ACTIVITY

Greek and
Roman Arts
(Art Appreciation)

SHARINA MHYCA A. SAMONTE

BSBA-2A
 GREEK ARTS
Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan civilization, and gave birth to
Western classical art in the subsequent Geometric, Archaic and Classical
periods. It stands out among other ancient cultures for its development of
naturalistic but idealized depictions of the human body, in which largely nude
male figures were generally the focus of innovation.

GREEK ARCHITECTURE
Greek architecture, technically very simple, established a harmonious style with
numerous detailed conventions that were
largely adopted by Roman architecture
and are still followed in some modern
buildings. Since most Greek buildings in the
Archaic and Early Classical periods were
made of wood or mud-brick, nothing
remains of them except a few ground-plans, Two early Archaic Doric order Greek
temples at Paestum, Italy, with much
and there are almost no written sources on wider capitals than later.
early architecture or descriptions of
buildings.
ARCHAIC PERIOD GREEK ARCHITECTURE

It was during 6th and 7th centuries that stone

was used for Greek public buildings
(petrification), especially temples. Greek
architecture relied on simple post-and-lintel
building techniques: arches weren't used
until the Roman era. The typical rectangular
building was surrounded by a line of
columns on all four or, less often, at the front Temple of Hephaistos, Athens, well-
preserved mature Doric, late 5th century
and rear only. Roofs were constructed with BC
timber beams overlaid with terracotta tiles.
Pediments (the triangular shape at each gable end) were decorated with relief
sculpture or friezes, as was the row of lintels between the roof and the tops of the
columns. Greek architects were the first to base their architectural design on the
standard of proportionality.

CLASSICAL PERIOD GREEK ARCHITECTURE

Like most Greek visual art, building design reached its apogee during the Classical
period.

two main styles of Greek architecture

1. Doric - was the more formal and austere. A style which predominated
during the 4th and 5th centuries.
2. Ionic - was more relaxed and somewhat decorative. A style which became

more popular during the more easy-going Hellenistic era.

The highpoint of ancient Greek architecture was arguably the Acropolis, the flat-
topped, sacred hill on the outskirts of
Athens. The first temples, erected here
during the Archaic period, were
destroyed by the Persians in 480, but
when the city-state entered its golden
age (c.460-430), its ruler Pericles
appointed the sculptor Phidias to oversee
ACROPOLIS
the construction of a new complex.

HELLENISTIC PERIOD GREEK ARCHITECTURE

The division of the Greek Empire into separate entities, each with its own ruler and
dynasty, created huge new opportunities for self-aggrandisement. In Asia Minor,
a new capital city was built at Pergamon (Pergamum), by the Attalids; in Persia,
the Seleucids evolved a form of Baroque-style building design; in Egypt, the
Ptolemaic dynasty constructed the lighthouse and library at Alexandria. Palatial
architecture was revitalized and numerous municipal structures were built to
boost the influence of local rulers.

Temple architecture, however, experienced a major slump. From 300 BCE

onwards, the Greek peripteral temple
(single row of pillars on all sides) lost
much of its importance: indeed,
except for some activity in the western
half of Asia Minor temple construction
came to a virtual stop during the third
century, both in mainland Greece and
in the nearby Greek colonies. Even
SARDIS monumental projects, like the
 Artemision at Sardis and the temple of Apollo at Didyma near Miletus, made little
progress. All this changed during the second century, when temple building
experienced something of a revival due partly to increased prosperity, partly to
improvements made by the architect Hermogenes of Priene to the Ionic style of
architecture, and partly to the cultural propaganda war waged (for increased
influence) between the various Hellenistic kingdoms, and between them and
Rome.

GREEK SCULPTURE
ARCHAIC PERIOD GREEK SCULPTURE
Archaic Greek sculpture during this period was still
heavily influenced by Egyptian sculpture, as well as
Syrian techniques. Greek sculptors created stone friezes
and reliefs, as well as statues in stone, terracotta and
bronze, and miniature works in ivory and bone. The early
style of freestanding Daedalic sculpture (650-600) - as
exemplified by the works of Daedalus, Dipoinos and
Skyllis.

It was dominated by two human stereotypes:

1. The standing nude youth (kouros)

2. the standing draped girl (kore)

Of these, the male nudes were seen as more DAEDALIC SCULPTURE

important. To begin with, both the kouros and the kore

were sculpted in a rather rigid, "frontal", Egyptian style, with wide-shoulders,
narrow-waists, arms hanging, fists clenched, both feet on the ground, and a fixed
"archaic smile": see, for instance, Lady of Auxerre (630, Louvre) and Kleobis and
Biton.

