The art of Homeric Greece. Features of the art of ancient Greece Features of the art of Ancient Greece

The earliest initial period in the development of Greek art is called Homeric (12th - 8th centuries BC). This time was reflected in the epic poems - "Iliad" and "Odyssey", the author of which the ancient Greeks considered the legendary poet Homer. Although Homer's poems were formed in their final form later (in the 8th - 7th centuries BC), they tell about more ancient social relations characteristic of the time of the decay of the primitive communal system and the emergence of a slave society.

During the Homeric period, Greek society as a whole still retained its clan structure. Ordinary members of the tribe and clan were free farmers, partly shepherds. Handicrafts, which were predominantly rural in nature, received some development.

But the gradual transition to iron tools, the improvement of agricultural methods increased labor productivity and created conditions for the accumulation of wealth, the development of property inequality and slavery. However, slavery in this era was still of an episodic and patriarchal nature, slave labor was used (especially at the beginning) mainly in the economy of the tribal leader and military leader - Basileus.

Basileus was the head of the tribe; he united in his person judicial, military and priestly power. Basilevs ruled the community together with the council of clan elders, called bule. In the most important cases, a popular assembly was called - agora, consisting of all free members of the community.

Tribes that settled at the end of the 2nd millennium BC on the territory of modern Greece, were then still at a late stage in the development of pre-class society. Therefore, the art and culture of the Homeric period took shape in the process of processing and development of those, essentially still primitive, skills and ideas that the Greek tribes brought with them, who only to a small extent adopted the traditions of a higher and more mature artistic culture of the Aegean world.

However, some legends and mythological images that developed in the culture of the Aegean world entered the circle of mythological and poetic representations of the ancient Greeks, just as various events in the history of the Aegean world received figurative and mythological transformation in the legends and in the epic of the ancient Greeks (the myth of the Minotaur, the Trojan epic cycle, etc.). The monumental architecture of ancient Greek temples, which originated in the Homeric period, used and in its own way reworked the type of megaron that had developed in Mycenae and Tiryns - a hall with a passage and a portico. Some of the technical skills and experience of Mycenaean architects were also used by Greek craftsmen. But in general, the entire aesthetic and figurative structure of the art of the Aegean world, its picturesque, subtly expressive character and ornamental, patterned forms were alien to the artistic consciousness of the ancient Greeks, who originally stood at an earlier stage of social development than the states of the Aegean world that had gone over to slavery.

12th - 8th centuries BC. were the era of the addition of Greek mythology. During this period, the mythological character of the consciousness of the ancient Greeks received its most complete and consistent expression in epic poetry. In large cycles of epic songs, the people's ideas about their life in the past and present, about gods and heroes, about the origin of earth and heaven, as well as the people's ideals of valor and nobility, were reflected. Later, already in the archaic period, these oral songs were consolidated into large artistically completed poems.

The ancient epic, along with the mythology inextricably linked with it, expressed in its images the life of the people and their spiritual aspirations, having a tremendous impact on all subsequent development of Greek culture. His themes and plots, rethought in accordance with the spirit of the times, were developed in drama and lyrics, reflected in sculpture, painting, drawings on vases.

The fine arts and architecture of Homeric Greece, with all their direct folk origin, did not reach either the breadth of coverage of public life or the artistic perfection of epic poetry.

112. Dipylon amphora. 9-8 centuries. BC e. Athens. National Museum.

The earliest (of the extant) works of art are vases of the "geometric style", decorated with geometric patterns applied in brown paint over the pale yellowish background of an earthen vessel. Ornament covered the vase, usually in its upper part, with a row of ring belts, sometimes filling its entire surface. The most complete picture of the "geometric style" is given by the so-called Dipylon vases dating back to the 9th - 8th centuries. BC. and found by archaeologists in an ancient cemetery near the Dipylon gate in Athens. These very large vessels, sometimes almost as tall as a person, had a funerary and cult purpose, repeating in shape the clay vessels that served to store large quantities of grain or vegetable oil. On the Dipylon amphoras, the ornament is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular the meander braids (the meander pattern was preserved as an ornamental motive throughout the development of Greek art). In addition to geometric ornament, schematized plant and animal ornaments were widely used. The figures of animals (birds, animals, for example, a fallow deer, etc.) are repeated many times over individual stripes of the ornament, giving the image a clear, albeit monotonous, rhythmic structure.

