AHI 1A Final Exam Study Guide PDF

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AHI 1A: Ancient Mediterranean Art Professor Leticia R. Rodriguez Fall 2018 Exam II Study Guide Chapter 5: Greek Art Background: In the fifth century, Athens established, Democracy, rule by the people. Greeks build their cultural identity around the idea that they are the mirrors of divinity. Non-Greeks (i.e. Persians, Scythians, Thracians, Ethiopians, Amazons etc.) are considered barbarians—monstrous, tyrannical, and chaotic. Humanism: Greeks cherish human beings— “man is the measure of all things”. Know the meaning of the terms humanism, and its influence on naturalism, and subsequently, idealism. Humanism is the idea of featuring human subjects in art as opposed to divine or supernatural figures. Classical Greek art and architecture are characterized by order, balance, and harmony. Understand Arete (excellence) with respect to intelligence, war, athleticism and the eternal. Understand nudity and its distinction from nakedness, and how it applies to gender. I.

Archaic Period (7th-6th centuries BCE): as the name implies, this period is thought of as old-fashioned and anticipating something greater. Be aware of the inherent value judgment. A. Vase painting: Black-figure technique. Pots are thrown on the potter’s wheel, painted with glaze, and fired in a kiln. Unlike the Geometric style, most of the pot’s surface is devoted to representing human figures in narrative scenes. Potters and painters become famous throughout the ancient world as brands, and to possess a designer vessel is to possess status, which can be flaunted in Symposia, formal gatherings between men, and social climbing boys. Aside from slaves and courtesans, women are not allowed. 1. Exekias becomes a master potter and painter of the black-figure technique. His Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game (540-530 BCE) is a tangential moment featuring characters from the Illiad. The motif will inspire numerous imitators (knock-offs). They are relaxing; it is their down time and not shown in war scenes. We have the color red in the background. Balanced, symmetrical composition. Figures in profile view, but eyes are in frontal view. 2. The Andokides painter demonstrates the transition from black-figure to redfigure vases during Late Archaic to Early Classical periods as seen in his bilingual Achilles and Ajax knock-off. 3. Euphronios is hailed as a master of the red-figure technique. His krater depicting Herakles wrestling Antaios, while being a perfect example of the many facets of Arete, also features an interest in foreshortening, that will be developed yet further with the three-quarter views of Euthymides, who taunts Euphronios with his Reveler’s vase. B. Sculpture: Kouros—male youth. Stylistic features such as frontality, rigid posture, symmetry and idealization show Egyptian influence. Unlike Egyptian statues, Kouroi are nude, with more anatomically sensitive proportions and have archaic smiles. Kore—female youth. Maidens are draped in peplos, himations and chitons (never togas). Unlike Kouroi, Korai reveal a record of Greek fashion.

C. Architecture: Greek Temple Form. The superstructure is based on the post and lintel system. Greek temples house votive statues only, thus they are non-congregational. The faithful gather at outdoor altars and typically circumvent temples. Be able to identify the Doric and Ionic orders as well as the Corinthian variation. Be able to label a typical Greek temple with the following: stylobate, shaft, capitol, metope, triglyph, frieze, pediment, cella.

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1. Delphi: the home of Apollo’s oracle, the Pythia. Despite the Pythia’s relegation to superstition, Greece’s competing poleis still turn the mountainside sanctuary into a cosmopolitan city. a. The Syphnian Treasury (530 BCE) is an opulent, Ionic structure featuring caryatids. The subject of its frieze is the gigantomachy, and is rendered in relief using foreshortened, overlapping figures implying depth. This image is symbolic of idea battle between order and chaos, the civilized and the uncivilized. The giants are the chaotic and uncivilized ones that Greeks will defeat. 2. The Temple of Aphaia at Aegina (500-480 BCE): this temple marks the transition from Archaic to classical form. Its columns are lighter and spaced further apart. After being damaged during the Persian attack of 480 BCE, the east pediments sculpture was replaced. The new sculpture obliterates the Archaic notions of artificiality and performance (and smiles), instead focusing on the human condition, specifically anguish. Doric style temple. The dying warrior (west pediment) is seen smiling even when it is stabbed. Although it is a human figure, it lacks humanity. The Early and High Classical periods (480-400 BCE): this period is favored by historians and thus given the epithet “Classical”, not only for the advancements in rational architecture and naturalistic sculpture, but for the achievements of poets, playwrights, philosophers and politicians. A. Sculpture: Beginning in the Early Classical period, statues become noticeably more naturalistic and show contrapposto as exemplified by the Kritios boy. 1. The Riace Warriors: these bronze figures avoided being turned into bells or cannons by falling into the sea. The Warriors demonstrate the Greek ideal of the vigorous youth, matched with the wisdom (and beards) of age. Anatomy

