Ap art history test 3

AP Art History

Test 3

(Midterm)

Funerary Vase (Krater)

• C. 750 BCE, from Dipylon Cemetary, Athens, 3 ft tall• This complex decoration is typical of the Geometric

style proper• For the first time, humans are depicted as part of a

narrative• This pot provides a detailed record of the funerary

rituals -- including cremation -- for an important man• The lying man in the top register is about to be

cremated• The figures with their hands on top of their heads are

depicted in anguish• They are literally teasing out their hair with grief• In the bottom register, a procession is depicted• Figures are shown in either full-frontal or full-profile

views that emphasize flat patterns and outline the shapes

• There is no attempt to create 3-D depth• A deep sense of human loss is shown by the using

rigidity, solemnity, and strong rhythmic accents of the carefully arranged elements

• Greek funerary art focused on the emotional reactions of the survivors, not the fate of the dead

• This scene contains no supernatural beings• The afterlife was seen as a place of mystery and

obscurity that humans couldn’t define

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Vase/ Pitcher (olpe)• C. 600 BCE from Corinth, 11 inches tall• This Orientalizing style was built more around large

motifs that included real and imaginary animals, abstract plant forms and human figures

• Olpe = a wide-mouthed pitcher, which has silhouetted creatures striding in horizontal bands against a light background with stylized flower forms called rosettes

• It’s decorated with dark shapes of lions, a serpent, and composite creatures

• The artist incised fine details inside the silhouetted shapes with a sharp tool

• Motif of fantastic striding animals = rhythm



Temple of Hera• C. 550 BCE, Paestum, Italy• The earliest standing temple there,

which was dedicated to Hera, the wife of Zeus

• It is a large, rectangular, post and lintel structure with a stepped foundation supporting a peristyle -- a row of columns that surrounds the cella (single room) on all 4 sides

• This single peristyle plan is called a peripteral temple

• The peristyle of Hera originally supported a tall lintel area called the entablature (above capital of column)

• The roof rested on the cornice, the slightly projecting topmost element of the entablature

• The raking (slanted) cornices of the roof and the horizontal cornices of the entablature formed the pediment



• This elevation design shows the early form of the Doric order, including columns with fluted shafts resting w/o bases directly on the stylobate (top step)

• Fragments of terra-cotta eave decorations painted in bright colors have been found in the rubble of Hera

• The columns are very robust, creating an impression of great stability and permanence, but it is rather cumbersome

• As the shaft rises, they swell in the middle and contract again toward the top = entasis

• This gives a sense of energy and upward lift

• Hera has an uneven # of columns• The unusual 2 aisle, 2 door

arrangement suggests the temple had 2 deities: either Hera & Poseidon(patron of the city) or Hera & Zeus, or maybe Hera in her two forms: as warrior & protector of city and as mother & protector of children



Dying Warrior, C. 480 BCE• This is among the best preserved fragments of the east pediment of the Temple of Aphaia,

in Aegina• This figure originally would have been painted and fitted with authentic bronze accessories,

increasing its sense of reality• It fully uses the difficult framework of the pediment corner• The artist portrayed the soldiers’ uplifted, twisted form turning in space, capturing his agony

and vulnerability• The subtle modeling of the body shows the softness of human flesh, contrasted with the

hard metallic geometry of the shield, helmet and arrow.



Kouros (Standing Youth)• C. 600 BCE, made of marble, 6 feet tall• Figures like this were frequently life size or larger• They were brightly painted and sometimes bore

inscriptions which told who commissioned it and why

• They have been found in graves and sanctuaries• Young, athletic males symbolized fertility and

family continuity - they may have been symbolic ancestor figures

• This figure recalls the pose and proportions of Egyptian sculpture

• Greek artists did not share Egyptian obsession with permanence; they cut away all stone from around the body

• They may be suggestive of the marble block from which they were carved, but they have a notable athletic quality unlike Egyptian statues

• This figure has an Archaic smile, used to enliven the expression of figures.

