ARTH294

The civilization of Ancient Greece has been extremely influential on language, politics, educational systems, philosophy, and most definitely the arts. Greece was located at the crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe that played a huge role in the unique and diverse culture that Greece has. There are many eras that make up Greek history, but the ones I find to be major and more interesting are the later eras of Archaic art, Classical art, and Hellenistic art. Although there are numerous works I could choose from each period, there are two from each I will discuss in further detail.

The Archaic period of Greek history lasted from 700-480 BCE. During this time the Greeks recovered and organized politically into city-states, which were made up of citizens, foreign residents, and slaves. This kind of complex social organization is the beginning of the Democratic principles that are developed years later in Athens, and reflected in our own government today. The city-states of this era were spread throughout the Mediterranean through intense colonization and as they grew in size became part of an extensive commercial network that involved all of the advanced civilizations of the time. It allowed Greece to come into contact with many different areas, which helped in the exchange of goods and ideas throughout ancient Africa, Asia, and Europe. Archaic art led to the later development of Classical art.

One of the most important pieces of the Archaic era would be the Kouros Statues. It is evident that the Greeks were trying to put more energy into the sculptures they were creating and trying to make them more life-like. In designing these statues a formula that divides the human body into proportionally pleasing geometric entities is used. Certain characteristics of the kouros and kore are the frontal pose, the left foot extended forward, the arms attached or close to the hips, the rigid pose, and the mysterious smile. Seeing the huge kouros statues known as Kleovis and Biton in the Delphi museum was incredible. It is easier to see in person how you can see the development of the kouros throughout the years and how large these statues actually were. The fact that they just used a chisel to carve these pieces just shows how dedicated and how patient the artists were in creating these masterpieces. The Romans also idealized the human body and would create sculptures of nude people such as the statue of David or the statue of Venus.

Another important piece attributed to the Archaic period would be the Aristodikos kouros. This particular kouros has short hair and the hands aren’t attached to the sides of the body. This is a little more realistic with the body more rounded and less stylized characteristics, not as stiff as the other kouroi. It represents a forward step in the development of art, and prepares the ground for the eventual move towards the classical sculpture. After seeing the earlier kouros in Delphi and this later Aristodikos kouros in Athens you can see the distinct growth of the statues over the 200 years of the era.

The Classical era of Greek history produced some of the most amazing and important sculptures that the world has ever seen. The Classical Greek style is portrayed through joyous freedom of movement, freedom of expression, and it celebrates mankind as an independent entity. They replaced the strict asymmetry of the figure with the more flowing movement that is true to life. It is obvious the transition that was made from the Archaic era to Classical.

The Charioteer of Delphi is one of the statues that vividly represents the passage from the Archaic conventions to the Classical ideals. It shows the balance between stylized geometric representation and idealized realism. This captured the moment in history when western civilization leaped forward to define its own foundations. This sculpture depicts the driver of a chariot race at the moment when he presents his chariot and horses to the people watching in recognition of his victory. The youth’s demeanor encapsulates the moment of glory, with complete control over his emotions. For this particular piece it was almost easier to see it how it would have looked, rather than in person. This was basically because seeing it in the museum only a few pieces remain. What the piece would actually look like is shown but it’s amazing to think how people actually knew what it was suppose to look like with only a few pieces remaining of the sculpture.

There are many pieces from the classical era that are considered extremely important because of the shift in the way the artists thought. The pieces were designed to be more realistic and based on proportions rather than abstract and supernatural. There are many examples that can be chosen from this era since it was a major turning point, but I think another one of the most influential would be Diadoimenos by Polyklietos. This sculpture was a good example of contraposto, the shift in balance. It showed that the artists from this era were looking to show that the beauty of the whole depends on the harmony of the parts that comprise it, and that each part depends on the others in order to create a harmonious group. This way of sculpting didn’t only influence Roman art for their own work, they were also making copies of some Greek work, including this one.

 

During the Hellenistic era of Greek history, the artists took what they had learned in the Classical period to a whole other level. They expanded their formal horizons with dramatic posing, sweeping lines, and high contrast of light, shadow and emotions. There was a sense of freedom the artists explored which allowed them to experiment their subjects from different points of view. One piece from the Hellenistic era that clearly exhibits this nature is the Boy Jockey and Horse. This shows not only a human but also an animal in extreme positions and gives a sense of movement. It also shows how the theme of heroism was still important, but shifted from religious and naturalistic themes towards more dramatic human expression, psychological and spiritual preoccupation, and theatrical settings. Seeing this piece in a picture doesn’t do it any justice, it made all the difference to see it in person. Once we walked into the room where it was located it was centered and bigger than anything, which grabbed our attention. It was so lifelike it was almost scary from the features on the horse and the boy to the size that it actually was. It was almost the size of a real horse and jockey!

During this era the human condition and state of mind became a popular subject. The sculpture of Aphrodite (Venus), Pan, and Eros is a good example of this; it contains many emotions wrapped into one sculpture with the pieces interacting. The voluptuous Aphrodite contrasts sharply with the grotesque appearance of Pan who tries to seduce her as she attempts to rebel him with a smile and a swing of her sandal. Her erotic power personified by Eros has a firm grasp on the creature’s horns playfully guiding towards a conclusion we’re left to create ourselves. This statue was also more effective in person. When reading about these in textbooks it’s easy to get confused with all the different eras and the statues from each, but in person they leave a mark. This was isolated towards the end of the museum which was easy to get lost and think about the piece for yourself for a while without being distracted by other things.