is rendered with striking naturalism and attention to detail; the figures are outfitted with inlaid eyes, silver teeth and eyelashes, and copper nipples. 2. The open composition of Zeus (450 BCE) exemplifies the tensile strength of bronze. Both arms are raised, and the right heel is lifted off the ground. Understand the basics of the technique of hollow-casting in bronze: the lostwax method. A bronze casting method in which a figure is modeled in a wax and covered with clay. It is fired, melting away the wax and hardening the clay, which becomes a mold for the metal. 3. Polykleitos manifests his canon in the Doryphoros (450 BCE) While naturalistic, the figure is not modeled on a single man, but is a mathematical amalgamation of numerous figures, assembled according to the artist’s specifications for the ideal form. It shows the perfect male with heroic qualities and has order and composure. B. The Akropolis of Athens and the High Classical Period (5th century BCE): The akropolis is the cultural and religious center of Athens and the site of Athena’s contest with Poseidon for patronage of the city. The Persians’ sack of Athens’ akropolis in 480 BCE leads to a united Greece, who, under the aegis of the Delian League, achieve ultimate victory. A generation later, with the Persian threat abated, Perikles convinces Athens to undertake the reconstruction of the akropolis, with funds expropriated from the Delian League treasury. Understand the impact of the akropolis revitalization on Athenian society. Understand the four important akropolis buildings: Propylaia; Erectheion, Temple of Athena Nike; and the Parthenon. 1. The Parthenon (450 BCE): Iktinos and Kallikrates are the architects of the Parthenon, but Phidias directs the overall program, particularly the sculpture. The temple of Athena Parthenos is the culmination of Greek Classical ideals: perfect proportions, balance and order, achieved through the architects’ affectations to counter negative optical effects. The cella housed an enormous chryselephantine cult statue of Athena. In order to appease the cities whose cash the Athenians stole, the Parthenon features hybrid Doric and Ionic elements-but, there is another reason why the use of both orders makes sense. What is that? This combination of doric and ionic styles symbolize the unification of west Dorians and east Ionians to defeat the Persians. Know the basic sculptural program of Parthenon: Mythological combats represented in relief around exterior metopes: Lapiths and Centaurs on south; Amazons on west; Trojans on North; Titans on East. Birth of Athena on East Pediment; Contest of Athena and Poseidon on West pediment. Recognize the special figural innovations within the pediment. Around cella: continuous Ionic frieze showing Panathenaic Procession. Understand what the frieze reveals about the Athenian ego. 2. Propylaia (430 BCE): the ceremonial gateway to the Akropolis of Athens. The building hangs on the edge of the cliff, and is thus split into two levels. The adjacent building was a museum. Like the Parthenon, the gate features hybrid orders. Doric style. 3. Erechtheion (400 BCE): Ionic composite temple with an unusual shape dictated by geography of archaic ruins. Encompasses Posiedon’s spring and Athena’s tree. Houses shrines to legendary kings of Athens, Erechteus and Kekrops, as well as the wooden statue of Athena. Caryatids carry the south porch.

