Introduction
This lesson introduces ancient art from the Blanton Museum of Art's permanent collection with a selection of images representing ancient Greek sculpture and vases. Each image is presented with background information and discussion questions.
Greek Sculpture
Greek figurative sculpture honored the gods, celebrated victories, and recorded athletic contests. The ancient Greeks sculpted figures from real life such as athletes and politicians. The Greeks thought of their gods as human and also represented them in sculptural form. Sculptures were displayed in public areas and meant as offerings to the gods. Most of the original statues were painted, as the colors made the figures appear more lifelike. Ideal beauty, to the Greeks, was the combination of the perfect mind and the perfect body. Greek artists made images of men and gods which expressed their ideas of perfection. Greek men participated in athletic, musical, and literary contests. The most famous of these contests were the Olympic games which are still held today.
The terms Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic, used to describe the three styles of Greek sculpture, were created by historians to identify the changing characteristics of Greek art over a period of about 550 years.
- Characteristics of Archaic Greek Sculpture: stiff body pose, feet together, and arms close to the body.
- Characteristics of Classical Greek sculpture: more lifelike body, more natural form with movement, calmness, appearance of the contrapposto pose.
- Characteristics of Hellenistic Greek sculpture: evokes emotion, more lifelike detail, greater movement.
Greek Vases
Greek vases are "encyclopedias" of information on Greek life, culture, sports, commerce, and industry. The ancient Greeks were accomplished potters, most using a hand-turned potter's wheel. Vases were decorated with human figures, animals, and gods. Greek vases were for everyday use: much of their pottery was used for daily meals. More elaborate pieces were given as gifts, placed in tombs or used as grave markers. The vases are excellent examples of the Greeks' love of beauty and symmetry.
This lesson discusses two types of ancient Greek vases: the Amphora and the Krater.
- Characteristics of an Amphora vase: used for holding wine, water, or other provisions such as olive oil and grain. One of the more common types of vessels. Am means two or both handles, and phora means to carry.
- Characteristics of a Krater vase: used for mixing wine with water, always full and large bodied with opposite handles.