An important feature of the later Dipylon vases (8th century BC) is the introduction into the pattern of primitive subject images with schematized figures of people reduced to an almost geometric sign. These plot motifs are very diverse (the rite of mourning for the deceased, the chariot race, floating ships, etc.). For all their schematic and primitive figures, the figures of people and especially animals have a certain expressiveness in conveying the general nature of movement and the clarity of the story. If, in comparison with the paintings of the Cretan-Mycenaean vases, the images on the Dipylon vases are coarser and more primitive, then in relation to the art of pre-class society they certainly signify a step forward.

The sculpture of Homeric time has come down to us only in the form of small plastic, for the most part of an obviously cult character. These small figurines depicting gods or heroes were made of terracotta, ivory or bronze. The terracotta figurines found in Boeotia, completely covered with ornaments, are distinguished by their primitiveness and indivisibility of forms; some parts of the body are barely outlined, others are inordinately highlighted. Such is, for example, the figure of a seated goddess with a child: her legs are fused with the seat (throne or bench), her nose is huge and like a beak, the transfer of the anatomical structure of the body does not interest the master at all.

113 a. Horse. Hercules and the centaur. Bronze statuettes from Olympia. 8 c. BC e. New York. Metropolitan Museum.

Along with terracotta figurines, bronze ones also existed. "Hercules and the Centaur" and "Horse", found in Olympia and dating back to the end of the Homeric period, give a very clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe naive primitiveness and schematism of this small bronze sculpture intended for dedication to the gods. The statuette of the so-called "Apollo" from Boeotia (8th century BC) with its elongated proportions and general construction of the figure resembles images of a person in Crete-Mycenaean art, but sharply differs from them in frontal stiffness and schematic convention of the transfer of face and body.

The monumental sculpture of Homeric Greece has not reached our time. Its character can be judged from the descriptions of ancient authors. The main type of this sculpture was the so-called xoans - idols made of wood or stone and which were, apparently, a roughly cut tree trunk or a block of stone, completed with a barely outlined image of the head and facial features. Some idea about this sculpture can be given by geometrically simplified bronze images of the gods found during excavations of a temple in Dreros in Crete, built in the 8th century. BC. the Dorians, who had already settled on this island long before.

113 6. Plowman. Terracotta from Boeotia. 8 c. BC e. Paris. Louvre.

Only a few terracotta figurines from Boeotia dating back to the 8th century, such as, for example, a figurine depicting a peasant with a rogue, have features of a more lively attitude to the real world; despite the naivety of the decision, this group is comparatively more truthful in terms of the motive of the movement and is less bound by the immobility and conventionality of the art of the Homeric period. In such images, one can see some parallel to the epic of Hesiod, created at the same time, glorifying peasant labor, although here, too, the fine arts seem to be very far behind literature.

By the 8th century, and possibly also by the 9th century. BC, include the most ancient remains of monuments of early Greek architecture (the temple of Artemis Orphia in Sparta, the temple in Thermos in Aetolia, the mentioned temple in Dreros in Crete). They used some of the traditions of Mycenaean architecture, mainly a general plan like the megaron; the altar-hearth was placed inside the temple; on the facade, as in the megaron, two columns were placed. The most ancient of these structures had walls of adobe bricks and timber frames, set on a stone plinth. Remains of the ceramic lining of the upper parts of the temple have been preserved. In general, the architecture of Greece in the Homeric period was at the initial stage of its development.

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About the book
"General History of Arts" Volume I USSR Academy of Arts Institute Theor

From the editorial board
B.V.Veymarn, B.R. Wipper, A.A.Guber, M.V. Dobroklonsky, Yu.D. Kolpinsky, V.F. Levenson-Lessing, K.A. Sitnik, A.N. Tikhomirov, A.D. Chegodaev "General History of Art" prepared by the Institute of the

General History of Art. Volume 1
Art of the Ancient World: primitive art, art of Western Asia, Ancient Egypt, Aegean art, art of Ancient Greece, Hellenistic art, art of Ancient Rome, Northern

Origin of art
N. Dmitriev Art as a special area of \u200b\u200bhuman activity, with its own independent tasks, special qualities, served by professional artists, it became possible

The main stages of the development of primitive art
V. Shleev Primitive art, that is, the art of the era of the primitive communal system, developed over a very long time, and in some parts of the world - in Australia and Oceania, in m

Aegean art
N. Britova Aegean culture played an important role in the development of the culture of the peoples living near the Mediterranean Sea. It developed on the islands and shores of the Aegean Sea, in the eastern Mediterranean

General characteristics of the culture and art of Ancient Greece
The art of Ancient Greece, which played an important role in the development of the culture and art of mankind, was determined by the social and historical development of Greece, which was deeply different from the development of countries and