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4. Temple of Athena Nike (410 BCE): Contemporary references to Persian defeat on the balustrade. Recognize the beginnings of erotic female sculpture here as in the pediment of the Parthenon. Drapery conforms to the shape of her body; wet drapery look. Late Classical Period (400-323 BCE): Artists begin to move away from the stable compositions of the fifth century. Aphrodite opens the door to female nudity. A. Praxiteles mixes Classical with a more sensuous style and a new set of proportions. The nudity of his Aphrodite of Knidos (350 BCE) was too bold for the people of Kos, but Knidos built a tholos to display it, allegedly attracting the attention of Aphrodite herself. The statue is at bath, really marking the figure as naked rather than nude, thus continuing to deprive the female of true arete. Compared to Polykleitos, Praxiteles Hermes is taller, smoother figure, defined not by line but subtle changes in value. B. Skopas has no works securely attributed to him, but his style is defined by emotive faces with deep-set eyes. C. Lysippos’ sculptures not only challenge the Polykleitan ideal of proportions, but also the Classical sense of space. Both his Apoxymenos (330 BCE), forces the viewer to see them in the round. He is an athlete cleaning his body with a scraping tool to remove oil from his body. Alexander the Great designates Lysippos as his official portrait sculptor. Lysippos helps solidify Alexander’s image as an untamable lion, whose military victories are divinely inspired. This notion is bolstered by the famous Greek painting of the Battle of Issus (315 BCE) known through Roman mosaic copies. Alexander the Great is emulating his power of male nudity by choosing not to wear a helmet. He is depicted as fighting in battle against the Persian king, Dessarius. Along with Hades abducting Persephone (340 BCE), Hellenistic painters begin to assert themselves as masters of modeling and optical effects. Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE): Following the death of Alexander, the Greek empire disintegrates into independent kingdoms. This period is marked by an increased sense of individualism, dramatic compositions, theatricality, and architecture that breaks with Classical conventions. A. Sculpture: Hellenism is defined by its expanded range of subjects, and dramatic, use of the diagonal to present dynamic compositions. 1. The Dying Gauls (230 BCE) finally present the enemy with a face, and are also afforded the honor and excellence of heroic nudity. This is of course a backhanded compliment to the Greeks themselves for defeating such noble adversaries. 2. The Nike of Samothrace is Hellenistic theatre: open, foreshortened composition, with a restless drapery that along with enormous wings draws the viewer around the figure, positioned on a prow, set amongst the jet spray of a fountain. 3. The Aphrodite of Melos (150 BC) while partly draped, is even more overtly erotic than the fully nude Knidos version. She allows the viewer to see just enough of her Classical torso before catching her flowing Hellenistic drapery around her pudenda. The Sleeping Satyr (200 BCE) is even more explicit, as his wantonly open legs direct all attention to his available genitals, just as the hand behind his head opens his torso.

4. The Drunken woman and the old lady of the Market Woman (100 BCE) both demonstrate the new interest in depicting every facet of the human condition, including failure, and old age. B. Architecture: The Temple of Apollo at Didyma (310 BCE) exemplifies new penchant for eclecticism; old formulas and strict proportions are relaxed. The plan of the temple and experience one would have there also reflects the influence of foreign cult. Meanwhile, the expanded empire rebuilds cities using the Hippodamian model, using regular city blocks. This is a hypaethral building, which has no roof; open to the sky. There is also a dipteral colonnade and a courtyard rather than a cella. 1. The Theatre of Epidauros (350 BCE) is the epitome of Greek religious spectacle. The semi-circle cavea is built into the existing landscape, divided into wedges known as cunei. These cunei are further divided by an ambulatory, or path for theatre-goers to find their seats, with the seats closest to the action reserved for elites, complete with arm-rests and back support. Once seated the viewers focus attention on the orchestra, or performance space. This often included an altar to Dionysus, as theatre was typically a religious experience. 2. Actors often performed multiple parts and changed costume behind a backdrop called a skene, which ultimately develops into full-blown scenery. This design was highly acoustic and has been maintained for thousands of years of public spectacle, right down to the present day. Chapter 6: Etruscan Art, 1000-100 BCE Etruria is not a unified nation, but a series of Italic city-states connected by a common language religion and economy. They are part of the Mediterranean cultural conversation, in contact with the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians. I.

Early Etruscan art: “orientalizing” motifs shows influence from Eastern Cultures. A. The Golden Fibula (650 BCE) pendant and pectoral are among the many treasures recovered from early Etruscan tombs, situated beneath tumuli, organized in necropoleis. The objects are fairly mundane, yet their opulence evidences great wealth. The ostentation reveals a need to rapidly project status as the Etruscans communicate and conduct commerce with the rest of the Mediterranean. II. Archaic Art and Architecture. A. Temples: comparable to Greek temples, however statues populate the gabled roof rather than the pediments. Materials are mud brick, Tuscan wood columns, terracotta tiled roofs. Temples sit on a podium with solid sidewalls; the deep porch is only accessible from the front. Columns do not run all around the temple, and the roof has overhanging eaves, unlike Greek temples. The cella is typically triadic, dedicated to Tinia, Uni and Menrva. How do we know these things? From a model, based on a description by a later Roman writer. B. Temple statues are made of terracotta, like the Aplu (Apollo) of Veii. Compared to Greek Archaic statues, Etruscan art is lively, dynamic, animated. Male figures wear clothing similar to Archaic Greek Korai. III. Archaic Etruscan burials: After 7th c. BCE, Etruscan dead are cremated remains and/or buried beneath tumuli, grouped together in necropoleis, as in Egypt. Terracotta Sarcophagi held cremated remains. The reclining couple form Cerveteri

