WEEKLY READING
RESPONSE ASSESSMENT
WORD COUNT = XXX of a 300 minimum required
Availability for Response #1/5 DUE = 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 points
5 = A A- Exceeds objectives and expectations at a superior level
4 = B+ B B- Meets objectives and expectations adequately
3 = C+ C C- Meets some objectives and expectations
2 = D+ D Meets fewer expectations appropriately
1 = D - Does not meet expectations, far below
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Comments embedded into student essays with grade
REVIEW RESPONSE #2/5:
Question #2/5:
> From Chapter 5 and the YouTube links I provided, describe THREE different ideals of human representation that the Ancient Greeks used on amphoras, in sculpture, and architecture.
Your Ideals need to speak of three of the following:
Myth
Religion / belief system
Politics / Government
Everyday life
(Your examples should differ through the various concepts posted above.)
Bring in examples from our text and/or blog with complete details and how the object you have selected is an excellent example of the different ideals you are speaking of.
300 words minimum.
Be as thorough as possible.
Respond in narrative form.
- Chapter Review Response DUE TUE APR 7 @ 6 PM send to jpepper@cazenovia.edu
Pepper posted the question FRI APR 03 by 6:31 PM -- sorry folks for my lateness!
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Weekly Reflection #2/5
Professor Pepper
There are many different ideals of human representation that were developed by Greek artists, all of which were developed in a surprisingly short period of time. Three of them include the geometric style, the classical style, and the Hellenistic style.
The geometric style of human representation is the first and oldest. It was utilized most in the period of 900 and 700 BCE and the best example of it being used would be on ceramic vessels. A human depiction in the geometric style would have a circular shape for a head, lines for arms, a triangle to depict the torso and lines for legs that vary in thickness to depict thighs and calves. Large vessels used as grave markers showed not only a funerary event but everyday life activities as well such as sports conducted most likely to honor the deceased.
The classical style of human representation lasted from approximately 480 to 323 BCE. Due to changes in politics and government spurred by different wars, the classical period can actually be split into three subdivisions. These include the early classical period, the high classical period, and the late classical period. Human representation in Greek art went from a more stylized manor to a much more realistic style that sought to match and or mimic the actual human body and its features. Throughout the period statues and sculptures became more and more realistic and lifelike, all while emphasizing select attributes thought to be desirable such as smooth skin and particular facial features creating a general ideal of representation.
The Hellenistic style of human representation started in 323 BCE marked by Alexander the Great’s death and lasts until the rise of Rome in the second and first centuries BCE. Unlike the classical period and its art, the Hellenistic period focused more on the individual and uniqueness of humans. There were two trends in art during this period, one rejected classical ideals and the other emulated them.
Word Count: 324
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FA111 Art History
Review Question #2/5
March 6, 2020
Greek culture and influences are compelling forces of many countries and nation societal blueprints, including the western world. From democracy to philosophy to architecture and trade, Greeks captured and built upon their discoveries and creations. Most notable of Greek contributions culturally is Greek art, specifically, sculptures.
Greeks sought to and created freestanding sculptures effectively bringing to its evolvement the concept of “contrapposto” pose in sculpture. The concept removed the rigidity of previously created sculptures during the Early Classical Period and replacing it with a more lifelike, ease in posture, implied motion and the concept of weight and balance (YouTube-Khan Academy-New York Kouros).
The accomplishment of the Greeks in capturing the concept of the ideal representation of the human body gifted concept and guidance to others. Created by the “High” Classical Sculptor Polykleitos of Argos during the Classical Period, the “Canon of Polykleitos” ultimately gave guidance and rise to the replication of Greek sculptures by non-Greeks such as the Romans.
Other cultural contributions developed in Athens by the Greeks and emanated from the concept of the “implementation of a representative government” was democracy. After the decline during the Aegean Bronze Age of the Minoan Crete in 1500 BCE, the Mycenaeans after building fortified strongholds collapsed for unknown reasons paving the passage for who became the Greeks. (Stokstad and Cothren-2016). At its infancy, democracy while in its growth stage barred men that were insufficient land owners, women in general and slaves that were captured from wars from democratic inclusion (YouTube-History 101-Ancient Greece).
