13. Dying Warrior figure from L. angle of E. pediment Temple of Aphaia, Aegina. ca. 500-490 B.C. Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich
Editor's Notes
Simple, stylized, abstract geometric design Amphora shape – popular shape for storing and shipping goods Design reflects Greek cultural obsession with the tension between order and chaos. It was to duty of rational humans to exert order on a chaotic natural world
Geometric era involves increasingly complex geometric decoration – notice especially several versions of the meander or “Greek Key” This large amphora was a grave marker, not used for storage or shipping - Funeral scene on the side is an early depiction of the human form – very geometric and conceptual
A vase from the Orientalizing Period Human figures still represented in geometric, conceptual ways, but some naturalistic details (muscles on Odysseus—white figure) are being developed - Narrative from the Odyssey—Odysseus and his men blinding the cyclops Polyphemus
Black figure pottery Mythological narrative—Dionysos bringing the gift of wine to humanity - Key shift to naturalism—the sail is not conceptual rectangle but is being shaped by the wind
Red figure pottery New red figure technique allows for finer details—hair, muscles, clothing Mythological narrative
-Red figure pottery Scene from real life, not mythological Notice raised heels of athletes—signs of weight shift or ponderation—physical bodies moving in a physical world
Grave site memorial—perhaps influenced by similar statues in Egypt Probably represented the specific person being memorialized - Rigid, unnatural stance, but careful attention paid to naturalistic details like muscles and joints
-Female version of Kouros—also a grave site memorial -Broken arm significant—figures starting to break free from rigid, blocky structre and move
Grave site marker, like Kouros - Careful relief carving indicates naturalistic details—muscles, joints, beard
Represents the final steps to naturalism in the Greek quest to depict the human form Ponderation or weight shift - Contraposto stance
Doric Order temple -Temples were typically on a hilltop—closer to gods -Carefully designed to reflect symmetry and order out of chaos
-You will need to be able to identify the elements we discuss in class.
-Temple exteriors were often richly decorated, often with a narrative -Figure is carefully designed to fit into the left hand corner of the pediment while remaining naturalistic and proportional - Careful attention to naturalistic details—muscles, weight, facial expression
