Term Paper on "Classical Period of Greek and Roman Art"

Term Paper 4 pages (1934 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Classical Period of Greek and Roman Art

Statue of Zeus at Olympia, by Phidias:

Pausanias the Greek's description of the Statue of Zeus at Olmpia, by Phidias is invaluable to society today, as little more than splendid scraps are left of this work known as one of the Seven Wonders. Pausanias states, "On his head is a sculpted wreath of olive sprays. In his right hand a figure of Victory made from ivory and gold. In his left hand his scepter inlaid with all metals, and an eagle perched on the sceptre. The sandals of the god are made of gold, as is his robe. His garments are carved with animals and with lilies. The throne is decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory." (qtd. Ashmawy).

Phidias began work on the statue around 440 BC, using the technique he had developed earlier to build enormous gold and ivory statues. A wooden frame was erected first, with sheets of metal and ivory then placed to provide the outer covering.

When complete, the statue barely fit inside the temple. The base of the statue was approximately 20 feet wide and 3 feet high, with the height being approximately 40 feet tall. Ut was this impressive size that gave the statue the wonderful king of gods feel. Because of the proportions, much of the descriptions described the throne as opposed to Zeus himself. The throne was decorated in sphinxes and winged figures of Victory, with other Greek gods and mythical figures adorning the scene. Sadly, not even the replicas made have survived to present day (Ashmawy).

Athena Parthenos by Phidias:

The Parthenon was a temple built on the Acropolis of Athens. It is likely that the name 'Parthenon' comes from Phidias' sculpture Athena Parthenos.

Again, the modern world can turn to Pausanias' description. "The statue of Athena is upright, with a tunic reaching to the feet, and on her breast the head of Medusa is worked in ivory. She holds a statue of Victory about four cubits (six feet) high, and in the other hand a spear; at her feet lies a shield and near the spear is a serpent" (qtd.Delaney). Historians estimate the impressive statue to have contained 44 talents of gold, which is the equivalent to more than 2,500 pounds.

Doryphoros by Polycleitos:

The Doryphoros, commonly referred to as "Spear-Bearer" is one of the most well-known pieces of ancient Greek sculpture. Pliny described Polyceitos' work as becoming the standard of model statues, perfecting the art of sculpting, with the model in the chiastic pose. "He also made what artists call the 'Canon' or Model Statue, as they draw their artistic outlines from it as from a sort of standard; and he alone of mankind is deemed by means of one work of art to have created the art itself" (qtd. "Doryphoros").

Polycleitos sought to develop a complex mathematical model for the balance of the human body figure, specifically the heroic male nude, with each unit thus dictating the proportion of the next. It is the Doryphoros that is said to demonstrate those tenets.

Maenad in Dresden by Scopas:

Scopas was a Greek sculptor and architect. Many ancient writers ranked him with Praxiteles and Lysippus as one of the late Classical period's major sculptors. He was noted for his expression of powerful emotions as an artistic theme. This is true in his Maenad sculpture in Dresden. This was a freestanding sculpture and one of his most noteworthy ("Scopas"). Kallistratos describes Skopas' Meanad thusly,

Skopas, as if moved by some inspiration, imparted to the making of his statue the divine frenzy that possessed him. Why should I not describe to you from the beginning the inspiration of this work of art? The statue of a Maenad, wrought from Parian marble, has been transformed into a real Maenad. For the stone, while retaining its own nature, yet seemed to depart from the law which governs stone; what one saw was really an image, but art carried imitation over into actual reality (qtd. Lahanas)..

Herakles by Lysippos:

Herakles was a bronze statue, believed to be life-sized or even larger, of Herakles leaning on his club, after supporting the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. The apples of Hesperides are in his hand, behind his back. It is believed that Lysippos sculpted the statue for Sikyon or Argos, or perhaps even a copy for each city, and was cast around the time of Alexander the Great's death. During the early Hellenistic period, a version was made for Athens, and around 200 BC, a baroque styling was created for Pergamon. These and later recreations were created in various medias and scales, from colossal to miniature. "The Lysippic Herakles stood as a symbol of the cares, imperial, civic, and even spiritual, which the pagan ancients and their Judeo-Christian successors carried on their shoulders" (Vermeule 323).

