4 Chapter 4: Classical Period to Middle Ages
Greece—called themselves the Hellás (this is why as Alexander the Great conquers the known world, he Hellenizes it). Considered the beginning of the civilized world and Western civilization. The height of human development. Some of the ideals we took from the Greeks are city/states, architecture, government, philosophy, math, science, theater, and elections by vote, and the greatest was education for the common man. Chronologically, the beginnings of Greek civilization are contemporary with the cultures in Mesopotamia and Egypt we studied previously. Geographically, the Greeks shared the Mediterranean basin with some of these cultures and absorbed their influences. Ultimately, however, Western civilization owes its formative impulses, above all, to Greece. Before we delve into the beginnings of Western civilization in Greece, let’s clarify the primary time periods in ancient Greece that we will be studying.
Art and Architecture of Pre-Classical Greece (The Aegean period): The introduction of the curved line is one of the most lasting contributions to the art of decoration given to us by the Aegeans.
Minoan culture (ca. 2500–1400 BCE), Crete, named by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evens after the legendary King Minos.
Cycladic culture (ca. 3200–1050 BCE) named for the irregular circles of islands.
Mycenaean culture (ca. 1400–1200 BCE), Agamemnon’s city. Used the corbelled arch mostly in Tholos = tombs.
Art and Architecture of Classical Greece:
Archaic Period (ca. 700–480 BCE). Examples: Kouros and Kore.
Classical Period (ca. 480–323 BCE). A period of around 200 years (the 5th and 4th centuries BCE). Very timeless and serene. More about the perfection of the male physical form.
Hellenistic Period (ca. 323–30 BCE). The age of Alexander the Great. His rise concludes the transition from the Classical to the Hellenistic Period.
Classical Period Greek Sculpture
The Greeks would eventually achieve a complete and correct understanding of human anatomy and proportions during the Classical period, which culminated around 450–440 BCE. Contributing to this naturalism in sculpture was the knowledge of the principles governing weight shift, or contrapposto (shifting of the main parts of the body around the vertical, but flexible, axis of the spine), in free-standing sculpture. This contrapposto pose is seen in statues throughout the Classical period (and later the Renaissance). The development of a formulaic, idealized canon of human proportions began with works such as the Kritios Boy, from ca. 480 BCE, and culminated in Polykleitos’ Doryphoros (450–440 BCE), which marks the onset of the Early Classical period. The Doryphoros, or Spear Bearer, was often cited as a model statue to be imitated by other artists, especially those in training.
Doryphoros (The Spear Bearer) A well-preserved Roman period copy, by Polykleitos, Marble. Height: 6 feet, 11 inches.
The Discobolos, or Discus Thrower (below), is a highly dramatic scul