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Lamassu, Khorsabad, Assyria
from citadel of Sargon II - 13’ 10” limestone, Paris
-winged man-headed bulls derived from old Mesopotamian art served to ward off king’s enemies, visible and invisible
-high reliefs on adjacent sides of a corner
-combine front view of guardian figure at rest with the side view in motion
-5 legs
-effort made by early artists to provide “conceptual” picture of an animal rather than the “optical” view as it actually stands in space |
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Ishtar Gate, Babylon, Glazed brick, Staatliche Museen, Berlin
-grand approach to temple
-60 stately figures of lions molded in relief on brightly colored glazed bricks
-sacred to goddess of Ishtar
-animals have no narrative function they are not characterized as were the lions of Nineveh reliefs, but vigor is suggested by snarling muzzles, long, nervous tails, and depicted muscles
-characteristic Mesopotamian formality at its best
-figures compose a stately heraldry proclaiming the gods of the temples toward which the Sacred Way leads
-the perfect adjustment of figure to wall found in the Ishtar animals rarely has been surpassed, certainly in the history of architecture, few more colorful and durable surface ornaments are known |
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Persepolis, Persian
-most important source of our knowledge of Persian architecture
-situated on high plateau, stood on wide platform overlooking plain
-destroyed by Alexander the Great in a gesture symbolizing the destruction of Persian imperial Power
-unlike Assyrian citadel/palace with tightly enclosed courts, the Persepolis buildings, although axially aligned, were loosely grouped and separated from one another by streets and irregular open spaces
-built by Darius I and Xerxes I
-dominant structure: vast columned hall (60 ft high)
-standing on own podium was an audience hall (apadana), 36 columns
-capitals composed of foreparts of bulls or lions arranges to provide a firm cradle for roof timbers
-broad ceremonial staircase to audience hall
-walls decorated with reliefs from subjected nations bringing tributes to kings |
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-Krater, Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, Geometric
-one of the earliest examples of Greek figure painting that marked the grave of a man buried in the Dipylon Cemetery
-a considerable technical achievement and a testament both to potter’s skills and wealth and position of the deceased’s family
-bottom of vessel is open: pour libations in honor or provide drain for rainwater, or both
-covered with abstract angular motifs in horizontal bands
-prominent key pattern around rim of krater
-scenes depict the mourning for a man laid out on his bier and the grand chariot procession in his honor, figures are triangular
-no sense of overlapping or depth
-geometric artists revived the art of storytelling in pictures |
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Lady of Auxerre, Daedalic Style, Orientalizing Period
-early greek sculpture carved limestone statuette of goddess or maiden (kore; korei)
-artists Daedalus
-unsure of its mortality or a deity
-clothed but does not wear a headdress as do the contemporary goddesses
-right hand over chest is a gesture of prayer?
-much more naturalistic than geometric times but still abstract
-triangular face and hair shows geometric pattern |
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New York Kouros, Archaic
-long legs, big hands and feet, nude
-experimenting with muscles
-left leg forward (egyptian), cut away stone between legs
-hands in fists holding something
-kouros (youth)
-one of earliest Greek examples of life-size statuary
-funerary statue and stood over grave rather than vases
-used kouroi as votives in sanctuary
similar to Lady of Auxerre
Daedalic: use of pattern, triangular head and hair and flatness of head
-eyes, nose, and mouth in front of face and ears to the side, slim waist, the v-shape ridge of hips suggests rounded flesh and muscle |
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Calf Bearer, Athens Acropolis, Archaic
-Rhonbus, bearer, dedicated statue to Athena in thanksgiving for his prosperity
-left foot forward manner like kouroi, but bearded so no longer youth
-wears thin cloak (no one dressed like this in ancient Athens)
-bold X represents unity and symmetry with the two bodies
-face differs from older Greek sculptures- smiling
-Archaic Smile -portraying person as alive |
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Peplos kore, Athens Acropolis, Archaic
-woman are always clothed in Archaic statuary : modesty
-kore is a votive statue of a goddess wearing four garments
-held identifying attribute in her missing left hand
-peplos (simple long woolen belted garment) thought this is what she is wearing
-showing female form |
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-Siphnian Treasury, Delphi, Archaic
-treasuries were storehouses for a city’s votive offerings
-erected in Apollo’s sanctuary had caryatids in the porch and sculptures in the pediment and frieze
-construction of grandoise Ionic temples
-the Siphnians equally characteristically employed the Ionic order for the Delphic treasury
-on the porch are elaborate caryatids were employed instead.