In addition to democracy and art as cultural contributions by the Greeks, so was the concept of math that is influenced in such works as art and architecture. From the concept of the Canon of Polykleitos that precipitated the beginnings of contrapposto sculpture, Greeks appear to have unintentionally created the system of weight and balance and proportion of scale. During the Bronze Age in the Aegean, the system of creating blueprints, paired with the use of geometric shapes and advanced tools were identified. Precise drawings (blueprints) were manifested as the guide to sculpting. Typically, “most of these sculptures represent nude women posed in strict symmetry…clutching their abdomens”, “the sculptors carefully designed these figures, laying them out with a compass in conformity to three evenly spaced and equally sized circles” (Stokstad and Cothren).
Word Count: 389
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FA111 Art History
Weekly Reading Response 2/5
The Ancient Greeks had different ideals when it came to representing humans in their art. Humans were depicted in painting on amphoras, which was Greek pottery, in sculptures, and in architecture, and each had a different style. Beyond the literal differences, the art showed an ideal of how a person should act and what they might aspire to.
Amphoras such as the one above made by a man named Exekias sometime between 800 and 300 BCE depict humans in profile. The figures are made with a style of painting called sgraffito, where the surface is covered by something, in the case of Greek art they used clay slip, and then scratched away. Art made in this way could be monochrome, though the addition of other colors such as white or red can sometimes be seen in other pieces. This particular piece depicts the mythical figures Ajax and Achilles playing a board game (Whitney). Both are notable warriors, yet here they are seen in a fight of wit rather than might. Their weapons and shields are kept nearby in a way that suggests they are still willing and able to fight should the need arise.
Humans are also depicted in Greek architecture. It is not uncommon to see it as part of their altars, such as the piece above, which is part of the many relief carvings from the Pergamon Altar. The particular piece shows the god’s triumph over the giants, though it has been said it may also represent the Pergamene’s victory over the Celts (Collins). Another notable example are the caryatids, which are pillars made into statues of women in robes. In both a literal and metaphorical sense, they carry the weight of the building. In both cases, humans as part of architecture seem to denote that the place is of some importance. It is also worth noting how all of the nude figures are male, while the female figures are clothed. This was common in Greek statues, though some amphoras did depict nude women, such as the red figure amphora made by Pamphaios and Oltos.
The picture above is known as the Dying Warrior, from the Temple of Aphaia. As much of the art made by Greeks, this follows the trend of depicting heroic figures. It also follows the trend of depicting men in the nude. Despite the scene, the figure is smiling. This is known as the “archaic smile”, and while it isn’t certain why so many figures featured this, it is thought to have either meant to show the figure was in good health, or was just a product of technical difficulty in carving a human face (Encyclopædia Britannica). Either way, the figure looks stoic despite the imminent death the name of the piece implies he will face. That aside, much of Greek art depicts heros, or heroic stories, which tends to imply that they valued those qualities above certain others. Perhaps it was meant as an ideal to aspire to. Greek myth is full of such stories, so it only makes sense it would make its way into their art.
Word Count: 515
“Archaic Smile.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 28 Feb. 2018, www.britannica.com/art/Archaic-smile.
Collins, Neil. “Altar of Zeus at Pergamon (C.166-156 BCE).” Pergamon Altar of Zeus, www.visual-arts-cork.com/antiquity/pergamon-altar.htm.
Pepper, Jen. “NEW ANCIENT GREECE Notes > Chapter #5.” SP2020.CAZ.FA111.ArtHistoryOne, sp2020cazfa111.blogspot.com/2020/03/new-ancient-greece-chapter-5.html.
Witney, Simone. “Exekias, Achilles and Ajax.” Ulyssesdove, 12 May 2017, ulyssesdove.wordpress.com/2016/07/20/exekias-achilles-and-ajax/.
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In Ancient Greece the Greeks had a certain way they viewed the human body. As depicted on their amphoras they had both male and females as well as their gods. The way they depicted the human body was dependent on their view of the gods.
