Greek Art History Timeline

• Geometric and Orientalizing Periods, 900-600 BCE

• Archaic Art, 600-480 BCE

• Early and High Classical Art, 480-400 BCE

• Late Classical Art, 400-323 BCE

• Hellenistic Art, 323-30 BCE

BELLRINGER

• Grab a guided notes sheet from the front table.

• In your sketchbook: The Greeks were known for creating the “ideal” figure in sculpture. Brainstorm 3 things that might make a sculpture look “ideal”.

Early and High GreekArt, Architecture, and Theater BIG IDEA!

• Presents the universal ideal of beauty through logic, order, reason and moderation.

Early and High Classical Art• Begins:

– Persian sack of the Acropolis 480 BCE

– Greek revenge 481 BCE

• Fifth Century BCE was the Golden Age of Greece– Aeschylus, Sophocles, and

Euripides wrote their plays – Sculptors revolutionized their

figures– Mathematics are applied to

temples to make the proportions more harmonious.

Early and High Classical Art- Sculpture

• Greek sculptures made artwork more life like…

• Can you figure out how?

• Stand up for an exercise.

Early and High Classical Art- Sculpture

• Sculptures went from…..

• To…

• By introducing contrapposto– Weight of the body is thrown to one foot– Tension is created on one side and relaxation on the other

Polykleitos’ Prescription for the Perfect Statue

• What creates true beauty?

• Read the article entitled, “Polykleitos’ Prescription for the Perfect Statue” and answer the corresponding questions on your learning guide.

Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer)• Ideal statue of a nude male athlete or

warrior• Original named, “Canon” • Original in bronze (marble copy)• Polykleitos developed Greek canon▫ height of the head was used as the

unit of measurement for determining the overall height of the body Doryphoros is 8 heads tall

• Contrapposto▫Weight on one leg, hips and

shoulders are no longer parallel, and spine is in an S curve

Early and High Classical Art- Architecture• The Parthenon (447 BC- 438 BC)

– Decorations continued until 432 BC• a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece• dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena,

– Patron of Athens • It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally

considered the culmination of the development of the Doric order. • Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. • Currently being restored

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReJOK8RMzPE

Early and High Classical Art- Architecture

• How was the Parthenon constructed?– Answer the questions on your corresponding learning guide to

understand how the Parthenon is constructed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReJOK8RMzPE

Early and High Classical Art- Theater• Characteristics

• Usually performed in an amphitheater• After 425 BCE, proscenium stages were used

• Mathematics were used to create acoustics• Actors frequently wore masks with exagggerated

features to reveal their character• Greek plays also included a chorus which offered a variety of

background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. The chorus consisted of 15-24 members.

Oedipus Rexhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA1_QZxvRyo&feature=related

*After watching the short video, draw the family tree of Oedipus.

OedipusJocastaLaiusAntigoneIsmene (she is not mentioned in the video, but she is the daughter of Oedipus)

Oedipus Rex Written by Sophocles 429 BCE – first part of a three-part cycleOedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. After having been married some time without children, Laius and Jocasta consulted an oracle. What is an oracle? **A prophet, someone who can see/tell the future

The Oracle prophesied that if Jocasta should have a son, the son would kill her husband Laius and marry her. When the couple had a son, Laius had his ankles pinned together so that he could not crawl, and gave the boy to a servant to abandon. The sympathetic servant passed the baby on instead of leaving him to die, where he ended up being adopted by the King & Queen of Corinth.(Oedipus becomes a prince).

Many years later, Oedipus is told that the king of Corinth is not his real father. Oedipus seeks counsel from the same Delphic Oracle. The Oracle does not tell him the identity of his true parents but instead tells him that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. In his attempt to avoid the fate predicted by the Oracle, he decides to not return home to Corinth. Oedipus decides to go to Thebes.

Oedipus RexAs Oedipus travels he comes to a place where three roads meet, and here he encounters a chariot, driven by his (unrecognized) birth-father, King Laius. They fight over who has the right to go first and Oedipus kills Laius in self defense, fulfilling part of the prophecy.

Continuing his journey to Thebes, Oedipus encounters a Sphinx which would stop all those who traveled to Thebes and ask them a riddle. If the travelers were unable to answer correctly, they were killed and eaten by the sphinx; if they were successful, they would be able to continue their journey. The riddle was:

"What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?" Oedipus answers: "Man; as an infant, he crawls on all fours, as an adult,

he walks on two legs and, in old age, he relies on a walking stick.”

Oedipus was the first to answer the riddle correctly. The Sphinx is astounded and inexplicably kills itself by throwing itself into the sea, freeing Thebes.

Oedipus Rex Grateful, the people of Thebes appoint Oedipus as their king and give him the recently widowed Queen Jocasta's hand in marriage.

In a search for the identity of the killer of Laius, Oedipus follows Creon's (his brother-in-law) suggestion and sends for the blind prophet, Tiresias, who warns him not to try to find the killer. In a heated exchange, Tiresias exposes Oedipus as the killer.

A messenger then reveals that Oedipus was adopted. Jocasta then goes into the palace where she hangs herself. Oedipus seeks verification of the messenger's story from the very same herdsman who was supposed to have left Oedipus to die as a baby. Thus, Oedipus finally realizes in great agony that so many years ago, at the place where three roads meet, he had killed his own father, King Laius, and as a consequence, married his mother, Jocasta.

Using the pin from a brooch he takes off Jocasta's gown, Oedipus gouges his eyes out.

Prophesy in Oedipus RexThere are three instances of prophesy in Oedipus:

a.) The oracle tells Laius and Jocasta that their son will kill Laius and marry Jocasta.

b.) the oracle tells Creon that the plague will be lifted if the murderer of Laius is banished.

c.) Tiresias tells Oedipus of the same prophesy as Laius and Jocasta.

**This prophesy motif is prevalent in many Greek tragedies and reveals the theme of denial or blindness to the truth (symbolized by Oedipus gouging his eyes out at the end).

Oedipus Sensory Figures1. Create a simple drawing of your character chosen from the story (Oedipus, Jocasta, Tiresias, Lauis, Creon, Antigone).

2. Label each sense – what the character may be seeing, hearing, saying, feeling, thinking, etc.

3. These can be both physical and mental experiences (for instance, a person can feel sad, but they can also feel the hot or cold of the weather depending on Where the setting is).

4. You MUST use color!

I see…

I feel with my heart…

I feel with my feet…

I hear…

I feel with my hands…

I think…

Exit Slip

• 1) What are major characteristics of art, architecture, and theater did the Greeks believe made a product beautiful? You need to state all characteristics. – State one characteristic from visual art,

architecture, and theater that proves that the Greeks use logic, order, and symmetry to show beauty.

Exit Slip

• 1) What makes Greek Visual Art beautiful?– Hint: What made Polycleitus’ sculpture beautiful?

• 2) What makes Greek Architecture beautiful?– Hint: What did the Greeks do to make the

Parthenon beautiful?• 3) If characters in Greek drama did not show

moderation or thought they could defy fate, what would happen?