2. This Midterm Study Slideshow
Covers the Following:
Unit 4- Art & Cultural Mythology
-The Ancients
Upper Paleolithic, Sumerian, Assyrian, Egyptian,
Agean, Minoan
-Greek Art
Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic
3. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
The Venus of Willendorf,
Upper Paleolithic,
c.15,000‐10,000 BC, Stone.
Exaggerated breasts, belly, hips
No face‐ arms are de‐emphasized
4. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Ur Ziggurat, Sumerian, 21st Century BC,
Sun‐dried bricks and fired bricks.
Held a dual government/religious purpose. Capped with temple.
5. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
The Code of Hammurabi (Codex Hammurabi)
is a well‐preserved ancient law code, created
ca. 1790 BC in ancient Babylon. It was
enacted by the sixth Babylonian king,
Hammurabi. One nearly complete example
of the Code survives today, inscribed on a
seven foot, four inch tall diorite. In the
Akkadian language in the cuneiform script.
6. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Narmer Pale<e, 31st Century BC, (Old Kingdom) Egypt, slate.
Commemorated the unificaUon of upper and lower Nile civilizaUons‐ (the two Egypts)
under a single ruler, King Narmer, shown here beaUng his enemies. King Narmer shown
herein profile with symbols of gods looking on, sacUoning his acUons as he beats his
enemies into submission.
7. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Ka Statue of Khafre,
c. 2575– c. 2465 BC (Old Kingdom)
Egypt, diorite.
From tomb of Khafre (called
Cheops by the Greeks)
Used as a backup “vehicle” for the
king’s Ka or spirit
8. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Great Pyramid of Giza completed 2540 BC (Old Kingdom) limestone,
The largest of the 3 contains over 2.3 million quarried bricks weighing 2.5 tons each.
It is sUll unknown how these structures were built or how long it took.
Some say the Great Pyramid was built in 20 years. (At that rate, they would have had to lay 80
tons of stone a day.)
9. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Hatshepsut Temple 1508 BC ‐ 1458 BC (Middle Kingdom) Carved stone
Made during the reign of Queen Hatshesput, the most successful Pharaoh.
Temple is carved out of “living stone” instead of built from quarried stones.
10. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Pillar Statue Of Akhenaten
From The Temple Of Amen
Re, ca. 1356 BC (New
Kingdom) Egypt,.
sandstone, painted.
Akhenaten ushered in
radical monotheism and a
change in representaUonal
styles
Under Akhenaten, sensuous
contours were favored over
rigid formalism.
Bust of Queen NeferJJ ca. 1344 BC (New Kingdom) Egypt
Limestone, painted,
Her classic profile reiterated the contours of her husband’s
statue. Naturalism is enhanced with the applicaUon of paint.
11. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Cycladic Idol ca. 2500‐1100
BC, Agean, marble.
These idols usually represent
ferUlity goddesses.
Their pared‐down geometry
makes them unmistakable.
12. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Palace at Knossos, Crete ca. 1500, Minoan.
Famed King Minos built this impressive palace well before Athens would rise to power
Known for its convoluted corridors‐ came to be associated with myth of the Minotaur.
Filled with luxurious innovaUons like indoor plumbing and fresco wall painUngs.
13. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Bullfighter Fresco from Palace at Knossos,
Crete, ca. 1500 BC Minoan
Depicts sports spectacle OR a form of ritual human/animal sacrifice or a
combinaUon of the two.
14. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
Gods and heroes are the
subject of the epic lyric
poem The Iliad, agributed
to the early poet Homer.
The Iliad is considered the
master narraUve of
western civilizaUon and it
inspired countless
artworks.
Greek Korous figure, ca. 600 BC, (Archaic Period)
marble.
The style is borrowed from EgypUan pillar statuary.
Rigid, roboUc look. The Greek “gods” were thought
to take the form of humans‐ they had perfect,
youthful features BUT ALSO tragic human flaws.
15. Art & Cultural Mythology: THE ANCIENTS
KriJos Boy (or KriJean Boy) ca.