Greek archaic art
During the Archaic period (7th - 6th centuries BC), Greek art moved far from the primitive art forms of the Homeric period. It has become incomparably more complex and, most importantly, has embarked on the path of a realist

Hellenistic art
At the end of the 4th century. BC. the slave-owning states of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East have entered a new period of their historical and cultural development, which is scientifically called ell

The art of ancient Rome
From the end of the 1st century. BC. the leading role in the ancient world is acquired by Roman art. At this time, Rome becomes a world power. The crisis of the slave system of the Hellenistic states, completed

Etruscan art
The Etruscan country, located on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, stretched east to the Apennine mountain range. The northern border of Etrurria at the end of the 7th century. BC. reached the Po River, and in the south

Art of the Roman Republic
Foreign policy history of the Roman Republic since the establishment of the republican system at the end of the 6th century. BC. before the beginning of the empire period at the end of the 1st century. BC. is divided into several stages. Per

Art of the Roman Empire 1st century n. eh
By the end of the 1st century. BC. The Roman state became the largest slave power. Its vast size necessitated a complex state apparatus to manage a huge economy.

Art of the Roman Empire 2nd century AD
For the Roman Empire 2 c. AD was a period of growth of its territory, the rise of culture and art, and at the same time a period of intensification of external and internal contradictions of the Roman slave state

The art of the Roman provinces of the 2nd - 3rd centuries AD
In the history of art of Ancient Rome, the art of the provinces occupies a significant place, the flowering of which dates back to the 2nd - 3rd centuries. AD The western provinces - Spain, Gaul and others - were strongly

Art of the Roman Empire 3rd - 4th centuries
In the 3rd century. deepened the crisis of the Roman slave society. Already in the first half of the century, during the reign of the Severian dynasty (193 - 235), the process of decomposition of the slave-owning system intensified,

Art of the Northern Black Sea Region
N. Britova The northern Black Sea region is a territory stretching from the mouth of the Danube through the Crimea and the coast of the Azov Sea to the coast of the Caucasus. Pre-revolutionary Russian and Soviet archaeological research

Art of Ancient Transcaucasia
V. Shleev The formation of the culture of the tribes and peoples of Transcaucasia, who lived in the mountainous regions and valleys of the Rion, Kura and Araks rivers south of the Greater Caucasus Range, dates back to the most ancient times.

Art of Central Asia
Dyakonov Central Asia in the Soviet scientific literature is customary to call a vast territory, bounded from the west by the Caspian Sea, from the south by the Kopet-Dag mountains and the Hindu Kush mountain system, with

Ancient Indian Art
N. Vinogradova, O. Prokofiev The culture of India is one of the most ancient cultures of mankind, continuously developing for several millennia. During this time, numerous

Ancient China Art
N. Vinogradova Research of archaeologists has established that the territory of China has been inhabited since the time of the Lower Paleolithic. It was in China that the most ancient remains of a fossil man were found (

The art of Homeric Greece

Y. Kolpinsky

But the gradual transition to iron implements, the improvement of farming methods increased labor productivity and created conditions for the accumulation of wealth, the development of property inequality and slavery. However, slavery in this era was still of an episodic and patriarchal nature, slave labor was used (especially at the beginning) mainly in the economy of the tribal leader and military leader - Basileus.

However, some legends and mythological images that developed in the culture of the Aegean world entered the circle of mythological and poetic representations of the ancient Greeks, just as various events in the history of the Aegean world received figurative and mythological transformation in the legends and in the epic of the ancient Greeks (the myth of the Minotaur, the Trojan epic cycle, etc.). The monumental architecture of ancient Greek temples, which originated in the Homeric period, used and reworked the type of megaron that had developed in Mycenae and Tiryns - a hall with a passage and a portico. Some of the technical skills and experience of Mycenaean architects were also used by Greek craftsmen. But in general, the entire aesthetic and figurative structure of the art of the Aegean world, its picturesque, subtly expressive character and ornamental, patterned forms were alien to the artistic consciousness of the ancient Greeks, who originally stood at an earlier stage of social development than the states of the Aegean world that had gone over to slavery.

The fine arts and architecture of Homeric Greece, with all their direct folk origin, did not reach either the breadth of coverage of public life or the artistic perfection of epic poetry.

