Powerpoint slide presentation

1. Hellenistic Art: The Altar of Zeus at
Pergamon

2. The Hellenistic World
After Alexander’s death, his empire was divided into kingdoms by his generals

3. This period is called “Hellenistic” because of the Greek (or “Hellenic”) influence
that Alexander’s conquest set in motion

4. The Hellenistic World
Hellenistic kings built magnificent cities at Antioch, Alexandria, and Pergamon

5. The Hellenistic World
We will focus on Pergamon, which is located in modern Turkey – a region that
had once been part of the Persian empire

6. The site is in ruins today, but when it was built it was conceived to be a “new
Athens,” indicating that Hellenistic kings continued Alexander’s legacy of
importing Greek culture into conquered territories

7. The acropolis at Pergamon included an altar that was dedicated to Zeus

8. The altar was erected to commemorate the king’s victory over a neighboring
barbarian tribe

9. It is now located in a specially built museum in Berlin
Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, c. 175 BCE
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

10. Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, c. 175 BCE
Staatliche Museen, Berlin
The altar represents a fusion of Greek and Near Eastern elements

11. The grand staircase leading to the altar recalls the monumental ramps that led to
the top of the Mesopotamian Ziggurat

12. But the ionic columns are clearly Greek in influence

13. The reliefs that decorate the base of the altar on either side of the stairway recall
the reliefs along the stairway to the Apadana at Persepolis.
Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, c. 175 BCE
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

14. The base of the altar is decorated with a frieze depicting a “gigantomachy” — a
battle between the gods and giants, a race of creatures known for their great
strength

15. The gigantomachy theme had been a feature of the Parthenon where, like the
story of the Lapiths and Centaurs, it symbolized the theme of good triumphing
over evil, and served as a political allegory of the Greek victory over the Persians

16. So the King of Pergamon was borrowing the Greek strategy, for the relief
decorations were intended to celebrate his recent victory over a neighboring
barbarian tribe

17. The figures are carved in very high relief, so that they are almost free-standing
statues

18. As we round the corner, the figures seem to “spill out” onto the stairs, so that it
feels like the battle is bursting into our space

19. The giants are burly and brutish figures, some of them having legs that morph
into coiling serpents

20. The drama is explosive and action-packed, animated by flailing limbs, billowing
drapery, strained muscles, and agonized facial expressions

21. In this scene, we see Zeus taking on a group of giants – his torso is rippled by
powerful muscles, as his wind-swept drapery creates the impression of
unimpeded forward motion

22. To the right, we see Athena battling with another group of gods

23. Athena can be identified by the Medusa head on her chest

24. She carries a shield, and strides boldly forward, as her drapery clings to her
body, creating a powerful sense of surging motion

25. With her right hand, she clutches the head of a giant by his hair, while a serpent
encircles his body and bites at his chest

26. We can see the agony on his face, as his eyes roll back into his head – even his
hairr seems to be writhing in pain

27. To the right, the primordial goddess Gaia (mother
of the giants) seems to raise her arms in
surrender

28. And above her, a winged Nike is already crowning
Athena is the victor

29. What makes this work Hellenistic?

30. There is certainly Greek influence the idealized muscular bodies, and the
extraordinary naturalism of the drapery (clearly, we see the influence of
Phidias’ wet drapery style here)

31. But what is new, and distinctly Hellenistic, is the drama, violence, and emotion of
the scene

32. Greek Classical art is renowned for its serenity and grace – in battle scenes
such as this, it seems more like a graceful ballet than a real battle

33. And remember the Lapith women at the Temple of Zeus at Olympia? They showed no
sign of emotion, in spite of the violence of the theme

34. But in the Hellenistic period, artists began to explore the full range of human
emotion, in action-packed scenes of violence and drama

35. Thanks for listening!

36. Hellenistic Art: The Dying Gaul

37. This was another monument that was set up by the king of Pergamon to
commemorate his victory over the Gauls, a neighboring barbarian tribe

38. The original monument was made of bronze, and is now only known through
Roman copies

39. Unlike the Altar of Zeus, this monument dispensed with mythological allusions
and focused instead on a realistic (and sympathetic) portrayal of the “barbarian”
foe

40. Ludovisi Gaul and his wife. Marble, Roman
copy after an Hellenistic original from a
monument built by Attalus I of Pergamon after
his victory over Gauls, ca. 220 BC.
Wikimedia
The centerpiece was a group representing a Gaul warrior committing suicide
after slaying his wife to avoid the shame of slavery and defeat