480 BC, (Severe/ Early Classical
Style) Marble.
First known example of a realisUc
representaUon of the human form.
Elegant and realisUc contrapposto
stance‐ where weight is shihed
onto one leg.
The realisUc Severe Style was
abandoned aher only a
generaUon.
16. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASICAL GREEK ART
Riace Warriors ca. 445 BC (early
Classical period) bronze.
Discovered by accident in 1972 off
the coast of Italy .
Cast from human models and
embellished to give them “ideal”
proporUons.
The best preserved examples of
original Greek bronze figures.
17. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASSICAL GREEK ART
Doryphoros (spearbearer) Polykleitos, ca. 450‐440
BC, Roman marble copy
A contemporary of Pythagoras
Developed a “divine” proporUonal scheme to
“perfect” humanity.
18. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASSICAL GREEK ART
Diskobolus (or The Discus Thrower): ca.
450 BC (Early Classical) Roman copy
Original bronze accredited to Myron.
ArUsts were experimenUng with bodies
frozen in dynamic acUon.
This famous (now lost) bronze was later
copied in marble by Romans.
19. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASSICAL GREEK ART
The Parthenon (Temple of Athena
Parthenos) at the Acropolis, Athens,
447‐438 BC
If Doryphoros is an example of the divine
human proporUons, then the Parthenon is
the equivalent in architecture.
20. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASSICAL GREEK ART
Three goddesses HesJa, Dione and Aphrodite(?) 447‐438 BC marble
(East pediment of Parthenon depicUng birth of Athena)
Unsurpassed carving‐ deep shadows, diaphanous drapery clinging to their forms
21. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASSICAL GREEK ART
Nike AdjusJng Her Sandal, from the Temple
to Athena Nike, Acropolis, Athens 447‐438
BC, marble
Winged victory is seen in an awkward pose
rendered graceful by skilled arUsts.
The lines of Nike’s oumit bear a striking
resemblance to the Nike Swoosh trademark.
22. Art & Cultural Mythology: HELLENISTIC GREEK ART
Reconstructed Altar of Zeus from Pergamon,
in Turkey (Now in the Staatlcihe Museen in
Berlin) ca. 175 BC
400 running feet of furious bagle scenes‐ Zeus
and the Gods of Olympia vs. Titans (Giants)
Athena Ba<ling Alkyoneos,
from Altar of Zeus,
Pergamon ca. 175 BC
Athena grabs the giant’s
hair and prepares to bash
him with her shield edge.
Nike swooshes in to crown
Athena with wreath.
23. Art & Cultural Mythology: HELLENISTIC GREEK ART
Dying Gaul, from Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, ca.
220 BC, Roman marble copy.
RealisUc depicUon of a dying Gaul (Barbarian)
writhing in pain.
Bushy hair, mustache, and neckband or torque
.
24. Art & Cultural Mythology: HELLENISTIC GREEK ART
Nike of Samothrace (Nike alighJng
on a warship) ca. 190 BC, marble
Now stands in the Louvre, in Paris.
From a war monument on the island
of Samothrace.
Originally placed on a fountain‐
heightening the drama of winged
victory.
Her enUre posture says TRIUMPH.
25. Art & Cultural Mythology: HELLENISTIC GREEK ART
Laocoon (and his two sons)
early 1st century (late
HellenisUc) marble
Trojan priest strangled to death
by sea serpents. (from Homer’s
Iliad & Virgil’s Aneid)
Pain, anguish, intensity of
human emoUon, dynamism,
acUon‐ are all on
display in this epic work.
Commissioned by Romans,
carved by Greek arUsts
Athanadoros and Hagesandos.
26. Art & Cultural Mythology: CLASSICAL GREEK (Hellenistic)
Odysseus Blinding Drunken Polyphemos Late HellenisUc period.
Roman marble copy of bronze original cast by the Greek arUsts Athanadoros,
Hagesandos and Polydoros in the 2nd Century BC. The marbles were found in
a cave near the resort city of Sperlonga, Italy in 1960.