Hermes Carrying the Infant Dionysus by Praxiteles:

The marble statue, Hermes Carrying the Infant Dionysus, was believed to be created between 350-330 BC (or perhaps a fine Hellenistic copy of his original was created at this time). At a height of 2.15 meters, the statue is only slightly larger than an average man. It is currently housed in the Archaeological Museum, Olympia, in Greece ("Hermes"). Made of Parian marble, this statue is the only original work of Praxiteles to have survived. It was found at Olympia, intact, on his base, several meters under ground. The sculpture is known as 'the diamond of Olympia' and represents Hermes holding the infant Dionysos who is trying to take something from his hand. Praxiteles forewent symmetry in order to give his statue life. Looking from the left, one sees a sorrowful look on Hermes' face, yet on the right he is smiling, and face-on he appears to be calm (Papakyriakou/Anagnostou).

Krater (Mixing Bowl) from the 12th century BC:

krater was a mixing bowl that was placed in a prominent place, throughout the evening. Kraters were typically made especially for symposia, and were decorated with scenes of Dionysus, the god of wine, and his followers. For the Krater from the 12th century BC that is currently housed at the National Archaelogical Museum in Athens, fully armed warriors are depicted on this "Warrior Vase." It differs from the typical flora and fauna decoration of the Minoans, instead the war motif reflects the more militaristic lifestyle of the Mycenaeans. The armor on the stylized warriors provide a documentation of the ancient defensive arms and armors, and the style suggests Egyptian as well as Minoan influences (Kortum).

Mask of Agamemnon:

Heinrich Schliemann uncovered the Mask of Agamemnon, a gold funeral mask, during his excavation of Troy in the early 1870s. Schliemann telegrammed to King George of Greece, "With great joy I announce to Your Majesty that I have discovered the tombs which the tradition proclaimed by Pausanias indicates to be the graves of Agamemnon, Cassandra, Eurymedon and their companions, all slain at a banquet by Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthos" (qtd), however, there was much debate on whether or not the mask Schliemann found was a hoax.(Harrington).

However, most archaeologists believe it to be authentic.

References

Ashmawy, a. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia. 21 Jan 2004. University of South Florida. October 16, 2006 http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/zeus.html.

The author, a professor at the University of South Florida, gives a brief but thorough overview of Phidias' work, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Included in this overview is the location of the work, as well as a small amount of Greek history relevant to the work. A description of the statue is given, including eyewitness descriptions from Strabo and Pausanias. This account provides significant detail on one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Delaney, C. Pheidias, Sculptor to the Gods: The Athena Parthenos. No date. Tufts University. October 16, 2006 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cl135/Students/Colin_Delaney/fathena.html.

The author is a scholar at Tufts University. His account of Athena Parthenos gives a detailed description of the statue. Much like the Statue of Zeus, the eyewitness descriptions noted by Pausanias is used.

Doryphoros. No date. University of Chicago. October 16, 2006 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/miscellanea/museums/doryphoros.html.

The author is a scholar at the University of Chicago. This very brief description of the Doryphoros explains the importance of this sculpture to human model sculpture following it. Doryphoros set the standard and demonstrated that by using proportions accurate human models could be sculpted. However, it is lacking in any other details about the sculpture or the artist.

Harrington, S. "Behind the Mask of Agamemnon." Archaeology. 52(4) Jul/Aug 1999. http://www.archaeology.org/9907/etc./mask.html.

Harrington investigates the possibility of the Mask of Agamemnon being a hoax. Several avenues of possibilities are explored. In the end, no distinct answer is given, but possible solutions to the quandary are presented, including testing methods that could prove conclusively whether or not the mask was truly from the Trojan War period.

Hermes Carrying the Infant Dionysus." Online Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 16 Oct. 2006 http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-3940.

This is a very brief entry on the statue, via Britannica. The entry does include a photograph of… READ MORE

How to Reference "Classical Period of Greek and Roman Art" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Greek and Roman Sculpture Essay

Greek and Roman Sculpture are often closely linked in style and execution. However, they are differentiated as two forms of art by some outstanding features. While Greek sculpture is focused… read more

Essay 2 pages (758 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

Greek and Roman Art Term Paper

Greek and Roman Art

Roman and Greek art represented the models for the Renaissance which is considered the most flourishing period in the history of humanity as far as the… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (796 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA Topic: World History

---

Greek and Roman Term Paper

Greek Sculpture

Evolving Ancient Greek representations of the Human Figure

Discuss the development of the human figure in Greek sculpture from the archaic period to Hellenistic period. Discuss specific works.… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (792 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

Art of Math Term Paper

Mathematics and Art

Mathematics is often treated as a distant and very different discipline from the arts, but in fact the arts make use of mathematics in a number of… read more

Term Paper 7 pages (2486 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

What Is New in "Art Term Paper

Modern Art

Old Wine in New Bottles?

One of the most important precepts of contemporary art is that great art cannot be great unless it is fundamentally innovative. Or at… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1111 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>