-Caryatids are rare, but are unknown in Doric architecture where they would have been discordant elements in that much more severe order.
-Ionic feature is the continuous sculptured frieze on all four sides of the building.
-female statues as columns |
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Achilles and Ajax gaming, Exekias, Archaic
-trojan heroes, detail in clothes, in hair, and white paint
-done with slip: famous for
-unique and unusual to show on vase
-in war costume, telling score Achilles has higher score (winning) eventually Achilles is killed and armor is up for grabs and so Ajax feels hes is deserving of it Odysseys wins the armor Ajax mistakens sheep for trojan- so humiliated commits suicide
-bilingual amphora
-red-figure technique
-Exekias the greatest master of black-figure painting |
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Revelers, Euthymides, Archaic
-amphora
-three tipsy revelers
-an excuse to experiment with the representation of unusual positions of the human form
-paints a forshortened, drawn in a 3-quarter view with some parts of the figures closer to the viewer and the others far away
-most noteworthy is center-shows behind at an angle, not many bc does not show “main” side of the body
-was a reward for artists himself to paint this angle |
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-Temple of Zeus
-first great monument of classical art and architecture
-site of Olympic games
-more lavishly decorated than even the Aphaia temple
-statues filled both pediments, and reliefs adorned the six metopes over the doorway in the pronaos and the matching six of the opisthodomos
-east pediment: chariot race between Pelops and King Oinomaos had daughter Hippodameia, prophecy foretold he would die if she married
-no one knows what is going to happen except a seer in the pediment
-west pediment: Apollo, central figure, also at rest, chaotic scene of Greeks battling centaur. Apollo has commanding gesture, of his right hand, attempts to bring order around him between Lapiths and centaurs
-narrative reliefs of the 23 metopes connected with Olympia, depict the 12 labors of Herakles, founder of Olympic games
-Herakles holds up sky with help of Athena in place of Atlas who has taken journey to fetch golden apples of the Hespirides for the hero. Herakles will transfer load back to Atlas. Apollo and Herakles display a serverity that contrast sharply with the smiling and elaborately clad figures of the Late Archaic Period. Call this the the Severe Style |
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-Kritos Boy, Athens Acropolis, Archaic/Early Classical
-one of the most important statues in the history of art
-never before has a sculpture been concerned with portraying how a human being truly stands
-sculpture depicts the weight shift from one leg to the other (contrapposto)
-the head turns slightly, and Archaic smile is gone
-contraopposto : separates Classical from Archaic Greek statuary |
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-Charioteer, Delphi, Early Classical
-stands in almost archaic pose
-commemorates victory of the tyrant Polyzalos of Gela in a chariot race in the Pythian Games at Delphi
-in Severe style- turn of head and feet in oppostie directions and twist at the waist
-depiction of after the race
-folds in the clothes emphasize both verticality and calm of the figure and recall the flutes of a Greek column |
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-Discus Thrower, Myron, Early Classical
-marble copy
-vigorous action style but composed in almost archaic manner
-frozen the action
-this action of the bodies in not mirrored in the face, expressionless
-off center triangles
-compressed time for effort that hes about to throw |
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Spear-Bearer, Polykleitos, High Classical
-one of most frequently copied
-epitomizes the intellectual rigor of classical statuary design
-served as a model for roman athletes exercising
-not rendering a figure that stands naturally his aim was to impose order upon human movement, the make it “beautiful” |
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-Parthenon, Athens Acropolis, High Classical
-centerpiece of Pericles great building program
-no right angle in entire building
-a miracle that this still stands with all the conquests
-rocket had a direct hit on the ammunition depot that the Turks had installed in part of the building
-Venetians tried to remove some statues from pediments and they were dropped and smashed
-may be viewed as ideal solution to the Greek architects quest for perfect proportions in Doric temple design
-was anything but regular in shape, stylobate curved upward, every block and carved
-most famous of all Doric Temples, its “contaminated” by Ionic elements
-lavishly decorated than any Greek temple before it |
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Erechtheion, Athens Acropolis, High Classical
- was to be a composite shrine