Some ways they depicted the human body was by painting the men naked and muscular as to be close to what the gods looked like. They were meant to be perfect and since they believed their gods took human form the ancient Greeks inspired to be as close to their likeness as possible. Being naked also showed their heroic sides and that in this weakened form they were at their best. This also included being muscular and fit as possible which is depicted in the amphoras, paintings, and statues which showed muscle definition through different thickness of the outlines. The amphora on the right is a depiction of an Ancient Greek fighting a lion, this painting is similar to the story of Hercules which is who this vase is probably a painting of. It is to show the depiction of a fit man who can defeat a lion with his bare hands.
Another version of the naked male is in the statues the Greeks created. It was a three-dimensional show of a man who is fit and ready to go to war to defend his home. Once again this depicts the ideal man in his vulnerable state fighting in peak physical condition.
The female, however in contrast to the men of Ancient Greek, were painted or sculpted both clothed and naked. As depicted in this painting the women are clothed as they are holding up a temple that is sacred to the gods. In more religious standings the women were clothed while in more free art forms like amphoras women were often painted naked. To men and women of the culture the women were pleasant to see undressed and were either with men of gods in these paintings. Of course, in real life women were never seen undressed, unlike the men who wore their naked body as a sign of victory.
Work Cited
Pepper Jen, “New Ancient Greece Chapter 5”, BlogSpot, March 23 2020,
Stokstad, Marilyn. “Art of Ancient Greece and The Aegean World”, Art a Brief History, Sixth Edition, United States of America, 2011, 105.
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FA111 Art History
Chapter 5 Question #2/5
The Ancient Greeks have been very influential in setting the stepping-stones for a number of things. Their culture and style paved the way to how art is created and how politics have been formed. Ancient Greece has been known for its unique methods and styles that had a more classical tone. A thing the Greeks have played around with the most is the human body and how it is represented. They had many different ideals of human representation that they expressed in art and architecture.
Ancient Greece is well known for its gods and goddesses and how they were represented. Greece loved to honor gods and goddess in many ways since they were created from mythology. Their story have been passed down for generations so the Greeks decided to represent them properly. These myths were very important to the Greeks and helped symbolized life for them. A good example would be the Greek Key, a geometric pattern that supposedly represents a myth called the Minotaur’s labyrinth which is about a Minotaur that was trapped in a maze-like labyrinth. The Greek Key is used heavily throughout artworks ranging from amphoras to architecture. These powerful beings were represented in more than art. According to history.com, “And every one of these city-states (known as poleis) was said to be protected by a particular god or goddess, to whom the citizens of the polis owed a great deal of reverence, respect and sacrifice.” They worshiped each god or goddess by creating temples dedicated to them. These temples served as places of worship and they always contained a realistic statue of that god or goddess. For example, the goddess Athena was very popular because she was the goddess of wisdom and war. She was the city-state Athens goddess and the Greeks would create marble statues of her and her fellow gods/goddesses.
Ancient Greeks are very different from other civilizations because they praise their soldiers instead of gods or kings. Greece loved war which made them see their soldiers as heroic warriors. They were represented in a number of ways from sculptures to events to celebrate them. Amphoras, pottery, included paintings on them that would show marvelous scenes. The Greeks would mostly use these amphoras to represent/depict a soldier battling a monster or a foe. The subjects of amphoras are highly regarded which made it a great way to honor warriors. In the Temple of Aphaia Greek architects decided to include marble sculptures of dying warriors. The sculptures were made to look realistic, like flesh, to portray the emotions they felt while dying. Their final moments will now be memorialized in marble. The Greeks did a number of things to celebrate their heroes. According to National Geographic, “War heroes also inspired the creation of the Olympics which celebrated physical competition.” The Olympics was a stable for Greece and it was so huge that all war stopped until the competition was over. Men would go through a series of physical tests, while nude, to show their true strength. The event was so popular and unique that we carry on the tradition today, with some changes of course.
