Athena

The deity of Athens and classical Greece was the goddess of

knowledge and wisdom

IDEALISM• Plato believed that perfect truth,

beauty and wisdom exist in the world of forms and ideas – and can only be reached through the power of reason and the human mind

• Plato views art as an imitation or mimesis of true beauty, truth and wisdom.

• Through the ideal human form, Greek sculptors seek to represent things as they should be – an ideal type whose appearance is governed not by the senses of desire but is ordered, calm, unemotional like a sound mind

• A sound body = a sound mind

RATIONALISM

• The intellect is the highest human faculty

• The rational mind can achieve knowledge of truth, wisdom and beauty

• We have rational minds because beyond the world of appearances or reality the universe if governed by logic and reason

• When an artists hands are guided by an alert mind, they can uncover universal logic and reason = canon of proportion

LATE CLASSICAL: WHY WAS IT CREATED (CA)

• Time of upheaval and political invasion – Peloponnesian war, re-unification of Greece, followed by Macedonian rule, then Alexander the Great

• War profoundly impacted the Psyche of the Greeks – WAR IS NOT RATIONAL

• Brought an end to the serene idealism of the Classical period

• Greek thought and art began to focus less on the an ideal world of perfect beings and more on the individual, and real world appearances – THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

What are the facts? (F)

Artist: PraxitelesPatron: City of KnidianTitle: Aphrodite of KnidosDate: 350 BCEPeriod/Style: Late ClassicalSize: 6’ 8”Location: Temple at Knidos

MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES

Carved Marble

SUBJECT MATTERAphordite – Mythic figure Genre scene - everyday life. She is about to take a Bath.

AN INTIMATE SCENE OF HUMANITY

How is the subject matter visually represented / presented? (FA)

Humanized and completely nude

About to step in the bath – can be viewed from every angle - A Goddess to be gazed upon!!!

Shocking in its day but not erotic – hand is modestly placed over her pelvis

She is sensuous: S-curve of her body – sculpture

in the roundHer face has a smile that was

said to have a “welcoming look”The S-curve of her body

highlights the soft flesh of her body

WHAT KIND OF LOVE DOES SHE PROMOTE? WHAT CHANGE IN GREEK CULTURE CAUSES THIS SHIFT IN FOCUS?

What are the facts? (F)

Artist: PraxitelesPatron: NATitle: Hermes and the infant DionysusDate: 350 BCEPeriod/Style: Late ClassicalSize: 7’ 1”Location: Temple of Hera

MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES

Carved Marble

SUBJECT MATTERMythology. Hermes delivering baby Dionysus to be raised in the woods by nymphs

AN INTIMATE SCENE OF INTERACTION AND HUMANITY

How is the subject matter visually represented / presented? (FA)

He leans on a tree trunk, restingS-Curve stanceDelicate featuresWould be holding grapes for DionysusGazes dreamily into spaceTender and human interaction – Gods have stepped off their pedestal and are demonstrating human experiences

WHAT KIND OF LOVE DOES HE PROMOTE? Have we seen this before?

What are the facts? (F)

Artist: LysipposPatron: NATitle: Weary HeraklesDate: 350 BCEPeriod/Style: Late ClassicalSize: 10’ 5”Location: NA

MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUESCarved Marble

SUBJECT MATTERMythology. Herakles – Hero and God. A tragic figure in Late Classical art

AN INTIMATE SCENE OF THE HEROES HUMANITY

KNOWN FOR:

StrengthCourage Ingenuity – Often outwitted his enemyProtector of the GymVery masculine but also a passionate and emotional figure

IF HE WERE DEPICTED DURING THE CLASSICALPERIOD WHICH OF HIS TRAITS WOULD BE THE FOCUS?

How is the subject matter visually represented / presented? (FA)

Muscular body contrasts with exhausted stance – leans on his club for support

The viewer must walk around it – he holds the golden apple behind his back

Despite having completed one of his labors he is not serene of joyful – he can think only of his pain and weariness

His stance is s rejection of stability and balance that reflects his emotional state

Elongated proportions

In What way is the portrayal of this subject matter a reflection of historical events in the late classical period?

Lets Compare

• Classical Sculpture can be described as: Rational, idealized, “perfect,” detached, self-contained, unemotional, balanced, unified, ordered and calm, proportional (cannon)

• Late Classical Sculpture can be described as: Naturalistic, personalized, humanized, relaxed, “soft,” breaking into viewer’s space, elongation of proportions