During the years of Ancient Greece and Rome was the time where the greatest creations of Western Civilization were established. The highlight of those moments was definitely shown through their art. Through their art we not only learn who much beautiful work they can produce, but we have a greater understanding of their religion, philosophy, politics, warfare and overall culture. Art has the ability to visually release information about a culture that is far in distance from us, meaning the events the Ancients lived though may have come to an end but their art will forever live on. Speaking of art continually living on, there is a lot of speculation on whether or not the Romans copied their style of art from the Greeks. I personally think the Greeks had an influence, but their is something about Roman art that is different from Greek and through talking about individual pieces, those differences will be shown. There were many differences because the times periods in Greek art also had impact on how art was designed (Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic). As time goes by, the traditions of the Ancients are left behind, but through the Renaissance period they are somewhat revived giving the meaning to “neoclassicism” or the revival of classical style of art.
Before the Ancient Greeks, there were two other civilizations known as the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Even to the Greeks these two cultures were considered ancient. If anything, we see that the Greeks had borrowed ideas from their art, but their are no written records to prove that. What we do have as proof is the art they created. The Minoan civilization was around roughly from 3000 BC to 1100 BC. In that time they produced vast amounts of art including the Minoan Snake Goddess. The real Snake Goddess can be seen at the Archaeological Museum in Crete. Seeing it for myself I did not realize it was going to be that small, but what can I expect. The significance of the Goddess was she holds the power of fertility. It is believed that the snakes in her hands are supposed to be phallic symbols, but that is a debate between art historians. She is fully clothed except for her bare breast, also another representation of her fertility. Although the Snake Goddess may not be the inspiration the Archaic Greeks needed to make sculptures, she sets the trend of female sculpting. As we move on to Archaic Greece, there was a change in how woman were represented. The best example would have to be shown through the Kore sculptures in the Acropolis Museum. Unlike the Minoan Snake Goddess, female statues in this time were fully clothed, more important their clothing represent how luxurious they were. Archaic art is also one of the first times we see the women having a variation of hairstyles, in the Kore statues they are designed with braids. Along with clothing and hairstyles, they can also be sculpted with jewelry and most of the time it will be earrings. So given the Minoan Snake Goddess was one of the first western sculpture of a female, the Greeks continued to add more detail the Minoans didn’t.
Since Greece had the overall influence over western art, it also had an influence over architectural structures. A building was not just a building in Ancient Greece, but it was a place of sacred space. A place were the Greeks can celebrate and pay homage to their Gods. The reason I know the Ancient Greeks did not just build buildings is when I visited Greece for myself and saw their work in person, I can imagine and feel the time they put into composing the design for their architecture. In particular, the Parthenon was simply an amazing piece of architecture and more importantly place of worship. Its design was genuine and very well thought out. That is one advantage the architects had when building it during the classical period. More symbolically though, I want to point out the pediments and friezes. Before I go into detail, it is important to know that friezes placed into the Parthenon are partially extant. Through years of conquest the Parthenon has experienced years of destruction. To prevent any further eradication, the rooftops from the Parthenon which are the friezes were removed and placed into a safe place, the Acropolis Museum. The significance of that explanation is to tell you that because it was taken apart, it was easier to see the work that the Greeks put into when designing the structure. As I said earlier, the Parthenon was created in order to have a sacred place for the Gods to be appreciated and through the designs of the friezes, that appreciation was very much shown. Most of the reliefs depict the celebration of the Gods in a manner were they all come together. The inspiration of the design came from a festival that the Greeks held every four years. To honor that tradition, the Greeks spend countless hours of carving marble to depict the Gods in the most elaborate way. The Greeks skill to intricately show detail was passed on to the Romans when they created the arches for their emperors. Specifically, the Arch of Constantine located around the Coliseum. The Arch was created to honor the defeat of Maxentius as well as acknowledge the emergence of Christianity in Rome. Now a major difference between Greek and Roman art is the Romans tend to build more architectural structures for their emperors instead of Gods, giving it a more symbolic theme. Instead of showing what the Gods can do for their people, Roman art represents what the emperors can do. Seeing the Arch up close, a majority of the reliefs show the Roman people praising Constantine as their leader. Although the Arch is not a form a sacred space, it makes the Roman people feel that with the right leaders, the whole country can be considered sacred space due to its protection. Since the Romans learned how to create friezes in such detail from the classical Greeks, though looking at art we learned Constantine represented his citizens.
I would have to say that Hellenistic period in Greece would have to be the most sophisticated when it comes to sculpture. This is the time when artists showed the most detail in muscular physique and emotion. One of the best examples I can give is the Laocoon and his sons in the Vatican. This sculpture depicts Laocoon and his sons trying to escape the deathly venom from the serpents. The inspiration of the sculpture comes the stories told in the Aeneid written by Virgil. The history of this story is speculated to be much older, but Virgil is the most recent source we have proof from. Although it was very crowded at the Vatican, I still managed to capture the sadness felt by those three men when trying to break free. Regardless of what time period is depicted, it will always be a duty to protect your children from any harm and no other piece during the Hellenistic period displays that. Since the style of this sculpture was so influential, the design of it reminds me of Michelangelo Pieta. Even through the Renaissance period, Greek and Roman techniques are still being used. The major reason I am juxtaposing the Pieta with Laocoon and his sons is they are similar in theme. The concept of being their for your children is a beautiful thing. Even though we are talking about the death of Jesus, Michelangelo wanted us to see the level of despair Mary felt when holding her son’s lifeless body. Unlike Laocoon and his sons which shows the men nude, the Pieta depicts Jesus and Mary clothed. This is significant because we see the adjustment made to Mary’s clothing so she carry properly hold her son. Although more Hellenistic art shows people clothed than any other periods in Greece, the Renaissance picked up that moral tradition form their new Christian beliefs.
Through visiting Greece, I physically seen what the Ancient Greeks can do with art but also have a greater understanding of why other cultures would be influenced by them. Even though every other culture surrounding them had their own unique sense of artistic style, it is clear that it derived from Ancient Greece.
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