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indicates a relatively ecumenical status for women, as well as an industry based on a combination of modularity and customization. A. In the Tomb of the Shields and Chairs and Tomb of the Reliefs spaces were carved out to replicate Etruscan homes and the home for the dead were equipped with domestic objects carved in relief. B. Fresco paintings decorated the tombs and showed scenes of banquets, sports, leisure, landscapes and scenes in nature, conforming to typical motifs in Greece and Egypt. Like the reclining couple sarcophagus, the painted symposia are “coed.” Later Etruscan Art: Romans conquer the Etruscan cities in 5th century BCE. As the Roman Republic is established, the Etruscans continue to live in Tuscan area under their jurisdiction until Romanization completely absorbs the Etruscan culture around 100 BCE. A. She-Wolf: The Romans enlist the talents of the Etruscans to cast them a totem for their new Republic. Taken from the legendary Founding of Rome the shewolf’s various formal elements every good trait Rome wishes to brand itself with. B. The Polished Mirror represents the Etruscan penchant for divination, as the Genius (or demon) etched into the bronze looks for omens in the entrails of an animal (haruspicy). The ceremony of augury (the search for the future in the flight–or guts–of birds is the source of modern inaugurations. C. The Porta Marzia (100 BCE) demonstrates several architectural motifs that will become mainstays of Roman architecture, including the arch (composed of voussoirs) and ornamental pilasters. D. Late tomb sculpture reveals increasing anxiety and pessimism, as the effigies are more often than not being threatened with hammers and reclining alone. E. Aule Metele (the Orator) (90 BCE) is Etruscan only in name–everything about the sculpture is Roman (short hair, shaven face, toga, boots). The composition inaugurates the Adlocutio orator’s pose.

Chapter 7: Roman Art Background: In the sixth century, Rome emerges as the dominant polis in Etruria, and by 510 abolishes its monarchy to establish itself as a Republic. Roman society is highly stratified, though social mobility exists. At the top the Patricians make up the aristocracy, government and military leaders, and landowners. The vast majority of Romans are middle-class Plebeians, the lowest of which are freed-men, that is liberated slaves. The lowest caste of society is in fact the slave population, which is made up of no one race or nationality. Roman art is a deliberate hybridization of the indigenous Etruscan style with that of the Greeks, who, though ultimately conquered by the Romans, are admired as sophisticated architects of culture. I.

Roman Republic (510 BCE–27 BCE): The republic is a constitutional government led by senators, counselors, and generals, during which the Romans encouraged a deliberate hybridization of the indigenous Etruscan style with that of the Greeks, who, though ultimately conquered by the Romans, are admired as sophisticated architects of culture. The revolution in architecture is going to be concrete--CONCRETE, CONCRETE, CONCRETE!— which allows for new building types and expansive, sometimes dramatic spaces.

A. Religious Architecture: Romans not only adopt the Greek pantheon, they absorb the various gods of the cultures under their jurisdiction, consequently, Romans have a deity for every occasion. 1. The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (510 BCE) was erected on the Capitoline hill, overlooking Rome. The tri-part cella, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, evokes Etruscan temple building and becomes the staple of all Roman cities. 2. The Temple of Portunus (80-70 BCE) dedicated to the god of harbors, gates and transactions, is appropriately located in the forum borarium (the market) on the shores of the Tiber River (the highway). It blends Etruscan frontality, with Greek orders and a pseudoperipteral – engaged columns that form a fake peristyle. 3. The Sanctuary of Fortuna (late 2nd century BCE) is constructed of concrete barrel vaults. Before reaching the oracular tholos, pilgrims had first to ascend six levels of terraces containing a basilica, shops, porticoes and a theatre. The complex brings order to the rugged hillside on which it is nestled. A commercial destination for Sacred Tourism. 4. The Theatre of Pompey (55 BCE) represents a massive public space dedicated to dramatic spectacle. As in Greece, the Roman theatre was intrinsically tied to religious festivals, and often featured Latin translations of famous Greek plays, however the satires regularly featured multiple actors performing pantomime, and were as sexual as they were political. Unlike Greek structures, the building exists independent of the landscape due to its concrete construction. Ionic columns. Had battles and animal hunts. B. Sculpture: Indigenous terracotta in the tradition of the Etruscans is gradually replaced by the spoils of conquered Greece. The Veristic style is a hyper-truthful met...