Monday, November 21, 2011

Greek Sculpture in the 5th and 4th Centuries

I. Early classical marble sculpture: Sculptures of Temple of Zeus at Olympia, ca. 460

A. W pediment, Apollo, Lapiths, Centaurs: sôphrosynê and Greek overcoming disorder of beasts

B. metope cycle of Labors of Herakles: effort and calm, dynamic poses and restful poses; "severe style"

II. Bronze sculpture: early classical to 4th century

A. advances in technique allow hollow casting of large and complex figures

B. survival of a few originals, mostly through shipwreck, but most known through Roman marble copies of differing skill and fidelity

C. Cape Artemision god, ca. 460

1. Zeus with thunderbolt (or Poseidon with trident?)

2. power and calm; ease of action; use of all dimensions

3. possibly the work of Kalamis

D. Riace bronze warriors, ca. 450

1. contrapposto: tilt of hip and contrast of relaxed leg and straight leg, often with chiastic treatment of arms

2. details in other metals (silver teeth) and glass paste (eyes)

3. some believe they may be work of Pheidias, Marathon warriors dedicated at Delphi

E. famous lost bronzes

1. Diskobolos (Discus-thrower) by Myron of Eleutherai, ca. 460: rest and tension, arrested movement

2. Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer) [=Achilles?] by Polykleitos of Argos, ca. 450-440: Kanôn (Rule), mathematical proportions and the ideal

3. Hermes of Polykleitos, ca. 440

4. Lysippos of Sicyon, active 370-315: gods, athletes, portraits (including Alexander the Great); modified canon, bold use of space--Apoxyomenos (athlete scraping himself off after exercise)

III. Fourth century marble sculpture

A. Praxiteles of Athens, mid 4th century: youthful gods and Aphrodite nudes

B. Skopas of Paros, mid 4th century: statues of gods, and also architectural sculpture; temple of Athena Alea at Tegea; adornment of Mausoleum of Halicarnassus; pathos pointing toward developments in Hellenistic art

C. Hermes with baby Dionysos, ascribed to Praxiteles of Athens, ca. 350-330, but many experts now place it later

IV. Attic funerary sculpture

A. late archaic, Aristokles stele

B. restrictions on expense of memorials prevents steles in Athens from ca. 490-430; vase markers instead were usual

C. steles again normal from ca. 430 to 317, when banned again

D. note pensive poses, absorption of figures in own space, not looking out at viewer; seated women, as in gynaikeion scenes in vase painting; family groups

E. unusual examples:

1. Dexileos stele: unusually active pose (cf. Parthenon)

2. Ilissos stele: close to style of Skopas

V. sculpture and the female body

A. partial nudity as mark of disruption or foreignness: Centaur's victims, Amazons

B. development of body-hugging drapery, leading to Nike on balustrade of Athena Nike

C. partial and then complete nudity for Aphrodite in 4th century, Praxiteles' Knidian Aphrodite opens convention for Hellenistic, Roman, and Renaissance and classicizing art

VI. Changes in vase-painting in the 5th and 4th centuries

VII. Images of the theater and theater architecture in the 4th century