Ancient Art – Greek and Rome



Ancient Art – Greek and Rome

Pannel painting

Mural painting

Vessel

Jar

Jug

Column

Temple

Canon of proportions

Mosaic

Porch

Pottery

Clay

Amphora – pl. Amphorae

Still life

Figure

Wreath

Fragment

Medallion

Caryatide

Listen and complete the text with the missing words:

We can’t discuss art history without ………… of the art of ancient Greece.

The classical art and architecture has left its mark ……….. ….. ……….. and all around the world.

When trying to understand how Greek art evolved and why it is so impressive, we should know what was happening in Greece …………….and ………………

A statesman called Draco published a …………. in …………. It was the first step for democratic government.

In ……………….Athens won over Persians and became very influential in many fields.

Later Pericles started something like ……………. …………… for people from other cities to come to visit Athens.

Can you name the four periods of Greek art?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Can you name Greek philosophers and writers?

How did Pericles want to attract „tourists“ to Athens?

Can you name statues which decorated the Parthenon?

Complete the text about pottery:

The early Geometric period:

Ceramic vessels (jars, jugs, amphorae, kraters (bowls for mixing wine and water),different cups were used as funerary items. These vessels were usually decorated with ………………………………….. Later pottery became more utilitarian and decorative.

The Archaic period:

Vase painting became an important …………………It involved scratching incisions to reveal black silhoutte design and backgrounds of orange clay. Details were painted in …………… .. …………….We call this technique as ………….. …………… ……………….

Then a new technique appeared …………………. …………….. …………… Artists stopped using chisels and started to use …………. …………. And they painted on the black background.

The classical period:

There was a dramatic change in the decoration of pottery. They started to depict…………………………………………………………………………

Ancient art

The culture of Greeks and Romans is significant for the development of other European nations.

The old Greeks and Romans worshiped many gods. Romans overtook the whole Greek pantheon.They only renamed the gods.

Thus Zeus(the ruler of the gods) became Jupiter. His wife Here (the patron of families and women) became Juno

Athene the godess of wisdom and war – Minerva in Rome

Aphrodite – beauty – Venus in Rome

Dionysus – wine, fun - Bacchus

Poseidon – sea – Neptun

Greece:

The Geometric Period (see listening)

the Archaic Period . It refers to the years between 750 and 480 B.C., more particularly from 620 to 480 B.C. The age is defined through the development of art at this time. (pottery and sculpture).

People started to be interested in politics and democracy was born. People lived in city-states called poleis.

The Archaic Period is followed with the Classical Period (500-336 BC) .It is the time of conflicts with the kingdom of Persia and several civil wars. In this period the Athens reached its greatest political and cultural heights. The democratic system was fully under the Athenian statesman Pericles

The Parthenon on the Acropolis was built; Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides wrote their tragedies; and philosophical schools of Socrates and Plato were founded.

When Pericles died, Athens and other states became a part of a huge Macedonian empire.

The Hellenistic period: (336-146 BC) The period of the rule of Macedonia and later Roman Empire. Greek states were not independent but Greek culture remained pre-eminent in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Romans were deeply influenced by Greek culture. On the other hand, Greek culture was influenced by Asian cultures.

ART:

Pottery: see the listening part.

Sculpture:

Materials: stone and bronze

Archaic period: inspired by Egypt and Mesopotamia

Three types of figures: the standing nude youth (kouros), the standing girl (kore), and the seated woman

Good knowledge of anatomy

Statues: Kleobis and Biton, Apollo from Teney, the Lady of Auxerre, ……

Classical period: A revolution in Greek sculpture- poses became more naturalistic

From about 500 BC statues began to depict real people

We know the names of individual sculptors, f.e. Phidias ( the design and building of the Parthenon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Statue of Athena Parthenos, The Marathon Youtht), Polykleitos (Doryphoros, Discophoros, he wrote Aesthethic Canon of proportions) and and Praxiteles (the first female nudes, f.e. Aphrodite of Knidos)

Hellenistic period:

More and more naturalistic, realistic (not only beautiful people but even old or suffering ones)

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Laocoön and His Sons

the Colossus of Rhodes

the Dying Gaul

the Venus de Milo 

Architecture:

Three styles : Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

Named after the columns

Many public, social and administrative buildings were created (houses, baths)

Roads

Aqueducts

Temples

the Parthenon and the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, The Erechtheum, next to the Parthenon

Painting:

Pannel painting – mobile board paintings

Wall painting - frescos

Vase painting

Philosophy:

Bases of European philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

Roman art

Roman artists often used art as propaganda to show what the emperors wanted people to know or to think. Some examples of this are the Arch of Titus and Trajan's Column.

 Major forms of Roman art are architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work. Metal-work, and gem engraving, ivory carvings, figurine glass, pottery, and miniature book illustrations

Romans were inspired not only by Greeks but they also found inspiration in Etruscan and Egyptian art.

Painting:

Wall paintings (mural painting) were very popular. Our knowledge is based on the preservation of painings from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and particularly the Pompeian mural painting. Most of the wall painting was done using the secco (dry method), but some fresco paintings appeared as well

Themes: animals, still life, scenes from everyday life, portraits, and some mythological subjects. During the Hellenistic period - scenes of shepherds, herds, rustic temples, rural mountainous landscapes and country houses

Erotic scenes are also relatively common.

After 200AD, early Christian themes mixed with pagan motifs survive on catacomb walls..

From the 3rd century BC, a specific genre known as Triumphal Paintings appeared. These paintings showed triumphal entries after military victories, represented episodes from the war, and conquered regions and cities.

Sculpture:

Traditional Roman sculpture is divided into five categories: portrait, historical relief, funerary reliefs, sarcophagi, and copies of ancient Greek works

Architecture

Romans were very innovative architects They built many new towns. Roman engineers developed new methods for city building. They started to use concrete and the structure and an arch. The Pantheon or the Colosseum could never have been constructed with previous materials and methods.

The concrete core was covered with plaster, brick, stone, marble and decorative polychrome.

Palaces, public baths, roads, forts and basilicas were built.

Outstanding examples of dome construction include the Pantheon, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Baths of Caracalla. Roman aqueducts were very important for cities because water could be transported for long distances  Pont du Gard and the aqueduct of Segovia still remaind us of the great Roman era.

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