Art History: The Prehistoric Aegean, Ancient Greece Coursework

The Prehistoric Aegean

How prehistoric Minoan and Mycenaean art and architecture may reveal contact with ancient civilizations from Egypt and the Near East

Prehistoric Minoan and Mycenaean art and architecture reveal contact with ancient civilizations from Egypt and the Near East through the presence of Egyptian writing influences in the pictographic writing style of Minoa. The Egyptian form is the hieroglyphics. Architectural designs that are closely related to Egyptian architectural designs are also found in Minoa. Also, Minoan artifacts such as pottery in are found in Egyptian and Near East cities.

The relationship between curvilinear forms in Minoan art and the primary role of nature in Minoan culture. How does Minoan art reflect the culture’s love of nature?

The relationship between curvilinear forms in Minoan art and the primary role of nature is that nature provided the curvilinear shapes and forms that formed the basis for the artwork. Nature also existed so that man may take care of it and make use of it too. Minoan art reflects the culture’s love for nature through the numerous artworks that they produced that had the shapes of items found in nature. Examples for this are the works they produced that depicted leaves of tree, land animals such as the dog and sea creatures such as fish. They also produced human sculptures and other figurines to symbolize the gods and goddesses.

The relationships between the historical personality and the archaeological site: Heinrich Schliemann and ancient Troy, Sir Arthur Evans and ancient Knossos

Heinrich Schliemann was the archaeologist who managed to unearth most of the artifacts that are associated with the city of Troy. He is believed to be the discoverer of Troy as an ancient civilization. His drive was the urge to find out whether the places and people mentioned in the book entitled the Iliad by Homer actually existed.

Sir Arthur Evans on the other hand has been credited with the unearthing of much of the archaeological material that is associated with the ancient civilization of Minoa. He is a British was a British archaeologist who was widely respected because of what he was able to come up with as a result of the discoveries he made about Knossos.

The visual conventions for identifying gender:

• Gender through color in Minoan art
  Minoan paintings utilized colors as a separating element for the sexes. They had specific colors for each of the sexes. For men, red brown colors were utilized.Examples for these include the bull fighting fresco in which the man who is on the back of the bull is painted in a red brown color and the boxing boys, a painting that shows two young boys fighting most likely as a sport, also painted in red brown. Women on the other hand were painted in white. The examples for his are the woman standing behind the bull in the bull fighting fresco. This woman is in white. Also, La Parissiene, a painting that shows a woman is done in white.
• Gender through form in Cycladic art
  Cycladic art had a very small representation of male figures. But the ones available indicate a distinct form compared to that used for females. The male form was amorphous and huge. The musician playing the harp is one of the examples. Also, there are the three figurines from Cycladic II period. The females on the other hand represent the majority of Cycladic art. The figures had a unique form that was refined, smooth and curvaceous with hips. Examples include the Spedos female figures and Chalandriani female figures.

Definitions of Architectural Terms

1. Ashlar masonry: This is the masonry that makes use of special stones that are dressed. Stone dressing gives the stones a proper shape that makes them easy to work with. The finished structure also looks presentable.
2. Corbel: This is a term that refers to pieces of stone that project out of walls to give more strength to the wall. They specifically deal with indirect weight. Sometimes timber can be used but it takes a different name.
3. Capital: This is part of a building that gives the columnar arrangement the final part. They are normally called the crowns of the columns and they are meant to give support. The name crown comes from the position of this part in that it is the topmost section of the column.
4. Course: Normally applied to walls, this term refers to a horizontal construction of uniform material that protrudes from a wall. It can be made up of concrete or any other suitable material. The main aim for this is both strength and aesthetics.
5. Acropolis: This term is used to describe a center of architectural learning, government and sport in ancient Greece. The buildings found in the Acropolis were of superior architectural design and are the basis of analysis of ancient Greek architecture in modern days.
6. Tholos: Frequently used in ancient Greece, this term means a circular building. The distance from the central site or the design of the floor as well as other parts cal lead to another name added to tholos to bring out this additional reality.
7. Dromos: Greek architects used this term to mean the points of access to buildings as well as other structures. It eventually took on an official meaning of a passage into a building.
8. Megaron: This is the great hall that served as a place for functions such as the celebration of the birth of the king, the acquisition of a new bride by the king, poetry recitations by the poets and music. Its rich architectural design was to be later used in the construction of the Greek temple that is famous up to this day. The megaron was found in the palace of king of Mycenae.
9. Portico: This refers to the space that is enclosed by walls and columns. It normally leads to the door or entrance of a building. The portico has a covering on top which may be part of the roof of the building. The portico is a common feature in modern buildings but its origin goes back to medieval architecture as it was practiced by the ancient Greeks.
10. Attic: This is the space that is formed by the slanting roof of a building and the ceiling of the top floor. Its unsavory shape makes it hard for usage in most buildings. It can however be used for common purposes including conversion into bedrooms or storage spaces, depending on accessibility and size.