The earliest (of the extant) works of art are vases of the "geometric style", decorated with geometric patterns applied in brown paint over the pale yellowish background of an earthen vessel. Ornament covered the vase, usually in its upper part, with a row of ring belts, sometimes filling its entire surface. The most complete picture of the "geometric style" is given by the so-called Dipylon vases dating back to the 9th - 8th centuries. BC. and found by archaeologists in an ancient cemetery near the Dipylon gate in Athens (ill. 112). These very large vessels, sometimes almost as tall as a person, had a funerary and cult purpose, repeating in shape those of earthen vessels used to store large quantities of grain or vegetable oil. On the Dipylon amphoras, the ornament is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular the meander braids (the meander pattern was preserved as an ornamental motive throughout the development of Greek art). In addition to geometric ornament, schematized plant and animal ornaments were widely used. The figures of animals (birds, animals, for example, a fallow deer, etc.) are repeated many times over individual stripes of the ornament, giving the image a clear, albeit monotonous, rhythmic structure.

Along with terracotta figurines, bronze ones also existed. "Hercules and the Centaur" and "Horse", found in Olympia and dating back to the end of the Homeric period (ill. 113 a), give a very clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe naive primitiveness and schematism of this small bronze sculpture intended for dedication to the gods. The figurine of the so-called "Apollo" from Boeotia (8th century BC) with its elongated proportions and general construction of the figure resembles images of a person in Crete-Mycenaean art, but sharply differs from them in frontal stiffness and schematic convention of the transfer of face and body.

Only a few terracotta figurines from Boeotia dating back to the 8th century, such as the figurine depicting a peasant with a rogue (ill. 113 6), have features of a more lively attitude to the real world; despite the naivety of the decision, this group is comparatively more truthful in terms of the motive of the movement and is less bound by the stillness and conventionality of the art of the Homeric period. In such images, one can see some parallel to the epic of Hesiod, created at the same time, glorifying peasant labor, although here, too, the fine arts seem to be very far behind literature.

Period from 11th to 8th century BC e. known in history as the most important stage in the formation of Greek culture. Favorable historical circumstances contributed to the fact that during this period of time a patriarchal way of life was formed and the origins of a primitive economy arose.

But the most important event of the Homeric period was the appearance in the 8th century. BC e. real literary masterpieces - "Iliad" and "Odyssey". By the way, the name of this historical stage arose from the author's surname - Homer.

A few words about famous literary monuments

From the first lines of epic poems, readers get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe Greek ideals. Thus, the description of the siege of Troy and the exploits of the Greek hero Odysseus shows the significant virtues and shortcomings of the Greek rulers, warriors and other characters, and also gives an idea of \u200b\u200bthe beliefs and aspirations of the people, about "palace secrets" and sincere feelings and experiences of historical persons. But the main value of the Iliad and the Odyssey lies in the fact that thanks to these works, researchers from different countries were able to learn the details of an important stage in the history of Greece, as well as neighboring and distant settlements.

In addition, from the lines of Homer's poems, we get a brief idea of \u200b\u200bthe architecture of famous religious and other buildings, about the features of military operations. And as the Greek epic began to gain popularity and was discussed by critics in the West, the gaps in the study of the mysterious history and mythology of this country began to disappear.

Development of sculpture and architecture

But the study of the famous architectural masterpieces of the Homeric era also took place on the basis of studies of the ruins of grandiose structures and miniature models of religious buildings. These studies gave a rough idea of \u200b\u200bthe stylistic design of different types of buildings.

So, it is now known that the construction of houses was based on the Mycenaean traditions. In the early periods of the development of architecture (from the beginning of the 11th to the 9th centuries BC), the main building materials were clay and mud brick, and only in some cases - rubble stone. At the same time, the buildings of those times had one typical feature - the wall opposite the entrance was rounded.

However, when studying the known structures of the 9-8 centuries. BC e. (for example, the Temple of Artemis), another important trend was identified - the construction was attended by wooden frames. In addition, fronts and porticoes made of pillars were used in religious buildings, thanks to which they acquired a more majestic appearance and became more practical. Moreover, the shape of all structures was standard - rectangular.

Studying the excavations of ancient buildings of the Homeric era, archaeologists also noted that the development of the sculptural craft during that period reached a high level. So, images of people, gods, animals, created from clay, bone and bronze, allow us to draw conclusions about the lifestyle and rituals of the Greeks.

Up to 8 c. BC e. the main style of sculptural, like other types of art, was "geometric". The crafts were flat schematic models, which, however, made it possible to judge the main features of the life and character of people. And only in the second half of the 8th century. BC e., when there were certain changes in the outlook of the Greeks, sculptures began to acquire a more lively, realistic look.

In ancient Greek works, there are other descriptions of the types of sculptural creations (for example, idols made of wood and stone). However, such models, unfortunately, have not yet been found.