• The nudity of the figure removes it from a specific time, place, or social class



Kouros ( Kroisos Kouros)• C. 530 BCE, marble/paint, 6’4”• This figure clearly shows the increasing

interest of artists and their patrons in a ore lifelike rendering of the human figure

• The pose, hair, and Archaic smile echo the earlier Kouroi style

• The massive torso and limbs have greater anatomical accuracy, suggesting heroic strength

• This served as a monument to a war hero and was found in a cemetery at Anavysos

• The inscription at the base inspires the viewer to emulate Kroisos’s noble actions and heroic character



Kore• C. 520 BCE, from Chios, made of marble, 21”• Used to be painted• It reflects a trend toward increasingly lifelike

anatomical depiction that would peak in the fifth century BCE (400s)

• She wears a garment called a chiton, over it, a cloak called a himation was draped diagonally

• Her hairstyle and abundance of jewelry add to the opulent effectQuickTime™ and a

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Women at a Fountain House• C. 520 BCE, black-figure decoration on

hydria, priam painter• Subject matter: social moment with women

= genre• White figures = women• Black figures= male• This ceramic is perfectly balanced• There is a horizontal, frieze-like composition

of the women across the body of the pot



Death of Sarpedon• C. 515 BCE, painter: Euphronios• Euphronois = one of best known red-figure

technique artists• He was praised for his study of human anatomy• Painted on a carlyx krater• According to Homer’s Illiad, Sarpedon, a son of

Zeus and a mortal women, was killed by the Greek warrior Patroclus while fighting for the Trojans

• The winged figures, Death and Sleep, are carrying the dead warrior from the battlefield

• Hermes (messenger of gods) is watching over the scene

• He is identified by his winged hat and his staff with snakes

• He leads the dead to the netherworld• Euphronios created a perfectly balanced

composition of verticals and horizontals• The painter conveys a sense of mass and energy

of the subjects, as well as fine details • The impression of real space around the figures

was created by foreshortening body forms and limbs



Kritios Boy• C. 480 BCE, excavated from the

debris on the Athenian Acropolis, made of marble, 46”

• Thought to be made by the Greek sculptor Kritios

• The boy has a natural pose (contra posto) unlike kouroi

• His solemn expression lacks any trace of the “Archaic smile” (this is now part of the early classic or severe style)

• At the end of the Archaic period, a new technique for hollow-casting bronze was developed

• This created a more flexible medium and became favored among Greek sculptors

• It more easily permitted off-balance action poses

• After this intro, the figure in action became a popular subject



Discus Thrower (Discobolus)• C. 450 BCE, lifesize marble, made by

Myron, Roman copy after original bronze• The athlete was caught at the crucial point

of his motion -• The breathless instant before the

concentrated energy of his body will unwind to propel the discus into space



Charioteer• C. 470 BCE, from Delphi in sanctuary of

Apollo, 5’11”• Made by lost wax casting• Comemorates a victory by a driver in the

Pythian Games• He seems to pout• His head turns slightly to the side• Intimidating expression is enhanced by

glass eyes and sliver eyelashes• His features suggest an idealized

conception of youthful male appearance• There is great realism in the sculpture



Spear Bearer (Doryphoros)• C. 450 BCE, 6’11”, Roman copy of original bronze• Greek sculptors sought an ideal human beauty• From Mature Classical period = regular facial features,

smooth skin, certain body proportions- became canon• Sculptor Polykleitos was the best-known art theorist of the

classical period• He developed a set of rules for constructing the ideal

human figure, described in The Canon• This statue of Achilles was meant to show his theory• The canon included a system of ratios between a basic

unit and the length of various body parts• This basic unit may have been the length of the figure’s

index finger • The canon also included guidelines for symmetria, the

relationship of body parts to another• Contrapposto is demonstrated greatly in this figure.• The pattern of tension and relaxation is reveres in the

arragnement of the arms• This dynamically balanced pose (typical of High Classic

Greek art) differs from the Kritios Boy• The tip of the hipline is more pronounced• Polykleitos sought a mathematical definition of the