As time passed, the representation of these formulaic statues became less

rigid and more realistic. Later, more advanced, Archaic versions of kouroi and
korai include the "Peplos Kore" and the "Kritios Boy".

Other famous works include:

a. Strangford Apollo (600-580, British Museum)

b. Dipylon Kouros (c.600, Athens, Kerameikos Museum)
c. Anavysos Kouros (c.525, National Archeological Museum of Athens)
d. Fascinating frieze of the Siphnian Treasury, Delphi

CLASSICAL PERIOD GREEK SCULPTURE

During the era as a whole, there was a huge improvement in the technical ability
of Greek sculptors to depict the human body in a naturalistic rather than rigid
posture. Anatomy became more accurate and as a result statue started to look
much more true-to-life. Also, bronze became the main medium for free-standing
works due to its ability to maintain its shape, which permitted the sculpting of even
more natural-looking poses. Subjects
were broadened to include the full
panoply of Gods and Goddesses,
along with minor divinities, an extensive
range of mythological narratives, and
a diverse selection of athletes. Other
specific developments included: the
introduction of a Platonic "Canon of
NEREUS, DORIS, A GIANT, OCEANUS,
Proportions", to create an idealized
FROM THE PERGAMON ALTAR (DETAIL),
2ND CENTURY BC. human figure, and the invention of
contrapposto. During the Late Classical era, the first respectable female nudes
appeared.

As mentioned above, the Parthenon was a typical example of how the Greeks
used sculpture to decorate and enhance their religious buildings. Originally, the
Parthenon's sculptures fell into three groups:

1. On the triangular pediments at either end were large-scale free-standing

groups containing numerous figures of Gods and mythological scenes.
2. Along both sides were almost 100 reliefs of struggling figures including Gods,
humans, centaurs and others.
3. Around the whole building ran another relief, some 150 metres in length,
which portrayed the Great Panathenia - a religious 4-yearly festival in praise
of Athena.

Despite being badly damaged, the Parthenon sculptures reveal the supreme
artistic ability of their creators. Above all, they - like many other classical Greek
sculptures - reveal an astonishing sense of movement as well as a noted realism
of the human body.

HELLENISTIC PERIOD GREEK SCULPTURE

Hellenistic Greek sculpture continued the Classical trend towards ever greater
naturalism. Animals, as well as ordinary people of all ages, became acceptable
subjects for sculpture, which was frequently commissioned by wealthy individuals
or families to decorate their homes and gardens. Sculptors no longer felt obliged
to portray men and women as ideals of beauty. In fact, the idealized classical
serenity of the fifth and fourth centuries gave way
to greater emotionalism, an intense realism, and
an almost Baroque-like dramatization of subject
matter. For a typical style of this form of plastic art,
see Pergamene School of Hellenistic Sculpture
(241-133 BCE).

Thus, a large market developed in the production

and export of Greek sculpture, leading to a fall in
workmanship and creativity. Also, in their quest for
greater expressionism, Greek sculptors resorted to
more monumental works, a practice which found
PERGAMENE SCHOOL OF
its ultimate expression in the Colossus of Rhodes HELLENISTIC SCULPTURE
(c.220 BCE). (241-133 BCE).

GREEK PAINTING
ARCHAIC PERIOD GREEK PAINTING

Since most vases and sculptures were painted, the growth of pottery and
sculpture during the 7th century led automatically to more work for Greek
painters. In addition, the walls of many temples, municipal buildings and tombs
were decorated with fresco painting, while their marble or wooden sculpture was
colored with tempera or encaustic paint. Encaustic had some of the lustre of oil
painting, a medium unknown to the Greeks, and became a popular painting
method for stone statues and architectural reliefs during the sixth century. Archaic
Greek painting boasts very few painted panels: the only examples we have are
the Pitsa panels decorated in stucco colored with mineral pigments.
Unfortunately, due to
erosion, vandalism and
destruction, few original
Greek paintings have
survived from this period. All
that remains are a few
painted slabs of terracotta
THE TERRACOTTA METOPES
(the terracotta metopes
from the temple of Apollo at Thermon in Aitolia c.630), some wooden panels (the
four Pitsa panels found in a cave in the northern Peloponnese), and murals (such
as the 7th century battle scene taken from a temple at Kalapodi, near Thebes,
and those excavated from underground tombs in Etruria). Apart from certain
individuals, like Cimon of Cleonae, the names of Archaic Greek painters are
generally unknown to us. The most prevalent art form to shed light on ancient
Greek painting is pottery, which at least gives us a rough idea of Archaic
aesthetics and techniques. Note, however, that vase-painting was seen as a low
art form and is rarely referred to in Classical literature.