Continuing the traditions of the development of ceramics and painting

The development of ceramic craft began in the distant Aegean period. However, when comparing samples from different times, it was noted that it was painted vases of the 9th-8th centuries. BC e. are special works of art. In addition, the art of creating unique laconic murals became a kind of school for Greek artists and creators of the archaic and classical period, who later learned to display human feelings and represent a chaotic system of interconnections in a systematic and orderly manner. And, despite the fact that the drawings on these products were of a primitive nature, they became real masterpieces of ceramic craft.

Like the sculptural images, they were painted in a unique “geometric style”. Simple vases for household use and stately amphoras from the 9th-8th centuries. BC BC, which were used as burial and cult vessels, were decorated with patterns in the form of concentric circles, rhombuses or braids-meanders, and in some cases - schematic and monotonous images of Greek animals or plants.

However, already in the 8th century. BC e. a new trend appeared in the art of pottery and painting. On the so-called "Dipa" vases, important scenes from the life of society were displayed (funeral rites, competitions, travels, etc.). And, although the images of figures of people and events were schematic, the study of these examples of art allows us to supplement the pages of the history of the Homeric period of Greece with additional information.

The art of Ancient Greece played an important role in the development of the culture and art of mankind. It was determined by the social and historical development of this country, deeply different from the development of the countries of the Ancient East. In Greece, despite the existence of slavery, the free labor of artisans played an enormous role until the development of slavery had a destructive effect on it. In Greece, within the framework of a slave-owning society, the first principles of democracy in history were formed, which made it possible to develop bold and deep ideas that affirmed the beauty and significance of man.

With the transition to a class society, a number of small city-states, the so-called city-states, were formed in Ancient Greece. Despite the presence of numerous economic, political, cultural ties, the poleis were independent states and each conducted his own policy.

Stages of development of the art of Ancient Greece:

1. Homeric Greece (12-8 centuries BC) - the time of the collapse of the tribal community and the emergence of slave relations. The emergence of the epic and the first, primitive monuments of fine art.

2. Archaic, or the period of the formation of slave-owning city-states (7-6 centuries BC) - the time of the struggle of the ancient democratic artistic culture with the remnants and remnants of old social relations. The formation and development of Greek architecture, sculpture, crafts, the flowering of lyric poetry.

3 Classic, or the heyday of the Greek city-states (5-4 centuries BC) - a period of high heyday of philosophy, natural scientific discoveries, the development of poetry (especially drama), the rise in architecture and the complete victory of realism in the visual arts. At the end of this period, the first crisis of the slave-owning society sets in, the development of the polis comes to a decline, which in the second half of the 4th century causes a crisis of classical art.

3. Hellenistic period (late 4th-1st centuries BC) - a period of short-term recovery from the crisis through the formation of large empires. However, very soon the inevitable aggravation of all the insoluble contradictions of slavery began. Art is losing the spirit of citizenship and nationality. Later, the Hellenistic states were conquered by Rome and included in its power.

Polis were constantly at enmity with each other, however, united in the event of an attack on Greece by a common enemy (as it was with Persia and Macedonia). Every citizen had the right to participate in government. Naturally, even among free citizens there were internal contradictions, often expressed in the struggle of the demos (people) against representatives of the aristocracy.

In Ancient Greece, physical strength and beauty were especially appreciated: pan-Greek competitions were organized in Olympia (Peloponnesian Peninsula). In the Olympiads, the time was kept, and statues were erected to the winners. Of great importance in the development of aesthetic perception were theatrical performances, originally associated with cult celebrations, including in honor of the patrons of the policies (for example, the holiday of the Great Panathenae for the Athenians). The religious beliefs of the Greeks retained their connection with folk mythology, thus intertwining religion with philosophy and history. A characteristic feature of the mythological basis of Greek art is its anthropomorphism, that is, the deep humanization of mythological images.

The monuments of ancient Greek art for the most part have not reached us in originals; many antique statues are known to us from ancient Roman marble copies. During the heyday of the Roman Empire (1-2 centuries A.D.), the Romans sought to decorate their palaces and temples with copies of the famous Greek statues and frescoes. Since almost all large Greek bronze statues were melted during the years of the death of ancient society, and the marble ones were mostly destroyed, it is often only from Roman copies, usually inaccurate, that one can judge a number of masterpieces of Greek culture. Greek painting in the originals has also hardly survived. Late Hellenistic frescoes, sometimes reproducing earlier examples, are of great importance. Images on Greek vases give some idea of \u200b\u200bthe monumental painting. Written testimonies are also of great importance, the most famous of them are:"Description of Hellas" by Pausanias,Pliny's "Natural History""Pictures" of Philostratus, senior and junior,"Description of the Statues" by Callistratus,"Ten Books on Architecture" by Vitruvius.