41. At the four corners of the monument were dying Gaul soldiers, portrayed with
remarkable realism and emotion — one of the distinguishing characteristics of
Hellenistic art

42. Dying Gaul, Roman copy of a bronze original from Pergamon, c. 230-220 BCE
The Gaul is portrayed seated on the ground, with his trumpet and sword beside
him, as he draws his last breath

43. Dying Gaul, Roman copy of a bronze original from Pergamon, c. 230-220 BCE
The fatal wound can be seen just above his right rib cage, with carved drops of
blood dripping from it

44. Dying Gaul, Roman copy of a bronze original from Pergamon, c. 230-220 BCE
Although his physique is highly idealized, there are remarkably realistic elements
in the way the sculptor has endowed the figure with recognizably “ethnic”
attributes

45. He has bushy hair and wears a mustache, and the choker around his neck
would have made him easily recognizable as a Gaul warrior

46. There is also remarkable realism in the facial expression

47. His forehead is furrowed, and his mouth is grimacing, making us sympathize with
his pain

48. The Greeks had a word for this: pathos refers to a quality that evokes pity or
sadness

49. Hellenistic realism invites us to relate to the figure on deeply emotional level,
enabling us to empathize with his suffering

50. Which raises an interesting question: why would the king want us to take pity on
his enemies?

51. In fact, this monument seems unusual as a victory monument since it does not
even portray the victor; instead, it features only his defeated enemies, who are
nonetheless depicted as worthy adversaries

52. Noble Foe
The strategy actually recalls the dead and dying lions that decorated Assyrian
palaces, which only served to amplify the king’s power, since only a great man
could conquer such a powerful beast

53. Dying Gaul, Roman copy of a bronze original from Pergamon, c. 230-220 BCE
The sympathetic treatment of the dying Gaul warrior serves a similar purpose

54. Dying Gaul, Roman copy of a bronze original from Pergamon, c. 230-220 BCE
It is an indirect tribute to the king’s great accomplishment, since only a powerful
king could defeat such a worthy adversary!

55. Thanks for listening!

56. Hellenistic Art: The Seated Boxer
and Other Social Types

57. Let’s start by reviewing some of the differences between Greek Classical and
Hellenistic art

58. While Greek art is characterized by ideal beauty, serenity, and calm, Hellenistic
art if full of action, drama, violence and emotion

59. Dying Gaul, Roman copy of a bronze original from Pergamon, c. 230-220 BCE
And while Greek Classical statues typically portrayed ideal heroes who were
distant and aloof, Hellenistic sculptors explored more realistic characters that
invite pity and emotion

60. In fact, Greek Classical sculpture portrayed a very limited range of humanity:
their statues depicted athletes, warriors and gods – the super-heroes of society,
rather than ordinary people

61. Marble statue of an old fisherman, Roman
copy of a Greek statue of the 3rd c. CE
1st or 2nd c. CE
Metropolitan Museum
But during the Hellenistic period, sculptors began to explore a wide range of
social types – ordinary people, who were neither beautiful nor heroic

62. Marble statue of an old fisherman, Roman
copy of a Greek statue of the 3rd c. CE
1st or 2nd c. CE
Metropolitan Museum
There are images of elderly people, such as the old fisherman and market
woman seen here

63. Young Slave, Late 2nd, early 3rd century CE
Louvre
Bronze statuette of an Ethiopian, 3rd-2nd c. BCE
Met Museum
And ethnic types, such as Africans make their appearance – likely a response to
the multi-cultural atmosphere of Hellenistic cities which were much like our
modern cities in their ethnic diversity

64. Seated Boxer, Bronze, c. 100-50 BCE
National Museum, Rome
This statue represents a seated boxer – a male athlete that had been a popular
theme in the Classical era

65. However, unlike the Olympic champions of the Classical age, he is far from being
the “perfect” male

66. Seated Boxer, Bronze, c. 100-50 BCE
National Museum, Rome
Seated on a rock, he seems exhausted from the years he has spent competing
in this brutal sport

67. He wears leather knuckle straps on his hands, and while his body still seems fit,
it seems weighed down by exhaustion

68. His face is scarred and badly misshapen (his nose has clearly been broken
multiple times), and his expression is one of weary resignation

69. And so we have a dramatic contrast between Hellenistic realism and Greek
idealism

70. While Greek Classical statues invited us to admire the physical prowess of ideal
warriors and athletes who were almost godlike in their perfection, Hellenistic
statues explored more real-life individuals, and invite us to empathize with their
humanity

71. Marble statue of an old woman, copy of a
Greek work of the 2nd c. BCE
Metropolitan Museum
This statue is another example of Hellenistic realism. It represents an elderly
woman on her way to market

72. Marble statue of an old woman, copy of a
Greek work of the 2nd c. BCE
Metropolitan Museum
Her face is wrinkled with age, and her expression seems haggard. Her clothes
appear disheveled, and her frame seems small and emaciated.