-honored Athena
-contest between Athena and Poseidon Athena won with olive tree as a reminder of her victory
-architect for building had to struggle with the irregular terrain
-bc of this the building was taken care of as a whole
-trying to inclose important areas “orgins”
-not really a temple
-Ionic Order building |
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-Nike Temple, Athens Acropolis, High Classical
-decorated balustrade around the edge of the bastion
-balustrade: decorated sculptured wall
-statie of her taking off sandals: “sacred ground”
-see everything
-wet drapery: sculpture with clothing clinging to body
-ionic building, with amphiprostyle with 4 columns on both east and west facades
-reference made here to the victory over the Persians
-frieze devoted to decisive battle at Marathon
-nikes images repeated dozens of times
-relief of taking off sandal : most beautiful, garments clinging so tight seems transparent |
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Artemis and Apollo, Niobid Painter, High classical
-red-figure krater
-one side devoted to the massacre of the children
-Niobe has dozen children, says shes superior than goddess leo who only had 2
-leto punishes Niobe, slaughtering takes place with lot a rocks and trees |
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Aphrodite of Knidos, Praxiteles, Classical 4th Century
-it was considered to be superior to all the works, not only of Praxiteles, but indeed in teh whole world
-possible to observe the image of the goddess from every side
-Praxiteles had taken the unprecedented step of representing the goddess of love completely nude.
-female nudity was extremely rare in earlier greek art and been confined to paintings and vases |
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Hermes and Dionysos, Olympia, Praxiteles, Classical 4th century
-slender body forms a sinuous shallow S-curve that is the hallmark of many of Praxiteles statues
-this interaction between an adult and child has been absent in Greek statuary before the 4th century
-compared to Doryphoros (spear bearer) majestic strength and rationalizing design are replaced by sensuous languar and an order of beauty that appeals more the eye than to the mind |
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-Scraper, Lysippos, Classical 4th Century
-Lysippos introduces new canon of proportions 1:8 rather than 1:7
-bodies were more slender than those of Polykleitos
-athlete scraping oil from body after exercising
-nervous energy runs through this statue
-begun to break down the dominance of the frontal view and encourage the observer to look at his athlete from multiple angles |
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Weary Herakles, Lysippos, Classical 4th Century
-to see full meaning have to walk around it
-ironic sculpture has depicted the strongman as so wear he mus lean on his club for support
-behind he is holding the golden apple of Hesperides in his right hand
-he is exhausted by his physical efforts he can think only his pain not his immortality |
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Battle of Issus mosaic, Pompeii, 100 BC
-tessarae: tiny stone or pieces of glass
-permitted with more precise description of detail and ever more subtle gradations of color
-great battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III
-create more approximate to paintings
-decorated floor
-known for technical mastery of problems that had long fascinated Greek painters
-impresses most is the action and intensified drama |
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-Lysicrates Monument, Athens, Classical 4th Century
-not a building at all
-Lysicrates sponsored a chorus in a theatrical contest in 334 BC, and after he won he erected a monument to commemorate his victory
-cylidrical drum resembling tholos on a rectangular base, Corinthian engaged columns adorn the drum of Lysicrates monument and a huge Corinthian capital sits on top of the roof |
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Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, Hellenistic
-monumental not really a building
-sacrificed animals
-most famous of all Hellenistic sculptural ensembles
-on elevated platform, frieze 400ft long of battle of gods - most extensive representation of the gigantomachy ever attempted by Greek artists |
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Dying Gaul, Hellenistic
-marble copy
-victory of Attalos I over Gauls
-trumpeter who has collapsed upon his large oval shield as blood pours out of the gash on his chest
-suffering is pronounced |
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Nike, Samothrace, Hellenistic
-landing, original copy
-theatrical effect
-art and nature (water) are here combined in one of the most successful works of sculpture ever fashioned
-commemorate victory |
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-Laocoon, Rome, Hellenistic/Early Imperial
-found in rome