The art of Homeric Greece

(12th - 8th centuries BC)

This time is reflected in epic poems -The Iliad and "Odyssey", of which Homer is considered to be the author. During the Homeric period, Greek society as a whole still retained its clan structure. Ordinary members of the tribe and clan were free farmers, partly shepherds. Slavery was of an episodic and patriarchal nature, slave labor was used (especially at the beginning) mainly in the economy of the tribal leader and military leader - Basileus. Basileus was the head of the tribe, and united in his person the judicial, military and priestly powers. He ruled the community in conjunction with the council of elders - bule. On the most important occasions, a popular assembly - agora - was held.

The monumental architecture of ancient Greek temples, which originated in the Homeric period, used and reworked the type of megaron that had developed in Mycenae and Tiryns - a hall with a passage and a portico. The expressive ornamental character of the Aegean world was alien to the artistic consciousness of the ancient Greeks.

The earliest surviving works of art are vases"Geometric style", decorated with brown paint ornaments over the pale yellow background of an earthen vessel. The most complete picture of this style is given by the Dipylon vases. These are very large vessels, sometimes as tall as a person, and had a funeral or cult purpose. On the Dipylon amphoras, the ornament is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular the meander braids (the meander pattern has been preserved throughout the development of Greek art). A schematized plant and animal ornament was also used.

An important feature of the later Dipylon vases is the introduction of primitive subject images with schematized figures of people into the pattern. These plot motives are very diverse: the rite of mourning for the deceased, the competition of chariots, sailing ships, etc.

The sculpture of this period has come down to us onlyko in the form of small plastics, mostly of a cult nature. These are small figurines depicting gods or heroes, made of terracotta, ivory or bronze.

"Horse" and " Hercules and the centaur", Olympia

"Plowman", Boeotia

Apollo, Boeotia

The monumental sculpture of Homeric Greece has not reached our time. Its character can be judged from the descriptions of ancient authors. The main type of such sculpture were the so-called xoans - idols made of wood or stone.

By the 8th century BC include the remains of monuments of early Greek architecture.

Temple of Artemis Orphia in Sparta (reconstruction)

Remains of a temple in Thermos in Aetolia and xframe in Dreros in Crete. They used some traditions of Mycenaean architecture, mainly a general plan, similar to the megaron: the altar-hearth was placed inside the temple, 2 columns were placed on the facade. The most ancient of these structures had walls of adobe bricks and a wooden frame on a stone plinth.

Greek Archaic Art

(7-6 centuries BC)

The power of the head of the tribe - Basileus - back in the 8th century. BC. was strongly limited by the domination of the clan aristocracy - the Eupatrides, who concentrated wealth, land, slaves in their hands - and then, in the 7th century. BC, disappeared altogether. The archaic period became a time of fierce class struggle between the clan nobility and the people. The Eupatrides sought to enslave the free communes, which could lead Greek society along the path of the eastern slave states. It is no coincidence that some of the monuments of this time resemble ancient Eastern art. Full or partial victory of the broad mass of free peasants, artisans and merchants led to the establishment of the ancient version of the slave society.

During the 7-6 centuries. BC. Greek settlements expanded - colonies were formed along the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The settlements in southern Italy and Sicily, the so-called Great Greece, were of particular importance in the further history of ancient Greek culture.

During the archaic period, a system of architectural orders was formed, which formed the basis for all further development of ancient architecture. At the same time, plot vase painting flourished and gradually a path was outlined to depict a beautiful, harmoniously developed person in sculpture. Also important is the addition of lyric poetry, which means an interest in the world of a person's personal feelings.

Evolution of Greek sculpture

In general, the art of the archaic period is conditional and schematic. Ancient myths and legends are becoming the subject of widespread reflection in the visual arts. By the end of the archaic period, themes taken from reality began to penetrate into art more and more often. By the end of the 6th century BC. classical tendencies begin to come into ever greater contradiction with the methods and principles of archaic art.

Even in ancient times, the art of Greece created a new type of building, which became a reflection of the ideas of the people - a Greek temple. The main difference from the temples of the Ancient East was that it was the center of the most important events in the social life of citizens. The temple was the repository of the public treasury and artistic treasures, the square in front of it was a place of meetings and festivities. The architectural forms of the Greek temple did not take shape immediately.

