Katie Harter
Ancient Greek and Roman Art
ARTH 209
Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Time Periods
Throughout ancient Greek history, art has always been a huge significance. In particular, sculpture seems to be one of the main spectrums of art that is used in this country. Throughout time, ancient Greeks developed a very skilled talent in sculpting. From the Archaic period, to the Classical and Hellenistic times, the expression and movement of these sculptures became more advanced. All of these developments in Ancient art created a significant influence on Roman and Renaissance Art as well.
Beginning with the Archaic period of sculpture in 600-480 BC, artists of these sculptures were mainly entitled to create a piece of art to decorate religious buildings, such as churches of the time. Another reason of creating sculptures was in order to have representations of the dead. Each sculpture was designed using a carving formula, which divided the body into three different parts, or sections. It was common during the Archaic period of art to design the sculpture facing front only. In addition to this, Archaic sculptures always had a stance where the left leg would come forward in front of the right, while still keeping balance and the weight evenly distributed. Archaic art was definitely influenced by ancient Egyptians, as one would be able to tell by simply looking at an Archaic Greek sculpture. Lastly, Ancient Greeks used point chisels in order to carve these sculptures, which made it extremely difficult to add any excess detail. As one could tell by looking at any of the Archaic sculptures, they do not get into very much detail; just enough to tell that it is indeed a human being, or a mortal, of course.
Examples of sculptures during this Archaic period include the Sounion Kouros, and Cleobis & Biton. The Sounion Kouros was created ca. 590-580 BC. It was made of marble and originally found in a pit at the sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion. It is 120” high, and now resides as the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. As I went to this museum and saw it myself, I can describe the sculpture. As typical in Archaic art, it was a sculpture of a man with one foot in front of the other with little to no expression on his face. He had harsh features, such as his kneecaps, and had braided looking hair, which reminds me of the Egyptian style. His arms were stiff to his sides, as well as the rest of his body was stiff. The Cleobis and Biton sculptures, which were made by Polymedes between 610 and 580 BC, were very similar. Cleobis and Biton were mythological brothers who were the sons of Hera. They are known for their affection of their Mother because they pulled her along a cart for five miles at a festival. In gratitude for this, their Mother granted them with death, which was a gift to the mortal people. I personally saw this sculpture as well in the Archeological Museum of Delphi. It had the same characteristics such as the one foot forward, the stiff arms and body, the same hair, no expression, and lifeless.
Examples of sculptures during this Archaic period include the Sounion Kouros, and Cleobis & Biton. The Sounion Kouros was created ca. 590-580 BC. It was made of marble and originally found in a pit at the sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion. It is 120” high, and now resides as the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. As I went to this museum and saw it myself, I can describe the sculpture. As typical in Archaic art, it was a sculpture of a man with one foot in front of the other with little to no expression on his face. He had harsh features, such as his kneecaps, and had braided looking hair, which reminds me of the Egyptian style. His arms were stiff to his sides, as well as the rest of his body was stiff. The Cleobis and Biton sculptures, which were made by Polymedes between 610 and 580 BC, were very similar. Cleobis and Biton were mythological brothers who were the sons of Hera. They are known for their affection of their Mother because they pulled her along a cart for five miles at a festival. In gratitude for this, their Mother granted them with death, which was a gift to the mortal people. I personally saw this sculpture as well in the Archeological Museum of Delphi. It had the same characteristics such as the one foot forward, the stiff arms and body, the same hair, no expression, and lifeless.
The Classical period was between 480-323 BC. This was when more expression and movement was spread into art. At this time, artists began playing with making the human figure look more realistic and natural. At this time, sculptures were now being made of bronze and stone, rather than marble. It was more common now to see sculptures of humans in action, rather than in a stiff upright position.
Examples of art in the Classical period include the Zeus of Artemision, and the Parthenon Frieze. The Zeus of Artemision, made in 480-300 BC, depicted the god of the sea, or Zeus. It was originally found off the sea of Artemision, hence the name. He was originally holding a thunderbolt, which is now missing from the sculpture. This sculpture was completely different than what was seen during the Archaic period. It had such movement and depth, unlike before. This figure depicts beauty, control, and strength. It was amazing to see this sculpture in real life, as I had learned about it before, and it made it seem more real. The Parthenon frieze, on the other hand, was made ca. 443- 438 BC. It was a low relief, marble sculpture, created for the upper section of the Parthenon’s naos. These friezes all tell a story, and most of it resides at the British Museum in London, while the rest is in Athens, where I saw some of it. It was interesting to see something other than a human sculpture that stands. It was amazing to me that the artists could put in so much detail without even carving into it too much. I would say that Michelangelo’s David fits best into the Classical period.
Lastly, the Hellenistic period dates from 323-146 BC. Hellenistic sculpture used the ‘sculpture-in-the-round’ style. This allowed the sculpture to be admired from all angles, and used the draping effect of clothing for a natural effect. These sculptures were extremely detailed. No aspect of the human body was left to the imagination. Every muscle and angle of the body was very detailed, and usually the bodies were extremely muscular, making them look perfect. Two of these sculptures that I saw that represent this time period are the Laocoon, and the Aphrodite Eros & Pan. Laocoon was made in 200 BC and is a sculpture of a Trojan Priest of Poseidon, or Neptune, and his two sons. In this sculpture, Laocoon and his two sons are being taken over by snakes, which are wrapping themselves around their bodies. This sculpture now resides in the Vatican Museum. Seeing this sculpture in person made it even more fantastic. It is unbelievable that this is even a sculpture. It is mind-boggling that someone carved this piece by hand. Everything is flowing and looks absolutely perfect. The expressions of the bodies and of the faces on the people are full of emotion. Even the beard on Laocoon is overwhelmingly detailed. This was one of my favorite sculptures that I saw in real life. Aphrodite Eros & Pan was made ca. 100 BC. It is made of marble and a little over four feet high. This sculpture can be found in the Archeological Museum in Athens, Greece. When I first saw this sculpture it was a little strange to see. I didn’t know exactly what was going on until I researched it. It is of Aphrodite and Eros repelling Pan with her sandal and Ero’s grabbing of Pan’s horn. This sculpture is highly detailed as well, with the hair on Pan’s legs, as well as the female body. You do not see many nude sculptures of women during this period.
I really enjoyed seeing all of these sculptures in real life. I had learned about most of them before, and it was interesting, but it was even more interesting to actually see it. It is different to learn about it and actually see it with your own eyes. It is amazing how talented sculptors were during this time. The art is just absolutely astonishing. I think that the works of this time definitely fit into the context of Italy and Greece. The sculptures started as just a decoration for religious churches, and ended up being an expression of art, people, and mortals. Italy and Greece have definitely stayed very cultural countries, and not much has changed. The architecture and artwork remains the same, and it all is very historic. Although this is true, it definitely still fits in with contemporary society and culture. Today, we are still consumed with the human body and the beautiful aspects of it, as were Ancient Greeks and Romans. Most of the ideals that we have today comes from the belief system that was set up by the Ancient Romans. Overall, Ancient Greeks and Romans really paved the way for the rest of society and the way we live today.