Beautiful, aspiring to make human perfection in the tangible form of sculpture



Parthenon• C. 447-438 BCE, Acropolis, Athens• The building was begun by Kallikrates then

halted when the Persians sacked the acropolis• Pericles decided to rebuild the Parthenon was

started to create a visual expression of Athenian values and civic pride that would glorify his city and bolster its status as capital of the empire

• Pericles appointed Iktinos as the new architect• It was a symbol of Athenian aspirations and

creativity• Phidias was the sculptor• It was a temple dedicated to Athena (goddess of

Wisdom)• It is an icon for democratic values and

independent thought• It was a perfected, ideal Doric temple with ionic

cella that housed statue of Athena

• It has been a Christian Church, an Islamic mosque, a Turkish facility, etc.





Parthenon• In the eighteenth century, the building came to

exemplify human and humane values• It became a symbol of honesty, heroism, and

civic virtue, of highest ideals in art and politics• It has perfect proportions in a ration 4:9• The sculptural decoration conveys a number of

political themes: triumph of democratic and Greek city-states over Persia’s imperial forces, triumph of an enlightened Greek civilization over despotism and barbarism

• Pediments were filled with sculpture in the round• The west pediment shows the contest between

Athena and Poseidon. The east shows Athena’s birth

• The reliefs in the Doric friezes depicted legendary battles

• Civic pride: wisdom, democracy, culture, wealth





Porch of the Maidens (Caryatid Porch), Erechtheion• C. 430-405 BCE, Acropolis, Athens• The asymmetrical plan and several levels reflect

buildings multiple functions in housing many different shrines and conform to the sharply sloping terrain

• This site encloses what the Athenians believed to be a sacred rock, bearing the marks of the trident.

• This porch was on the south side of the Erechtheion

• Six stately caryatids with simple Doric capitals support an ionic entablature made of bands of carved molding

• The figures demonstrate contrapposto• There is a sense of closure, symmetry, and

rhythm• The vertical fall of their dresses resembles the

fluting of a column shaft and provides a sense of stability, whereas the bent leg gives an impression of relaxed grace and effortless support





Temple of Athena Nike• C. 425 BCE, Acropolis, Athens• Built by Kallicrates• Ionic order temple built on an amphiprostyle

plan, that is, with a porch at each end • The porch facing out over the city is blind,

with no entrance to the cella• The temple has been rebuilt since Turkish

occupation of Greece in 1600s• Its diminutive size and refined Ionic

decoration are in marked contrast to the massive Doric Propylaia adjacent to it

• It used to be surrounded by a parapet, or low wall, faced with sculptured panels depicting Athena presiding over her winged attendants called Victories as they prepare for a celebration



Nike (Victory) Adjusting Her Sandal• C. 410 BCE, 42”• Survived from the parapet at the Temple of

Athena (Nike)• The figure bends forward gracefully,

causing her ample chiton to slip off one shoulder

• Her large wings effectively balance this unstable pose

• The textile covering her appears delicate and light -- one of the most discreetly erotic images in ancient art



Grave Stele of Hegeso• C. 400 BCE, marble, 6’• The classical stelai represent departures or

domestic scenes that very often feature women

• Women as depicted in these tombstones held a respected position in the family

• This stele depicts a beautifully dressed woman seated in an elegant chair

• She selects jewels from a box• The composition is entirely inward turning • The simplicity of the maid’s tunic and hair

contrasts with the luxurious dress and partially veiled flowing hair of Hegeso

• The sculptor has carved both women as part of the living spectators’ space in front of a simple temple=fronted gravestone

• The artist doesn't invade the private world of the women



Hermes and the Infant Dionysus• C. 325 BCE, marble with remnants of red

paint on lips and hair, Praxiteles• Roman copy?• Sculpture stood in Temple of Hera at

Olympia• Discovered in Temple Sanctuary of Hear

and Zeus• This figure has a smaller head than

previous sculptures and its off-balance s-curve pose contrasts earlier works

• A sensuous play of light was created over the figure’s surface

• Soft muscles; playful• There is also a humanized treatment of the

subject• Two gods caught in a moment of absorbed

companionship



The Scraper (Apoxyomenos)• C. 325 BCE, Roman copy, marble, 7’,

Lysippos• Lysippos was a transitional figure for

he lived in the world of Alex the Great• His figures reflect a different set of

proportions than previously before• For this work, he chose a typical

Classical subject• He depicted a young man methodically

cleaning himself, but his thoughts are far from that

• This figure is tall & slender with a small head

• It reflects a different canon of proportions and the figure’s weight is more evenly distributed between the 2 legs