Types of Greek temples

The temple dedicated to the god was always facing the east, and the temples dedicated to heroes deified after death turned to the west, towards the kingdom of the dead. The simplest and oldest type of stone archaic temple was temple "In antas". It consisted of one small room - naosaopen to the east. On its facade, between antami(i.e. by the protrusions of the side walls) 2 columns were placed. It was not suitable for the main structure of the polis, therefore it was most often used as a small structure, for example, a treasury in Delphi:

The more perfect type of temple was prostyle, on the front facade of which 4 columns were placed. IN amphiprostyle the colonnade adorned both the front and rear façades, where the entrance to the treasury was.The classic type of Greek temple became peripter, i.e. the temple, which had a rectangular shape and was surrounded on all 4 sides by a colonnade. The main structural elements of the peripter are simple and deeply popular in origin. In its origins, the construction goes back to wooden architecture with adobe walls. From here there is a gable roof and beamed ceilings, the columns ascend to the wooden posts. The architects of Ancient Greece sought to develop the artistic possibilities hidden in the structure of the building. This is how a clear and integral artistically meaningful architectural system developed, which later, among the Romans, was called warrantswhich means order, build.

In the Archaic era, the Greek order was formed in two versions - Doric and Ionic. This corresponded to the two main local schools of art. Doric order embodied the idea of \u200b\u200bmasculinity, and ionic - femininity. Sometimes in the Ionic order, the columns were replaced by caryatids - statues of dressed women.

The Greek order system was not a stencil, mechanically repeated in every decision. The order was a general system of rules, and the solution was always creative and individual in nature and was consistent not only with the specific tasks of construction, but also with the surrounding nature, and during the classical period - with other buildings of the architectural ensemble.

Doric temple-peripter was separated from the ground by a stone foundation - stereobath, which consisted of 3 steps. Login to naos (the rectangular room of the temple) was located behind the colonnade from the side of the main facade and was decorated with a pronaos, resembling a portico in construction"Temple in antah". Sometimes, in addition to the naos, there was also opistode - a room behind the pumping station, with an exit towards the rear facade. Naos was surrounded on all sides by a colonnade -"Pteron" (wing, peripter - winged temple on all sides).

The column was the most important part of the order. The Doric column in the archaic period was squat and powerful - the height is equal to 4-6 lower diameters. The column shaft was cut by a series of longitudinal grooves - flute... Columns of the Doric order are not geometrically exact cylinders, except for a general narrowing upwards, they had some uniform thickening at a height of one third - entasis.

The column of the Ionic order is taller and thinner in proportion, its height is equal to 8-10 lower diameters. She had a base from which she seemed to grow. The flutes, converging at an angle in the Doric column, in the Ionic column are separated by flat cuts of the edges - from this the number of vertical lines seemed to double, and due to the fact that the grooves in the Ionic column were cut deeper, the play of light and shadow on it was richer and more picturesque. The capital had an echinus forming 2 graceful curls.

The system of the Doric order in its basic features was already formed in the 7th century. BC. (Peloponnese and Greater Greece), the Ionic order was formed by the end of the 7th century. BC. (Asia Minor and island Greece). Later, in the era of the classics, the third order, the Corinthian one, was developed, which was close to the Ionic one and was distinguished by the fact that the columns in it were more elongated in proportions (up to 12 lower diameters) were crowned with a lush basket-shaped capital, made up of floral ornament - stylized acanthus leaves - and curls (volutes).

Earlier temples often had too heavy capitals or too short trunks of columns, the aspect ratio of the temple was often disproportionate. Gradually, all the flaws disappeared.

Temple of Hera (Heraion) at Olympia, 7th century BC.

Temple of Apollo in Corinth (Peloponnese), 2nd half. 6 c. BC.

In archaic architecture, coloring found its place, the main ones were most often combinations of red and blue. The tympans of the pediments and the backgrounds of the metopes, triglyphs and other parts of the entablature were painted, and the sculpture was also painted.

Temples of Ionia, i.e. the cities of the coast of Asia Minor and the islands were distinguished by their especially large size and luxury of decoration. This is reflected in the connection with the culture of the East. These temples were outside the mainstream of Greek architecture. The architecture of the classics developed all the best aspects of the Ionic order, but remained alien to lush luxury, this feature was developed only in the era of Hellenism. The most famous example of the archaic temples of Ionia is the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (2nd half of the 6th century BC) - dipter, more than 100 m in length

Model of a temple in Istanbul in Miniaturk park

The archaic period was the heyday of artistic crafts, especially ceramics. Usually the vases were covered with art painting. In the 7th and especially in the 6th century. BC. a system of permanent forms of vases was formed, which had different purposes. The amphora was intended for oil and wine, the crater was for mixing water with wine during the feast, wine was drunk from the kilik, incense was kept in the lekith for libations on the graves of the dead. During the early archaic period (7th century BC), a style imitating the East prevailed in Greek vase painting; a number of ornaments were borrowed from the East. In the 6th century. BC. came the so-called black-figure vase painting. The patterned ornament was replaced by a clear silhouette pattern.