73. Marble statue of an old woman, copy of a
Greek work of the 2nd c. BCE
Metropolitan Museum
As she stoops to carry her heavy burden, her robe falls immodestly off her
shoulder to reveal her breast – a detail that makes her seem all the more
pathetic

74. Marble statue of an old woman, copy of a
Greek work of the 2nd c. BCE
Metropolitan Museum
This emphasis on pathos – an appeal to the viewer’s emotion – along with its
realism, was a characteristic of Hellenistic art

75. Bronze Statue of Eros Sleeping, 3rd century BCE
Metropolitan Museum
In addition to old age, Hellenistic sculptors also mastered the representation of
young children

76. Marble Grave Stele with a family
group, c. 360 BCE
Metropolitan Museum of Art
In Greek Classical art, children were
often represented as mini-adults

77. Bronze Statue of Eros Sleeping, 3rd century BCE
Metropolitan Museum
But Hellenistic artists understood that children have very different proportions
than adults, as seen in this delightful statue of the god Eros as a pudgy little
toddler, sleeping on a rock

78. Most Hellenistic statues of common people (fishermen, boxers, exotic dancers,
and old women) were not portraits — instead, they were generic social types

79. Polykleuktos, Demosthenes, Roman
marble copy of a bronze original c. 280
BCE
But portraiture did emerge in the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods, where
artists endeavored to record the recognizable features of a specific individual

80. Polykleuktos, Demosthenes, Roman
marble copy of a bronze original c. 280
BCE
Many of these portraits depicted philosophers, and this one is an early example
of the type

81. Polykleuktos, Demosthenes, Roman
marble copy of a bronze original c. 280
BCE
It portrays Demosthenes, who was a frail man who suffered from a speech
impediment (so, like most of us, he could hardly meet the standards of 5th
century Greek beauty and perfection!)

82. Polykleuktos, Demosthenes, Roman
marble copy of a bronze original c. 280
BCE
But he was a man of great courage and moral conviction. He became famous as
an orator who rallied the Athenian citizens to defend their democracy against
Macedonia; later, when the city was conquered, he took his own life

83. Polykleuktos, Demosthenes, Roman
marble copy of a bronze original c. 280
BCE
The sculptor portrays him as a stooped and aged man, beset by inner turmoil

84. Polykleuktos, Demosthenes, Roman
marble copy of a bronze original c. 280
BCE
“The orator clasps his hands nervously in front of him as he looks downward,
deep in thought. His face is lined, his hair is receding, and his expression is one
of great sadness. Whatever physical discomfort Demosthenes felt is here joined
by inner pain, his deep sorrow over the tragic demise of democracy at the hands
of the Macedonian conquerors.”
Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner’s Art Through the Ages (Backpack Edition), p. 139

85. Thanks for listening!

86. Hellenistic Art: The Nike of
Samothrace

87. Nike (Winged Victory) of Samothrace
c. 190 BCE
Louvre
One of the most beautiful works from the Hellenistic period is the Nike of
Samothrace

88. Commemorated a naval battle
Originally placed in a reflecting pool -- a theatrically dramatic environment

89. Phidias’ wet drapery style is taken to a new level in the wind-blown drapery that
clings to the goddess’s torso

90. Her great wings stretch out behind her creating the impression that she is
weightless -- in spite of the fact that the statue is made from solid stone

91. Hellenistic Art: The Altar of Zeus at
Pergamon

92. Laocoön, early 1st century BCE, marble
Vatican Museum
Laöcoon, based on a character from Vergil’s Aeneid

93. Laöcoon warned his compatriots about a Greek plot to invade them (hidden in
the Trojan horse)

94. Laocoön, early 1st century BCE, marble
Vatican Museum
The gods sent serpents to kill Laöcoon and his sons

95. The artist captures
their extreme agony

96. The artist captures
their extreme agony

97. • The deep carving and
expression of extreme pain is
similar to the giant at Pergamon

100. Hellenistic Art
Wider range of social types:
 old/young
 beautiful/ugly
Ethnic and social “types
 Realism
Drama, action, and movement