• He legs are also in a wider stance to counterbalance the outstretched arms



Apollo Belvedere• In Vatican before 1509• Contrapposto• Light and delicate• Soft muscles• Not intense - no pain or sufferingQuickTime™ and a

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Tomb of King Mausolos

•C. 350 BCE

•Built in Halikarnassos

• = Mausoleum



Portrait of King Mausolos

•C. 350 BCE, from tomb of Mausolos

•In Belvedere

•Shows individualism

Dying Gaul Trumpeter• C. 220 BCE, roman copy, life-size, from Pergamon• Pergamon was located in western Asia Minor

(Turkey)• Included in the sculpture of the Temple of Aphaia• The entire monument this piece comes from

commemorates the victory over the Gauls• It extols the dignity and heroism of the defeated

enemies• The figures were mounted on a large pedestal• The wiry unkempt hair and the trumpeter’s twisted

neck ring identify them as “barbarians”• The artist sought to arose the viewer’s admiration

and pity for his subjects• The trumpeter’s deliberate attempt to rise elicits a

specific emotional response in the viewer, known as expressionism

• It was to become a characteristic of Hellenistic art



Altar from Pergamon• C. 175-150 BCE, from Turkey• Original complex was a single-story

structure with an Ionic colonnade raised on a high podium reached by a monumental staircase

• The running frieze decoration, probably executed during the reign of Eumenes II, depicts the battle between the gods and the Giants - a mythical struggle the Greeks used as a metaphor for Pergamon’s victory over the Gauls

• The frieze figures break out of their architectural space



Nike (Victory) of Samonthrace• C. 190 BCE, marble, 8’, found in Samonthrace• This figure was used as a war memorial• The forward momentum of her body is balanced

by the powerful backward thrust of her huge wings

• The large open movements of he figure, the strong contrasts of light and dark on the deeply sculpted forms, and the contrasting textures typify Hellenistic art

• Although most Hellenistic pieces were “huge”, “enormous” and “larger-than-life”, artists of the time also created fine works on a small scale

• The grace, dignity, and energy of the figure can also be found in a bronze 8” tall



Laocoon and His Sons• C. 2nd or 1st BCE, marble 8’, copy?, found

in Rome• The complex sculptural composition

illustrates an episode from the Trojan War• The Trojan’s priest, Laocoon warned them

not to take the giant wooden horse inside their walls

• The gods who supported the Greeks in the war retaliated by sending serpents from the sea to destroy him and his sons

• There are struggling figures, anguished faces, intricate diagonal movements, and skillful unification of diverse forces in a complex composition

• Although sculpted in the round, the 3 figures appear as very high relief and are more like the relief sculpture from the altar at Peramon



Belvedere Torso• C. 150 BCE, marble• Probably Hercules• Huge muscles, twisting = torsion



Aphrodite of Melos (Venus de Milo)• C. 150 BCE, marble, 7’• Shows renewed interest in style of 4th

century• Found on island of Melos by French• Intended to recall Aphrodite of

Praxiteles• Twisting stance and strong projection

of the knee are typical of Hellensitic art• The drapery also has rich 3D quality



Old Woman• C. 1 century BCE, marble, 49”, Roman

copy• Some think she represents an aging

dissolute follower of Dionysus on her way to make an offering

• Not a timeless youth• Shows old age• Realism• Genre…?



Alexander the Great Confronts Darius III at the Battle of Issos• C. 310 BCE, Roman copy of Greek original painting• Shows growing taste for dramatic narratives• Shows violent action, gestures and radical foreshortening, all devised to make the viewer’s

response to a dramatic situation• Chiaroscuro, and illusionistic devices are used• Shows turmoil of war



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