Black-figure vase painting reached its greatest flowering in Attica. The name of one of the outskirts of Athens, famous in the 6th and 5th centuries. BC. its potters, - Ceramics - became the name of products made of fired clay.

Crater of Cletia, made in the workshop of Ergotim (560 BC) or Vase Francois

The most famous Attic vase painter is Exekios. Among his best works is a drawing on an amphora depicting Ajax and Achilles playing dice and a depiction of Dionysus in a boat (bottom of a kilik):

The vase painting of another equally famous master Andokides is known for its realistic motives, which sometimes conflict with the methods of plane archaic vase painting: an amphora with the image of Hercules and Cerberus (The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts).

For the first time in Greek art, the painting of the late black-figure vases gave examples of a multi-figure composition in which all the characters were in real relationship. As realism grew in Greek art, vase painting tended to overcome flatness. This resulted in about 530 AD. BC. to a whole revolution in the technique of vase painting - to the transition to red-figure vase painting, with light figures on a black background. Beautiful examples were created in Andokides' workshop, but all possibilities were revealed to the fullest already in the period of classical art.

The development of archaic sculpture was contradictory. Almost until the very end of the archaic period, strictly frontal and motionless statues of the gods were created. This type of statues includes:

Gera from the island of Samos andArtemis of Delos

Goddess with Pomegranate, Berlin Museum

The sitting figures of the rulers were distinguished by the oriental spirit ( archons) located along the road to the ancient temple of Apollo (Didimeion) near Miletus (in Ionia). These schematic, geometrically simplified stone statues were made very late - in the middle of the 6th century. BC. The images of the rulers are interpreted as solemn cult images. Such statues were often colossal in size, also imitating the Ancient East in this sense. Particularly typical of the archaic period were erect nude statues of heroes, or, later, warriors - kuros... The appearance of the image of the kouros was of great importance for the development of Greek sculpture; the image of a strong, courageous hero or warrior was associated with the development of civil consciousness, new artistic ideals. The general development of the type of kouros went in the direction of ever greater fidelity of proportions, a departure from conventional decorative ornamentation. This required radical shifts in human consciousness, which took place after the reforms of Cleisthenes and the end of the Greco-Persian wars.

Y. Kolpinsky

The fine arts and architecture of Homeric Greece, with all their direct folk origin, did not reach either the breadth of coverage of public life or the artistic perfection of epic poetry.

The earliest (of the extant) works of art are vases of the "geometric style", decorated with geometric patterns applied in brown paint over the pale yellowish background of an earthen vessel. Ornament covered the vase, usually in its upper part, with a row of ring belts, sometimes filling its entire surface. The most complete picture of the "geometric style" is given by the so-called Dipylon vases dating back to the 9th - 8th centuries. BC. and found by archaeologists in an ancient cemetery near the Dipylon gate in Athens (ill. 112). These very large vessels, sometimes almost as tall as a person, had a funerary and cult purpose, repeating in shape those of earthen vessels used to store large quantities of grain or vegetable oil. On the Dipylon amphoras, the ornament is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular the meander braids (the meander pattern was preserved as an ornamental motive throughout the development of Greek art). In addition to geometric ornament, schematized plant and animal ornaments were widely used. The figures of animals (birds, animals, for example, a fallow deer, etc.) are repeated many times over individual stripes of the ornament, giving the image a clear, albeit monotonous, rhythmic structure.

By the 8th century, and possibly also by the 9th century. BC, also include the oldest remains of monuments of early Greek architecture (the temple of Artemis Orphia in Sparta, the temple in Thermos in Aetolia, the mentioned temple in Dreros in Crete). They used some of the traditions of Mycenaean architecture, mainly a general plan similar to the megaron; the altar-hearth was placed inside the temple; on the facade, as in the megaron, two columns were placed. The most ancient of these structures had walls of adobe bricks and timber frames, set on a stone plinth. Remains of the ceramic lining of the upper parts of the temple have been preserved. In general, the architecture of Greece in the Homeric period was at the initial stage of its development.