CLASSICAL PERIOD GREEK SCULPTURE

In the history of sculpture, no period was more productive than the 150 years
between 480 and 330 BCE. As far as plastic art is concerned, there may be sub-
divided into:

a. Early Classical Greek Sculpture (480-450)

b. High Classical Greek Sculpture (450-400)
c. Late Classical Greek Sculpture (400-323)
 During the era as a whole, there was a huge
improvement in the technical ability of Greek
sculptors to depict the human body in a
naturalistic rather than rigid posture. Anatomy
became more accurate and as a result statue
started to look much more true-to-life. Also,
bronze became the main medium for free-
standing works due to its ability to maintain its
shape, which permitted the sculpting of even
more natural-looking poses. Subjects were

MYRON SCULPTURE broadened to include the full panoply of Gods

and Goddesses, along with minor divinities, an
extensive range of mythological narratives, and a diverse selection of athletes.
Other specific developments included: the introduction of a Platonic "Canon of
Proportions", to create an idealized human figure, and the invention of
contrapposto. During the Late Classical era, the first respectable female nudes
appeared.

HELLENISTIC PERIOD GREEK PAINTING

The increased demand for Greek-style sculpture was mirrored by a similar

increase in the popularity of Hellenistic Greek painting, which was taught and
propagated in a number of separate schools, both on the mainland and in the
islands. Regarding subject-matter, Classical favorites such as mythology and
contemporary events were superseded by genre paintings, animal studies, still life,
landscapes and other similar subjects, largely in line with the decorative styles
uncovered at Herculaneum and Pompeii (1st century BCE and later), many of
which are believed to be copies of Greek originals.
Perhaps the greatest contribution of Hellenist painters was in portrait art, notably
the Fayum mummy portraits, dating from the 1st century BCE onwards. These
beautifully preserved panel paintings, from the Coptic period - in all, some 900
works - are the only significant body of art to have survived intact from Greek
Antiquity. Found mostly around the Fayum (Faiyum) Basin in Egypt, these realistic
facial portraits were attached to the funeral cloth itself, so as to cover the faces
of mummified bodies. Artistically speaking, the images belong to the Greek style
of portraiture, rather than any Egyptian tradition. See also Greek Mural and Panel
Painting Legacy.

Fayum mummy portraits

 ROMAN ARTS
The art of Ancient Rome and its Empire includes architecture, painting, sculpture
and mosaic work. Luxury objects in metal-work, gem engraving, ivory carvings,
and glass are sometimes considered to be minor forms of Roman art, although
they were not considered as such at the time. Sculpture was perhaps
considered as the highest form of art by Romans, but figure painting was also
highly regarded. While the traditional view of the ancient Roman artists is that
they often borrowed from, and copied Greek precedents (much of the Greek
sculptures known today are in the form of Roman marble copies), more of
recent analysis has indicated that Roman art is a highly creative pastiche relying
heavily on Greek models but also encompassing Etruscan, native Italic, and
even Egyptian visual culture. Stylistic eclecticism and practical application are
the hallmarks of much Roman art.

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
Rome's greatest contribution to the history of art is undoubtedly to be found in the
field of architectural design. Roman architecture during the age of the Republic
(knowledge of which derives largely from the 1st-century Roman architect
Vitruvius) discovered the round temple and the curved arch but, after the turn of
the Millennium, Roman architects and engineers developed techniques for urban
building on a massive scale. The erection of monumental structures like the
Pantheon and the Colosseum, would have been impossible without Rome's
development of the arch and the dome, as well as its mastery of strong and low-
cost materials like concrete and bricks.
 The Romans didn't invent the arch - it was known
but not much used in Greek architecture - but they
were the first to master the use of multiple arches,
or vaults. From this, they invented the Roman groin
vault - two-barrel vaults set at right-angles - which
represented a revolutionary improvement on the
old Greek post-and-lintel method, as it enabled
architects to support far heavier loads and to span
much wider openings. The Romans also made
frequent use of the semicircular arch, typically GROIN VAULT

without resorting to mortar: relying instead on the precision of their stonework.

MYRON SCULPTURE
Arches and vaults played a critical role in the
erection of buildings like the Baths of Diocletian
and the Baths of Caracalla, the Basilica of
Maxentius and the Colosseum. The arch was
also an essential component in the building of
BATHS OF DIOCLETIAN bridges, exemplified by the Pont du Gard and
the bridge at Merida,
Colosseum and aqueducts, exemplified by the one at Segovia, and
Rome Tickets

Baths ofClaudia
also the Aqua Diocletian and Anio Novus in Rome itself.