Ancient Greece

Definitions of terms relating to ancient Greek architecture

1. Column:
   Base: This is the grounding part of a column that is in contact with both the floor and the ground. It is the supporting part of the column.
   Shaft: This is the straight upright length of the column. It is between the base and the crown or capital.
   Capital: This is the topmost or crowning part of a column
   Drum: This refers to non-monolithic stones or blocks that are part of the columnar length.
2. Orders: Doric: A Greek order whose identifying feature is the simple nature of the capitals. These capitals are mostly rounded and have a high degree of smoothness that is not present in all the other Greek orders. The baseless columns and the lack of decoration are signature marks of this order.
   Ionic –A Greek order whose most outstanding features include the presence of scrolls that appear as decorations on the capital. They are narrow or slender and extremely smooth. They can be round in shape and bases are widened. It is come to occupy the position of another lost Greek order that theorists say may have disappeared due to infrequent application in buildings.
3. Entablature:
   Architrave: This refers to the horizontal member who rests on the topmost or crowning part of columns.
   Frieze: This refers to central space of an entablature that may be decorated or plain depending on the order in which it is appearing.
   Pediment: This is the triangular region that is above the entablature. It is immediately above the architrave and may be just a plain wall or a decorated area.
4. Temple:
   Naos: This is the central or inner area of a Greek temple. It was normally surrounded by colonnaded porticoes and it houses the god or the goddess.
   Pronaos: Between the final entrance to the area of worship and the outer portico space is a free area. This is the pronaos.
   Stylobate: This is the topmost area of a crepidoma. A crepidoma is the stepped resting place for colonnaded columns of a temple rest.
5. Propylaia: This is the initial entry point before the real entry to the citadel or Acropolis. It is characterized by sculptures or monuments.
6. Pinakotheke: This is the left segment of the Propylaia. It was a place for the pictures and statues of the gods.
7. Stoa: These were paths or walkways that were used by members of the public.They were covered and this is their distinguishing feature.
8. Theatron:
   Orchestra: This is the front segment of the Greek stage that was reserved for a group of people called the chorus. They usually said the refrain of the songs and acts.
   Cuneus: The parts of theaters that took the shape of a wedge in ancient Greece were known by this term.
   Skene: This was a structure behind the performance area that was hidden from the public view and was used to put on costumes before staging a play.
   • Male figure development: Archaic kouros through Classical hero
     Archaic kouros represented the male youth who was basically nude. In terms of development, there was notable progression with advance in time whereby the early forms were less refined. These forms depicted heroes of the time.
   • Female figure development: Archaic kore through Classical nude
     Kore was a female nude that represented the early understanding of the female nude. It was the equivalent of the male youth-kouros and like kouros, these figures began with the attempt to represent the significant female members of society and the goddesses.
   • Polykleitan canon (5th c. BC) and Lyssipan canon (4th c. BC
     Polykleitos is known for coming up with proportions of the human body.The principles that he came up with were codified and called the Polykleitan canon. The person who took over from him is called Lyssipos. He came up with his own set of dimensions and this was later called the Lyssipan canon.

Contributions of Greek Personalities

1. Exekias: An ancient Greek vase painter considered the greatest in ancient vase painting.
2. Ergotimos: This is Greek potter whose high quality work is widely respected.
3. Euphronios: He was a vase painter like Exekias who worked in Athens mainly.
4. Myron: A seminal figure in Greek sculpture
5. Pericles: A Greek statesman who championed good statesmanship and the arts.
6. Kallikrates: He was a great architect whose work set the pace in the field.
7. Phidias:He was a multitalented Greek with potential for sculpting, painting and architecture.
8. Praxiteles: He was the son of a great sculptor. He grew up to become a great sculptor too. His works are a great source of inspiration for modern artists.
9. Kallimachos: He was a great poet whose work was in inspiration for great literacy and scholarship.
10. Alexander: This is the well known Greek king whose agility and cunningness made him conquer vast lands including Egypt. Much architecture and artwork took place under his leadership.
    • Nike of Samothrace and its sculptural setting:
      Nike was done a celebration of both female beauty as witnessed in the features of Nike the goddess as well as the victory that had been achieved. This is shown by the flowing apparel and the attractive figure.

Contrapposto

Contrapposto-Is the representation of the human figure in a manner that puts the weight on one foot with the arms bending away from the central line and from the legs and the hips. The careful balancing gives the whole work a professional appearance.

Example of 2D: Doryphoros of Polyclitus

Example of 3D: Lada and the Swan.