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Classical Sculpture

In this module, you are going to be learning about Greek and Roman sculpture. We spent a good amount of time in previous weeks talking about Pre-Modern art and the influence of classicism. Now lets look at these classical forms so we have some frame of reference for the art we looked at last week!

Overview of Classical Art

The classical era is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th or 6th century AD centered on the Mediterranean Sea. Comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, this region is collectively known as the Greco-Roman world. It is the period in which Greek and Roman society flourished and wielded great influence throughout Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.

Watch this overview of Greek and Roman art: 

https://youtu.be/XdXXK_PTkUU

As you do, take note on the following:

1. Identify two different periods of Greek art identified in the video. List at least two characteristic of each period.

2. What do you think is different between Greek and Roman art?

Gods in Color

For most people, when they think of Greek and Roman sculptures, they think of the beautiful and elegant white marble forms depicting idealized human bodies. However, what most people do not know is that these sculptures of antiquity were not always white and plain. In fact, they were lavishly decorated with armor, jewels, and colorful paint! The following interactive website was created in tandem with an exhibition that discussed the colorful statues and how scholars discovered their true and original form.

http://buntegoetter.liebieghaus.de/en

While you are going through and reading the website, take note on the following questions:

1. What was one of the main reasons Greek artists painted their sculptures?

2. What did Euripedes' tragedy of Helen tell scholars about how classical societies viewed their painted sculptures?

3. How did individuals of the Neoclassical age think about Classical sculpture? How did it reflect their own ideals?

4. Why do you think Neoclassical scholars and cultures rejected the colorful nature of classical sculpture?

5. What did Wickelmann do to the study of Classical sculpture? What did he attribute the color to?

6. How did they make pigments in the Classical world?

7. What does the application of color, metal, jewelry, and other accessories do to these classical sculptures? How does it affect the look of them?

8. Does knowing these works of art were originally painted affect your view of them? Do you like them less? More? Neutral? Why?

The Elgin/Parthenon Marbles Debate

One of the most famous examples of Greek sculpture comes from the Parthenon--the cultural hub of Greek society in the Classical era and the best and most prominent example of the Classical period in Greek art. These sculptures are currently in the British Museum. How did they move from Greece to the UK you may be asking? Well... under suspicious and dubious circumstances. The following essay by National Geographic explains the background of the marbles; the life of Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin; and Elgin's role in removing the sculpture from their homeland. This topic of whether or not the sculptures should be returned to Greece has been at the center of a centuries long debate, one the you will learn about now!

Read the following article by National Geographic:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/03-04/parthenon-sculptures-british-museum-controversy/

Also, watch the following debate that happened in 2012 about what should be done with the marbles:

While you are reading, takes notes on the following:

1. What was happening in the 1600s (17th century) that put the Elgin Marbles and the Parthenon as a whole in danger? 

2. What reason did people give for taking classical art and sculpture from Athens and the Parthenon at the time?

3. Who was Lord Elgin and who gave him permission to travel to the Parthenon and collect the artifacts he found?

4. The debate of the marbles is centered around what was stated in Lord Elgins firman. What did it say? How did Lord Elgin interpret it?

5. Why does the British Museum believe they have legal ownership of the Marbles? Why does Greece say they do not?

6. Who do you agree with? Why?