Ancient Greeks didn’t just focus on heroic warriors, they also focused on regular everyday people. According to Marilyn and Cothren “The artists continued and sought out to change and improve artistic trends based on direct observation, style of dress, architecture, and visual imagery.” Greeks decided to use what was around them in their culture instead of focusing on a higher power, in contrast to Ancient Greece which focused on lives of kings/queens. Artists showed this with realistic sculptures by applying the the rules of anatomy with the perspectives of the human form. A big example is caryatids which are columns that in the form of clothed women that are used to hold up buildings/pediments in architecture. Regular people weren’t just focused on in art, they were also heard for in politics. According to National Geographic, “Another political development was the institution of the first large scale democracy. Developed in the city-state of Athens democratic rule was a way to give the Greek people representation and political power.” Politics were used to actually give a voice to regular people and not just have them silenced or ignored. They were given full representation whether it was art or politics.
Ancient Greece has been known for its unique methods and styles that had a more classical tone. The Greeks culture and style paved the way to how art is created and how politics have been formed. They mainly focused on the human form and played around with a classical style. Whether from ancient mythology to regular people, each are represented in their own way. The ancient styles of Greece will always be remembered throughout time with the jaw-dropping artifacts left behind from this wonderful period.
Word Count: 813
Works Cited
History.com Editors. “Ancient Greek Art.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 May 2010, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-greek-art.
History.com Editors. “Ancient Greece.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 5 Mar. 2010, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-greece.
National Geographic. “Ancient Greece 101 I National Geographic.” YouTube, 22 Apr. 2018
Stokstad, Marilyn and Cothren, Michael W. “Art: A Brief History.” 6th edition, Pearson, 2016.
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Art history
Professor Pepper
April 3, 2020
Weekly response #2
The Ancient Greeks portrayed many different ideals of human representation through their sculptures, amphoras and architecture. They have many ideals in their culture, some of which include religion, myth and everyday life.
Amphoras, which were the ancient Greeks version of jars, are a significant component of their culture. These amphoras date back to the geometric period, 900-700 BCE (Pepper). These amphorae depict different types of stories, pictures that portray their religion, and narrations of events that have in their surroundings. Human representation can be seen in these amphoras as well through these story-telling paintings, which depict what the majority of society was doing during these times as well as showing how they viewed their culture and how developed their religion was.
Exekias Vatican amphora 800 - 300 BCE
(Pepper)
Additionally, the ancient Greeks produced many unique and advanced sculptures. For example, the sculpture that stands out to me the most would be the sculpture of the Minotaur. The Minotaur was a half-bull half-human figurine. “The Minotaur was a bull-headed monster born of Queen Pasiphae after she coupled with a bull” (Pepper). This sculpture shows a significant amount of human representation. For example, this is a mythological creature, and of the many ideals of human representation correlates with these myths. To add, this creature is a myth of a Queen having sexual intercourse with a bull, which could not happen in real life. The Greek culture shows human representation through myths, which are sometimes portrayed in the sculptures that they created.
Mythological creature: The Minotaur
(Pepper)
Architecture during this time period was very intricate and advanced as well. For instance, the ancient Greeks created many unique and well- structured columns that are still heavily utilized in modern architecture. The Greeks created the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. In all of these columns, human representation is shown, because humans made them. They depict that a living being had to carve these miraculous sculptures and show how creative and developed their society was. This form of architecture was and is used in everyday life.
Temple of Aphaia, Aegina
c. 500 - 475 BCE, column height 17'
(Pepper)
Furthermore, the ancient Greeks depicted human representation through a multitude of components that shaped and defined their culture. They created Amphoras, sculptures and architecture that has been proven to show human representation. To add, ideas of religion, myth and everyday life can be seen throughout their creations. The ancient Greeks were a well-developed culture who have given modern-day society a plethora of artistic aspects that are still used today.
Work cited
Pepper, Jen. “NEW ANCIENT GREECE Notes > Chapter #5.” NEW ANCIENT GREECE Notes > Chapter #5, 2020, sp2020cazfa111.blogspot.com/2020/03/new-ancient-greece-chapter-5.html.
Word count: 458