
gave way to the depiction
of a much wider variety of
physical types, including
different ethnic types.
Mar 27­5:56 AM
The Hellenistic Period
Laocoön and his sons
ca. 200 BCE
Sea serpents strangle Laocoön
and his two sons as they sacrificed
at an altar. The gods who favored
the Greeks in the war against Troy
had sent the serpents to punish
Laocoön, who had tried to warn
his compatriots about the danger
of bringing the Greeks’ wooden
horse within the walls of their city.
Everything about this piece signals
the Hellenistic period.
The facial expressions are
exaggerated,
the muscles fully flexed,
dramatic movement is indicated,
and strong diagonals
Mar 27­5:56 AM
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