Colosseum Rome Tickets

Baths of Diocletian

ROMAN SCULPTURE
Roman sculpture may be divided into four main categories:
GROIN VAULT
1. Historical reliefs
2. Portrait busts and statues, including equestrian statues
MYRON SCULPTURE
3. Funerary reliefs, sarcophagi or tomb sculpture
4. Copies of ancient Greek works
Roman Sculpture Purpose

To impress the public

Be they Roman citizens or 'barbarians'

Communicate the power and majesty of

Rome

In its important works, at least, there was a constant expression of seriousness, with
none of the Greek conceptualism or introspection. The mood, pose and facial
features of the Roman statue of an Emperor, for instance, was typically solemn
and unsmiling. As Rome grew more confident from the reign of Augustus (31 BCE
- 14 CE), its leaders might appear in more magnanimous poses, but gravitas and
an underlying sense of Roman greatness was never far from the surface. Another
important characteristic of Rome's plastic art was its realism. The highly detailed
reliefs on Trajan's Column and the Column of Marcus Aurelius, for instance, are
perfect illustrations of this focus on accurate representation, and have been
important sources of information for scholars on many aspects of the Roman
Legion, its equipment and battle tactics.

This picture illustrates the story of the

Emperor's Danubian or
Marcomannic wars, waged by him
during the period 166-180 CE. It
includes the controversial "rain
miracle", in which a colossal
thunderstorm saves the Roman
MARCUS AURELIUS' COLUMN (C.180-193
CE) army from death at the hands of
the barbarian Quadi tribes. The
sculptural style of the column differs significantly from that of Trajan's Column, as
 it introduces the more expressive style of the 3rd century, seen also in the triumphal
arch of Septimius Severus (199-203 CE) by the foot of the Capitoline Hill. The heads
of the Marcus Aurelius figures are larger than normal, to show off their facial
expressions. A higher relief is used, permitting greater contrast between light and
shadow. Overall, much more dramatic - a style which clearly reflected the
uncertain state of the Roman Empire.

ROMAN PAINTING
The greatest innovation of Roman painters was the development of landscape
painting, a genre in which the Greeks showed little interest. Also noteworthy was
their development of a very crude form of linear perspective. In their effort to
satisfy the huge demand for paintings throughout the empire, from officials, senior
army officers, householders and the general public, Roman artists produced
panel paintings (in encaustic and tempera), large and small-scale murals (in
fresco), and mastered all the painting genres, including their own brand of
"triumphal" history painting. Most surviving Roman paintings are from Pompeii and
Herculanum, as the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 helped to preserve them. Most of
them are decorative murals, featuring seascapes and landscapes, and were
painted by skilled 'interior decorators' rather than virtuoso artists - a clue to the
function of art in Roman society.

1. PANEL PAINTINGS

In Rome, as in Greece, the highest form of painting was panel painting. Executed
using the encaustic or tempera methods, panel paintings were mass-produced
in their thousands for display in offices and public buildings throughout the empire.
 Unfortunately, almost all painted panels have been
lost. The best surviving example from the art of
Classical Antiquity is probably the "Severan Tondo"
(c.200 CE, Antikensammlung Berlin), a portrait of
Roman Emperor Septimus Severus with his family,
painted in tempera on a circular wood panel. The
best example from the Roman Empire is the
SEVERAN TONDO
astonishing series of Fayum Mummy portraits painted
in Egypt during the period 50 BCE to 250 CE.

2. TRIUMPHAL PAINTINGS

Roman artists were also frequently commissioned to produce pictures highlighting

military successes - a form known as Triumphal Painting. This type of history
painting - usually executed as a mural painting in fresco - would depict the battle
or campaign in meticulous detail, and might incorporate mixed-media
adornments and map designs to inform and impress the public. Since they were
quick to produce, many of these triumphal works would have influenced the
composition of historical reliefs like the Column of Marcus Aurelius.

CONSTANTINE'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY IN ROME

 3. MURALS

Roman murals executed either "al fresco" with

paint being applied to wet plaster, or "al secco"
using paint on dry walls - are usually classified into
four periods, as set out by the German
archaeologist August Mau following his
excavations at Pompeii.

THE FIRST STYLE (C.200-80

BCE)

CONSTANTINE'S
TRIUMPHAL ENTRY IN ROME