Greek artworks have been lost over time. A portion of the copies we see today were created by the Romans who pay tribute to the ancient society and its history. As philosophy emerges from Greek culture and the empire expands due to conquest, the image of self and identity spreads across society. One way the evolution of Greek society can be seen is how artists display the human anatomy in materials such as marble. Artists study both male and female bodies to understand how to create a more realistic representation of the human form.This exhibition explores artworks that were made during Ancient Greece and were influenced by its social and economic structures as well as art styles from Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Through these artworks we are able to catch a glimpse of the artistic identity of Ancient Greece through different periods of time. As the themes, subjects, and focuses of Greek art evolve, so do the core beliefs of Greek society. By looking at the art made during the Prehistoric period of Ancient Greece, which valued geometric consistency in objects and illustrating images of the surrounding landscape, and the Hellenistic period, that focused on geometric harmony in buildings and in the human body, we can see how the ideals and values of Greek societies have changed over time, as well as the artistic identity.Created by Kate Krawchik
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The Prehistoric Aegean Art Period is separated into three major geographical areas. Cycladic Art, named after the Cycladic Islands, is similar to the Paleolithic and Neolithic time periods with abstract geometric shapes and are made out of marble, clay, and stone. Minoan Art, found in Crete, focuses more on the natural landscape and illustrates what people saw in vivid colors. Mycenaean Art, named after the city of Mycenae, includes pottery, metal, architecture, and introduces death masks.
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Artist Unknown
Figuring of a woman
Ca. 2600-2300 BCE
Marble
1’ 6” High
Syros, Greece
Found on the Cycladic Islands, this Figurine of a woman shows similarities to the Venus figurines in the Paleolithic time period with the rectangular torso and the arms folding over the stomach. The feet are pointed downward so it can’t stand upright on its own, thus suggesting the figurine was utilized to lay flat and be seen from above.
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Artist Unknown
Bull leaping from the palace
Ca. 1500 BCE
Fresco
2’ 8” High
Crete, Greece
This fresco is one of many in the Cretan palace, home to King Minos. Many frescoes depict lavish scenery from the surrounding landscape and exotic animals, each illustrated in detailed colors.
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Artist Unknown
Octopus flask
Ca. 1500 BCE
Kamares ware
11” High
Crete, Greece
The large body of the flask suggests it is meant to hold and keep in liquid. The illustrations imply that it was made and used near the ocean where octopi live and aquatic plants grow.
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Artist Unknown
Snake Goddess
Ca. 1600 BCE
Faience
1’ 1 ½” High
Crete, Greece
Like the gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt, the Snake Goddess is shown holding two snakes with a feline occupying her head which may represent a goddess that has power over animals. However, this art piece is much smaller in scale and made in a glass material called Faience. The figurine is an introduction to future sculptures of Greek gods and goddesses.
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Artist Unknown
Mask of Agamemnon
Ca. 1600-1500 BCE
Gold
1’ High
Mycenae, Greece
The Mask of Agamemnon serves as an example of how Greek society honored the dead and used different metals. It is also an early instance where an artwork is life-size.
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The Geometric and Archaic Period is influenced by the economic and population growth of Greece. The iconic black and red pottery is introduced and the Olympic Games impact the use of geometric shapes as well as more attention to the details of the human figure in sculptures.
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Artist Unknown
Geometric krater
Ca. 740 BCE
Terracotta
3’ 4 ½” High
Athens, Greece
The Greeks dedicated more time into creating more descriptive illustrations that tell a story with more detailed shapes due to the economic growth in society. The geometric krater was used to mix wine and be a memorial to a buried man. The drawing uses geometric shapes to fill the surface area of the neck, body, and foot of the krater.
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(Left)
Artist Unknown
Kouros
Ca. 600 BCE
Marble
6’ ½”
Attica, Greece
(Right)
Artist Unknown
Kroisos
Ca. 530 BCE
Marble
6’ 4”
Anavysos, Greece
The creation of Kouros introduces life-sized sculptures of people that resemble Egyptian statues. However, Greek artists attempted to capture more motion in the free standing statue, as well as making the subject appear naked due to athletes competing naked in the Olympic Games.
