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Re: Kaitlyn
I definitely agree with you! The art in this period advanced humanism in many ways. Your argument was rather different than mine though, so thank you for pointing out some alternative reasons for this advancement. They did increase focus on humans through the improved portrayal of the human body and showing a wider range of emotions and body movements. They also portrayed more humans than gods, compared to past periods.Hellenistic art began to move away from the classical period and create art of normal people, thus signaling a progression of Greek humanist values. They placed more emphasis on regular humans rather than gods and goddesses. For instance, The Old Woman is not art of a beautiful young maiden or goddess, but rather of an old woman with wrinkles and imperfections.
On the other hand, I understand how the period could be seen as a regression of these humanist values. There is still an abundance of artwork portraying gods and goddesses, and although some of them are displayed in more artistically complex poses, this only furthers their image as superior beings to humans. Laocoön and His Sons presents a struggle between man and a vicious snake, but that man is still a priest, a servant to the gods. This further elevates the gods, rather than emphasizing the importance of humans.
Both sides have valid arguments, but I still see how the period had progressed humanism further, despite not completely moving away from the culture’s religious roots.Art of this period focuses less on gods and goddesses and more on individual people. Works such as The Old Woman don’t represent an idealized version of a person, focusing instead upon the harshness of aging and the toll that a long life takes on a person. This woman may have been a follower of Dionysus, and the partying shows in her age. Sleeping Eros depicts Eros (god of love) while asleep, turning away from images of strong, unbeatable gods and towards more human images.
This range of subject matter in the Hellenistic art provides the era its diversity and individualism. How the human body was formed in Classical art
was more evolved than past eras, but Hellenistic art advanced the style and became more free form, as since in The Old Woman and Sleeping Eros. The bodies’ movement is more natural, free-flowing, and creative.Re: Miranda
I completely agree with you. You make some great points about the individualism of the era’s art. They begin to advance upon the classical progressions of the human form, shifting from statues in contrapposto to more elaborate poses. It’s fascinating to see how it evolves!Re: Miranda
Very interesting connection to other fields of study! It is true that the human fascination with symmetry and other certain patterns occupy many parts of life and the world. It makes me wonder about what kind of benefits such symmetry yields in a more practical sense concerning human bodies.The Classical Period was dominated by statues in the contrapposto pose, meaning that the figure held weight on one leg, creating a more elegant and natural body shape. Artists of this period significantly changed how the human body was viewed and possibly even began the modern obsession with ideal proportions. Although statues are not as common these days, real bodies are edited on PhotoShop and put through unnatural diets and workout routines in order to achieve the ideal proportions that society finds beautiful. Although these proportions are indeed attractive, it has created a toxic culture of body shaming in contemporary society.
Re: Valene
I loved your Alaska example! It’s interesting to view the issue from a local culture’s perspective. I agree with you – it’s hard to assign art to a particular group when their are so many variables surrounding the ownership.Re: Aubri
Great post! I completely agree with your last point about nudity. They had none of the hangups about nudity that modern culture does today. It does beg the question of what changed to prompt female figures finally being drawn in the nude. What do you think could have been a catalyst to this?Humanism is a philosophy that places greater importance on humans than on gods or other divine beings. Whereas other cultures’ art focused almost entirely on gods and goddesses, the art of Ancient Greece began to move away from this. Much of their artwork is of the human body. They still produced plenty of religious artwork, but a fascination with the human form and mind was born around this time period. For example, kouros and kore sculptures became popular in the Archaic Period. The Classical Period continued to develop the human form, making sculptures appear more realistic through techniques such as contrapposto, the leaning of weight onto one leg.
It was in this age that democracy was born and famed artists, philosophers, and writers such as Homer lived. The Hellenistic Period showcases sculptures of old men and women. Although they also produced representations of Aphrodite and Dionysus, sculptures of their mortal followers were equally common.Due to the complexity of this matter, many factors should be considered. Giving art to the culture that created it helps to foster a sense of pride for one’s community and history. It is also the natural decision, since they were the ones who created the given artwork. However, the fact that different cultures’ artwork is so mixed around the world exposes people to a diverse collection of art from cultures both similar and wholly different from their own. For instance, the Greek Altar of Pergamon from the Hellenistic Period is currently in a German museum.
Unfortunately, much artwork held in countries that they did not originate from is not because of cultural diversity. Rather, the artwork was seized by a conquering culture and never returned. This does not foster a global world. Instead, it limits relationships between countries and hinders international peace. Seized artwork should be returned to the home of the artwork if that is what the country wants.
There are some cultures that are now extinct. They could be assigned to the people who live in the same geographical area as them, but this is not always the fair choice. The cave paintings in France and Spain were not created by people from the modern French and Spanish culture, but they were geographically located in France and Spain. Should they, and whatever profits they generate, belong to whoever owned the land or to the government? Such questions almost always depend upon each individual situation.
Re Kaitlyn:
You make an excellent point about only the rich being able to commission art. This could definitely have affected what art we see from the time. Likewise, the Mycenaeans’ art could have come from the government’s money, which would explain the abundance of military-oriented pieces.Re: Kaitlyn
You provide some great examples! The snake goddesses and the palace were prime instances of how they manipulated facts. It is rather sad how they negatively affected our modern perception of this period. Some of the false perceptions can be undone, but not all of the damage is reversible.The Minoans’ art contained many more luxurious items than the Mycenaeans’ art did, indicating that the culture was comfortable enough to have the time and money for such things. For example, the kamares jugs and rhytons were both table ware used for serving aristocrats liquids. These were also found in other regions of the world, indicating that the civilization had a strong trade network. The Warrior Krater of the Mycenaean period showcased soldiers heading off to war, whereas the ceramic ware of the Minoan period, such as the Harvester Rhyton, displayed men participating in what was likely a harvest festival or religious procession. They also produced works such as honeybee pendants, octopus flasks, and snake goddess figurines, all of which express an understanding and appreciation for the animals and natural world around them.
Even the architecture of the two civilizations was created differently. Mycenae was designed so that it could be easily defended against enemies, whereas the Palace Complex at Knossos was created on flatter ground and included many decorative features. This stark contrast between what occupied the attention of the two cultures makes sense given the prompt downfall of the Mycenaeans and their preceding turbulent existence.Everyone has biases that can seep into their work, but Sir Arthur Evans and Heinrich Schliemann allowed far more than simple biases to infiltrate their work. Heinrich Schliemann is believed to have altered The Mask of Agamemnon in order to make it fit the understanding of Agamemnon and Mycenaean art at the time. He also used dynamite at the site of Troy, which destroyed much that would have been carefully excavated under today’s standards.
Sir Arthur Evans committed less atrocious errors, but he did attempt to reconstruct The Palace Complex at Knossos without much attention to the actual historical indicators of how it would have really looked. Instead, he ultimately damaged the original version of the palace by overlaying it with his own ideas of how it looked in its prime. For example, he made the palace’s columns red, but it is now know that the Minoans used tree trunks for their columns.
In spite of how these two men altered the way ancient Aegean art is viewed today, they did bring the field of archaeology into public attention and begin its development into a more respected field.
The Egyptians include their gods in much of their artwork, displayed by the presence of gods in the Books of the Dead, the use of priests in the Palette of King Narmer, and by the elaborate tomb structures and burial preparations for the dead. The kings are often displayed as larger than life, like in the Palette of King Narmer, indicating that they are god-like.
Death was viewed as a time when one met the gods, meaning that the passage into afterlife was a highly important part of religion in Ancient Egypt. The Books of the Dead detail what the dead should expect when passing final judgement before the gods. The Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx were both apart of funeral complexes for royalty.