Although the Greeks are influential for many different aspects of different cultures, one of their most influential ideals has to be the arts. You can go anywhere to an important building to find that they have Doric or Ionic columns, probably somewhere even in your own town. Every artist even uses the proportions the Greeks came up with for the human body to make it look more realistic. I think that the most important eras of Greek history were the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic because that is when the major changes started occurring and what truly influenced the other western civilizations. 

:-( Home: Day 12

Today had to have been one of the longest days of my life... or should I say the next 24 hours. We were up at about 6:30 A.M. just enough time for us to pack up and be out of our room by 7. After we had breakfast we didn't have to wait long to leave the ship and we got off pretty quick and easy. We left for the Athens airport right away where we had to wait a while before our flight left. It went by quick though since we were all reminissing about what a great time we had on the trip and making sure we wrote down all of our memories. From Athens we flew to Munich, where we had to board the plane right away for Newark which is why the flights just seemed to blur together. The flight to Newark was a very longggg, atleast 8 1/2 hours! The planes were really cool though. We each had our own tv in front of our seats which let us watch whatever movie we wanted or listen to different music. Time went by very slow and I only slept for maybe an hour of the trip. We arrived in Newark at around 7, which was later than our expected arrival. Even though we were in the U.S., I still had another 4 hours of traveling to do before I got home home! By the time I did actually get home it was around 11:30 here, making it 6:30 in Greece, which meant I had been up for 24 hours at this point. I was jet lag for the next 3 days! But I must say, it was the best trip I had ever been on with the most amazing people, and I don't think anything will ever top it! :-)

Cruise: Day 11

Today the morning started off by arriving in Crete. Together we went to a little museum that held a lot of Minoan art. After we went through the museum we just sort of walked around together and looked to see what Crete had to offer. Once again, we didn't have much time on the islands so we had to use it wisely. After we departed Crete, our daily routine of laying in the sun and relaxing continued while we all anxiously awaited our arrival to Santorini! It was upsetting because we didn't get to Santorini until around 5 and we would have to be back on the boat by 7:30. We were all really excited to ride the donkeys, and I'll say it was quite an experience! As we rode up the view was incredible. Once we reached the time the donkeys were all kind of crazy and it got a little scary when they were all stampeding down the mountain. Lets just say we got riding a donkey checked off our list of things to do and we didn't need to do it again! Since we didn't have much time, we just explored and shopped a little. We got gyros here too and it was the best one I had! Even though I had only had one other gyro in my life, this one was my favorite. Here was where I bought my favorite purchases of the trip, two dresses! There definitely wasn't enough time on this island, and we barely got to see anything in the hour we were there, so making another trip back to Santorini is a must! Once we got back on the boat we had our last dinner together on the ship and thanked Thomas for this wonderful experience and fun trip. It was a really exhausting day so not many of us stayed up late that night, since we were going to have to be up and out of our rooms really early and voyage back to the U.S.

Cruise: Day 10

Saterday we decided to wake up early and try to see as much of Turkey as we could, but that didn't work out so well. We got onto the island around 9, but it was disapointing because we had to be back on the ship by 11ish which didn't leave us with much time. We ended up walking around and shopping a little bit and bought some really cute clothes at this one store, which we basically spent the whole time in. After we left Turkey we were on the boat for a few hours just relaxing and tanning. We got to Patmos around 4. It was a pretty island and we spent a while walking around and exploring while the others were at the beach, but it didn't compare to Mykonos! We walked around a little, got some gelato, and this is when I had my first gyro. It took me about 4-5 days in Greece before I had my first gyro, I know, pathetic! Later, we all had dinner together on the ship and the girls sat out by the pool bar while the boys were infatuated with the World Cup games. Once the game was over, we all headed over to the club on the ship to hang out a little more before we went to bed. 

Cruise: Day 9

All of us woke up bright & early so excited to be boarding the cruise ship! It was only about a 20 minute drive to the port where our ship left. It took a little while to board the ship but once we got on all we had to do was relax and enjoy the scenery as we made our way to Mykonos. We just layed in the sun all day and eventually showered and got ready before we arrived at the island around 4. We all took the bus into the center and had free time to walk around and take pictures. The scenery and the houses were beautiful, all white with colorful flowers planted around. We spent a lot of time taking pictures by the church because the sun was setting and it looked so pretty. After that Kristen, JP, and I basically just got lost in the streets taking a million and one pictures and somehow ended up where we started. It was beautiful! Once we were done taking pictures we went back to the boat to have some dinner and finished the night off by just relaxing on the boat. 

Athens: Day 8

Today was a really exciting day in Athens. Before we went to the Acropolis we had a guided bus tour of Athens. On the way we got out and stopped at the 1896 Olympic stadium. Our final stop was the Acropolis, which everyone was really excited about. The best part of it was of course the Parthenon. It was amazing to see what we've been looking at in textbooks for years right in front of our eyes. It was disapointing though that there were scaffolds all over for reconstruction, but we were told that there used to be more in the past so I was grateful for that. We had free time to roam around and explore around where the Parthenon was located. After our tour we went to the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. We didn't have much time at the Acropolis museum, but my favorite part of it was probably seeing the actual statues from the original Parthenon. At the National Archaeological Museum of Athens it was hard to see everything that day, so we had to narrow it down. My favorite was the Boy Jockey and Horse. I think it's one of the main pieces of Hellenistic art that shows how it all evolved. The motion of the horse and boy is so realistic and the artist captured the emotions so well. After our busy day, we tried to find a good place to get some gyros and sit down at the same time. A few of us stopped at a restaurant, but we soon found out they weren't the famous gyros that everyone had been so excited about getting, so we were pretty bummed with our meal. However, after we did some intense shopping which made up for the not so great meal!