The Kroisos was made in dedication to a specific man who had died in battle, thus the artist added more individuality and realism into the body proportions. There is also a slight smile on Kroisos’s face, indicating a more natural face expression.
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Theodoros and Teleicles
Temple of Hera
Ca. 550 BCE
Limestone
80’ x 170’
Paestum, Italy
Temples were built in dedication to the gods and goddesses during Ancient Greece. The architects of the Temple of Hera emphasised the importance of geometric harmony by placing columns equally distant from each other to support the entablator; the beam, decorative section, and border of the roof.
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Exekias
Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game
Ca. 540-530 BCE
Amphora
2’ High
Vulci, Italy
Greek pots replaced the decorative geometric shapes with detailed illustrations of more individualized people in different poses. The scene on the vase shows the tension of Achilles and Ajax during the Trojan War.
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(Left)
Artist Unknown
Dying Warrior (west pediment of Temple of Aphaia)
Cs. 490 BCE
Marble
5’ 2 2/1” Length
Aigina, Greece
(Right)
Artist Unknown
Dying Warrior (east pediment of Temple of Aphaia)
Ca. 480 BCE
Marble
6’ 1” Length
Aigina, Greece
These Dying Warrior statues, while sharing a similar pose, represent a decades difference in artists’, and to an extent society’s, look at what sculptures ought to represent on a deeper level. The warrior on the west pediment of the temple is youthful, healthy, and in a rigid and structured pose, as opposed to the warrior on the east pediment that shows an aged and wounded man in a more natural position. The geometric shapes made by the warrior’s body transitions from sharp and rigid pose, to a smooth and relaxed scene that demonstrates motion, that ultimately leads to the Classical Period.
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The Classical Art Period follows the Greek victory against Persian invaders and focuses more on the “perfect” or “idealistic” image of the naked body. There is attention that goes into the proportions of the body in a more realistic and dramatic pose. Subjects start to show more relaxed emotions, have more weight on one leg, and are occasionally leaning on or in the direction of an object for viewers to feel the artwork is entering their world.
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Myron
Diskobolos (Discus thrower)
450 BCE
Marble (original was made of bronze)
5’ 1” High
Tivoli, Lazio
The statue portrays the ideal body type of a naked Olympian throwing a disc. Myron captures the movement of athlete’s windup before the throw by creating the illusion that the weight is on his right leg in respect to the twist of the upper body with proportionate arms. Diskobolos is an introduction to dramatic poses for the subjects of future sculptures.
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Phidias
Three goddesses (Hestia, Dione, Aphrodite)
438 - 432 BCE
Marble
4’ High x 7’ Length
Athens, Greece
The Pathenon was built in dedication to the city of Athens and goddess Athena, with references to the Athenian victory over the Persians. On the east pediment of the Parthenon, the Three goddesses celebrate Athena’s birth in relaxed poses with their weight to one side. The cloth of their clothes outline and conceal certain places on the bodies to create the illusion that the bodies are merging together while still having individualized proportions.
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Callimachus
Grace stele of Hegeso
400 BCE
Marble
5’ 2” High
Athens, Greece
In the past grave sights were marked by large vases that illustrated the life of the one who died. Similarly, the use of a vertical slab, or stele, marks the grave of Hegeso with an everyday scenario of her and a servant. The stele shows the difference in class by the contrast of detail to the woman’s clothes as well as the inscription of her father’s name there by associating Hegeso to her family’s wealth.
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(Left)
Praxiteles
Aphrodite of Kindos
Ca. 350-340 BCE
Marble
6’ 8” High
Olympia, Greece
(Right)
Praxiteles
Hermes and the infant Dionysos
Ca. 330-270 BCE
Marble
7’ 1” High
Olympia, Greece
Praxiteles transforms the highly celebrated god and goddess into a mortal representation, while keeping their divine beauty. The artist causes a scene by showcasing Aphrodite naked when the portrayal of women in past artworks have been clothed. Additionally, Praxiteles presents the Olympians with an idealistic beauty that Greeks aren’t able to achieve while also creating the illusion that the immortal beings have entered the human world.
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