PowerPoint to my students of 2nd grade of ESo, in order to help them to identify Greek and Roman art

1. Greek and Roman Art
2nd
ESO
Maira Gil Camarón

2. Greek Architecture
Temples
Greek temples were usually built in marble. However, they were
originally painted in bright colours, which gradually disappeared
Greek temples were rectangular. The Greeks did not use arches
and vaults, and flat roofs were supported on columns:
The pronaos was the entrance porch to the temple
The naos was the main hall, where the statue of the god was
kept
The opisthodomos was a back room where offerings were
left

3. The three orders
The Greeks were concerned about proportion, beauty and harmony.
Their architects followed strict rules, called orders, which determined
the style of a building. They developed three architectural systems,
called orders, each with their own distinctive proportions and
detailing

4. Greeks build straight arches using a lintel and posts (or beam), and
this caused lots of disadvantages:
 You need lots of columns
 You can’t build tall buildings

5. The Parthenon
The Parthenon was built in Athens in the 5th
century BC. It replaced
an earlier temple that was destroyed during the Persian invasion in
480 BC.
The Parthenon was located on the acropolis, which was the fortified
area in the highest part of the city. It was built in honour of the
goddess Athena, who was the patron of the city. Inside the temple,
there was a huge statue of Athena by the sculptor Phidias

6.  The outside walls were decorated with reliefs of the Panathenaic
procession. This was celebrated in Athens every year in honour of Athena
 The statue of the goddess Athena was made of gold and ivory. Athena’s
helmet was decorated with winged horses and a sphinx. She held a small
figure representing victory
 The pediments of the Parthenon were decorated with sculptures, which
narrated legends about Athena
 Metopes were square panels with reliefs. They were placed around the
entire building. The sculptures showed battles between giants, centaurs and
other mythical creatures

8. Greek Sculpture
Greek sculpture and reliefs usually represented gods and heroes, and
were made for temples
 Sculptors tried to represent human beauty. They believed that a
sculpture should show the ideal proportions of the human body
 They worked in marble and bronze. They then painted their sculptures
in bright colours
 Most Greek bronze sculptures have disappeared. However, we know
what they looked like because the Romans made marble copies

9. Greek sculpture evolved over a long period of time:
 In the Archaic period, sculpture was static and rigid
 In the Classical period, it became more realistic and represented ideal
beauty
 In the Hellenistic period, it was expressive and dynamic
 HOW DO WE ANALYSE SCUPTURES?
We analyse Greek sculptures in the following way:
 Movement. Static sculptures belong to the Archaic period. If they show
some movement, they are probably from the Classical period. Very
dynamic sculptures are from the Hellenistic period
 Expression. The earliest sculptures were stiff and inexpressive. In the
Classical period, faces had a natural and serene expression. In the
Hellenistic period, they were very expressive
 Composition. In the Classical period, sculptures were balanced and
harmonious

10. ARCHAIC PERIOD
Kouros from Anavysos, 6th
century BC. A kouros was a
standing sculpture showing a
warrior or athlete
Peplos kore, 6th
century BC. A
kore was a standing female
figure. This kore was perhaps a
goddess

11. CLASSICAL PERIOD
CANON. In the 5th
century BC, the sculptor Polykleitos established a canon
(or rule) for human beauty. The height of a human body should be seven times
its head.
In the 4th
century BC, the sculptor Praxiteles established a new canon. The
height of a human body should be eight times its head

12. Diskobolus, by Miron, 5th
century
Aphrodite, by Cnidus,
4th
century

13. HELLENISTIC
PERIOD
Laocoon and his
sons, 1st
centry BC
They Dying
Gaul, 3rd
century
BC
Aphrodite of
Milos, 2nd
century

14. Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike of Samothrace), 2nd
century BC

15. Roman Architecture
The Romans built a large scale monumental buildings for public
use. They also carried out many practical engineering projects, like
aqueducts, bridges and roads
 The Romans use stone, like the Greeks. But they also use mortar,
concrete and bricks so their constructions were extremely solid
 The Romans were influenced by Greek architecture. However, they
added their features like the arch and vault

17. Amphitheatre (photo: Coliseum,
1st
century AD). They were round.
They were used for fights between
gladiators and wild animals

18. Pantheon (2nd
century AD). It was
commissioned by Agrippa and completed by
Hadrian.

20. Roman sculpture
Many Roman sculpture were copies of Greek ones, but the also made
original sculptures
 Roman portraits were very realistic
 The Romans put sculptures of emperor and other famous people in the
forum. They could be standing figures or equestrian figures
 Reliefs on triumphal arches told the story of Rome’s military victories

22. Roman Painting
 Romans painted portraits, scenes from everyday life, animals and
scenes from myths and legends
 Murals (paintings on walls) were used to decorate private houses
and public buildings like the baths. The Romans were the first people
to paint landscapes
 Small paintings were done on wooden panels. Wood doesn’t last
forever, so very few of these paintings have survived

23.  Mosaics were used to decorated the walls and floors of buildings.
The Romans used small pieces of stone, glass or ceramic of different
colours to make pictures