Greek Art Evolution

The historical development of Greece has seen many phases and changes Starting in the Late Geometric Period at 750BCE and passing through the Orientalizing, Archaic and Classical Periods we see some particularly significant changes in art especially as it relates to how man views himself in the greater context of the universe. By examining areas of society including science, literature, war, politics, gender roles, and social hierarchy one can also see how they might Lie into this evolution in Greek Art.

Most scholars place the Dark Age and Geometric period from 1100 to 700 BCE, a time which saw the establishment of the Greek city-states, the invention of the Greek alphabet and writing of Homer’s Iliad, Along with this early foundation of cultural solidification was some systematization of the mythologized heroes and deities of the time (Donlan et al.) This period can also be thought of as the result of the collapse of the Mycenaean culture “In a word, all the sophisticated achievements of the Greek Bronze Age vanished (Pedley).

” The art from this period reflects this collapse in that is more limited in its scope and lacks the decoration of that former culture, For example the Centaur from Lefkandi made in the 10‘“ century BCE, One finds typically geometric triangular pattern repeated along the body and the face of the human is quite cruder By the time we reach the end of the Orientalizing Period in 600 BCE, migration and trade between Greece and the Middle East and Egypt has increased (Pedley), “The Orientalizing period of Greek art exemplifies the importance of Near Eastern models in the development of Greek culture” (Donlan et al,).

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For example, Greek artists adopted Egyptian motifs and the Egyptian style of depicting humans and animals.

The Protoattic amphora by Analatos c. 700-675 BCE shows sphinxes, male and female dancers in a typical Egyptian silhouette, and remnants of the Geometric preference for repeating patterns. Moving onto the Archaic period, particularly in the 6‘“ century BCE, there are significant changes in artwork with artists depicting more realistic human and animal forms. This coincides with the rise of Athenian dominance and developments in a number of fields, The early developments of democracy can be found in the economic, social and constitutional reforms sought by Soloni In addition, Thales and Pythagoras were leading figures in science and mathematics (Donlan et al.). All of these developments can be thought of as precursors to the rational inquiry and vibrant intellectual atmosphere of the Early Classical Periodi Moschophoros the Calf Bearer from 570-560BCE is a classic example ofArchaic Art.

There is some basic accuracy in human form, but it is definitely rigid and structured like much of Egyptian art and the daedalic, or grid system is in place to maintain symmetry (Rupp), One of the unique aspects is the smile of the main figure, a typical Archaic feature to attempt to convey a “lifelike” appearance, The calf over the shoulder of the man seems to have greater detail than the main figure. One can trace the muscles, tendons, and sinew of the calf. The main figure exhibits many Egyptian features including a rigid form, somewhat inaccurate anatomy, an over idealized abdomen, and bulging eyes. This difference between the calf and the human is interesting because it highlights the worldview about man’s role in the universe. It is as though the humans were meant to be the same or almost a non~unique or in a blank state. Perhaps the knowledge about the calf’s anatomy was greater because of butchering practices.

Improvements in painting and drawing different scenes and figures in the two- dimensional plane shows up on the red and black pottery of the Late Archaic. Changes in the accuracy of anatomy in drawing will eventually show up in three-dimensional sculpture as well so it is interesting to look at the pottery of the later 6‘” century BCE to trace changes into the end of the Archaic Period. By this time the pottery industry was producing many scenes from Pan- l-lellenistic myths like the dice game between Achilles and Ajax, gods attending the wedding of Pelius, the Caledonian boar hunt, and the games after Patrikles’s death. There are two potters, or pottery workshops, that best show some of these changes: Amasis and Exekias. Both worked and produced pots for common commercial and domestic use around 530-520 BCEt With improvements in kilning these workshops were able to produce many vases which depicted myth scenes with Amasis focusing on genre scenes and Exekias focusing on the “pregnant moment” from common myths (Rupp).

By the time we reach 510 BCE, we have examples of even more improvements in drawing. For example the Euphronius kraters depicting Herakles wrestling with Antios and the Death of Sarpedon Here we see attempts to show wrestling in motion, with torque and muscular flexing in action. However, the abdomen and placement of the heads is inaccurate. Looking at the Death of Sarpedon in particular the painter is trying to show Sarpedon’s last painful expression and position with his arm coming down. This refers to the mythological story where Sarpedon was fated to die by the hand of Patroclus, which Zeus did not prevent The krater shows how his body is being carried by Hermes, Death and Sleep. It also corresponds to a general interest in depicting death scenes The Classical Period starts in 480 BCE with the sack of Athens by the Persian Xerxes.

However, his rule was short-lived and by the next year he had been removed from power The Delian League was formed in order to create a Treasury to pay for a joint Greek army against the common enemy, the Persians Over the next fifty years, Athenian thinking, politics, and might were clearly dominant over the Spartans (Donlan et al,). A more unified Greek country and sense of Greek pride may have set in as “Athens… was the most creative center of cultural activity at this period” (Pedley). At the Temple of Zeus, despite it being an area to worship a deity, the archeological findings speak of man as being celebrated (Rupp). There were statues of athletes, politicians, thinkers, and people of importance everywhere. Other figures of the time that might have celebrated were Hippocrates in medicine, Anaxagoras and Leucippus in philosophy, Aeschylus and Sophocles in poetry, and Thucydides in history (Donlan et al.). Nearby is the Olympic stadium where the Olympic Games took place Although these games were intended to glorify Zeus, the athletes who won were also glorified.

This period was called the Period of Transition and this pride in man‘s potential and achievements can be seen in the artwork where anatomical precision is getting very close to creating an actual likenesst Also, even though women were still not depicted naked, sculptors were attempting more and more to capture the feminine form through the closer draping of robes against the body. One good general example from this period is the Cat Stele from Aegina c. 430BCE. This grave shows a dead youth, a mourning boy, and a cat. The folds of the clothes are exquisite, the muscles are shown as they would be for the motion he is making with his arm extended. The central figure’s face is in deep consideration of the birdcage he is reaching to, the details in the hair and ear are shockingly real. This goes for the mourning boy who has a somber expression. From the Geometric through until the early Classical period, we have seen many changes in Greek history. These changes have corresponded to developments in the kinds of art being produced. Likewise, this art, in turn, reflects how the Greeks thought about themselves, their accomplishments, and their future.