-not original bc Carrera marble used but not used til Roman Period
-Roman sculpture copying hellenistic and adding a son to it
-make Roman version of myth work by adding the son in the Aeneid by Vergil |
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-Etruscan Temple, temple plan
-raised on platform
-deep front porch
-1-3 cellas pushed in back
-2 rows of columns
-sculpture of ridge line on top of roof
-constructed of wood and sun-dried brick with terracotta design
-entrance only possible via a narrow stairway at center front of temple
-contrast greek temples where front and back are indistinguishable and steps on all sides
-function as a ornate home for the deity’s cult image
-columns: made of wood, unfluted, and had bases, more widely spaced
-had 3 cellas and pedimental statuary was exceedingly rare and normally on top of roof |
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-Apollo, Veii, Etruscan
-bright paint and rippling folds of garments call to mind of Ionian korai of the Acropolis
-but force, huge swelling contours, plunging motion, gesticulating arms, and animated face of this figure: Etruscan
-Vulva of Veii : most famous Etruscan scupltor of the time |
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-Sarcophagus, Cerveteri, Etruscan
-necropolis: city of dead; cemetery laid out in streets
-all cut into rock
-husband and wife reclining on a banqueting couch
-sharing casket is uniquely Etruscan
-legs are summarily modeled, and the transition to the torso at the waist is unnatural
-the Etruscan artist’s interest is focused on the upper half of the figures |
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-Tomb of the Reliefs, Cerveteri, Etruscan
-the most elaborate of the underground tombs
-meant to accommodate several generations of a single family
-the walls and stones was covered with stucco reliefs and then brightly painted
-the images suggest a domestic context, underscoring the connection between Etruscan houses of the dead and those of the living |
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Capitoline She-Wolf, Rome, Etruscan
-best-known and most memorable portrayals of an animal in the history of world art
-nursed the founding heroes of Rome, Romulus and Remus, after abandoned as infants
-not a work of Roman art but the product of an Etruscan workshop |
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-Lion hunt, Palace of Assurbanipal, Nineveh, Assyrian Period
-lions released in enclosed arena, charge the king, who is in chariot and servants protecting his blind side |
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-Mausolus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Classical 4th Century
-one of the 7 wonders of the world |
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| Assyrian guardian in the form of a man-headed winged bull |
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greek “cube” A tiny stone or piece of glass cut to the desired shape and size for use in forming a mosaic
ex Battle of Issus mosaic |
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A female figure that functions as a supporting column
ex Siphnian treasury |
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| in early greek pottery, the silhouetting of dark figures against a light background of natural, reddish clay, with linear details cut into the surface through the silhouettes |
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| in later greek pottery, the silhouetting of red figures against a black background, with painted linear details, the reverse of black figure painting |
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| “young man” an Archaic Greek statue of a young man |
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| greek “young woman” an archaic greek statue of a young woman |
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| in ancient greece, a small building set of for the storage of votive offerings |
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-one of the greatest sculptors of all sculptors of Classical Greece
-Statue of Zeus, Olympia, statue of Athena Athenian Acropolis |
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-the dominant idiom of greek sculpture
-difference in attitude and dress compared to the Late Archaic period |
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-the dominant idiom of greek sculpture
-difference in attitude and dress compared to the Late Archaic period |
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| Fashioned of gold and ivory |
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| wrote the book on canon of proportions |
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| -grooves running vertically along the surface |
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The grid plans attributed to him consisted of series of broad, straight streets, cutting one another at right angle
-divided the land sacred, public, private |
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