The columns that divided culture and religion From the Caryatids of the porch of the Erechtheion in Athens, Greece to the Togu na House post built by the Dogon in Mali, nearly 2500 years have passed between the two styles of sculptures. The Caryatid statues of Athens, Greece, built between ca. 421-405 BCE, have vast detail in the image of the female, unlike the Dogon Togu na House Post which shows an abstract view of a woman’s body. Although they have similarities in choice of design and purpose each of these posts have an individual function of their respected culture which makes them unique in their function. The columns of these two cultures, Dogon and Classical Greek show the distinct goal in…
Creating such a grand statue demonstrated the “wealth and power of the city” in its “tribute to their patron god” (Cartwright). The Parthenon itself, and most notably the sculptures that were taken by Lord Elgin, served as symbols of Greek history and of the Gods that they…
No matter where you look in today’s cities, towns, and communities, one can see similarities of the architecture to those of ancient times. Many of today’s building all across the country have similarities to buildings of the ancient world and does not just appear in the realm of religious institutions, banks, or government buildings. Buildings at Colleges, insurance companies, banquet halls, auditoriums, palaces, temples, castles, monasteries, and even convention centers for example are designed and built to resemble and lay tribute to structures of the past. When exploring the Cathedral of St. Raphael in downtown Dubuque, it is evident that the design and architecture was inspired by ancient structures from the past. The Byzantine period…
Writer, Christopher Hitchens opined that the Parthenon sculptures should be returned to the Parthenon in Greece in his book, called the “The Lovely Stones”. Christopher Hitchens efficiently builds his argument by using pathos, logos, ethos, and historical allusions. Hitchen begins his book by telling the audience a brief history of how the Parthenon became the detriment it is today. Hitchen draws the reader in by mentioning some of the events the once beautiful structure went through, such as the Turkish forces using the Parthenon as a garrison and an arsenal. In the brief history Hitchen gives you a description of the Parthenon today, he uses words like perverted, mutilated, tragic, and desolated.…
The ancient Greek civilization had two memorable and influential achievements, one of which was architectural and the other political. As seen in the Parthenon, the Greeks were unbelievable architects, and one of the most important inventions, if not the most important invention, was the column (document 2). The column can be seen on many Greek structures including manors, government buildings and other buildings. Columns augmented the Greeks capability of building structures. Another achievement of the ancient Greeks was the ideology of a democracy.…
While attending the Telfair Academy on October 17, I saw a variety of unique scenes. The first scene that caught my attention was the frieze on the upper part of the ceiling that was originally on the outer wall of the Greek High Classical Parthenon. In the scene I depicted different scenes of slaves making Athena’s peplos, which is a rich robe that slaves would make for the gods. I also noticed how the frieze showed many different scenes that occurred in the Parthenon with Poseidon riding in on horses. Also what look to be soldiers riding on horses and Greeks walking cattle with a cloth on their back.…
The dynamics of cultural diffusion in Rome is reflected by this because the Romans looked at these buildings and kept in mind that the Greeks had inspired their hunger for progression and advancements. Works of architecture were clearly discerned from Greek works of architecture and reflected upon Rome’s will and historical repetitions of cultural…
Human civilization has been evolving for centuries through the use of new inventions and discoveries. With technology having only been around for a few decades, most of the information known about the past is from documents and structures around the world. The importance of keeping these artifacts in their original condition is stressed by author of “The Lovely Stones” Christopher Hitchens. Throughout his article on the importance of preserving buildings, he focuses on the Parthenon, a historic greek temple. His persuades his audience about the need to bring the Parthenon back together by emphasizing the perfection of the building, comparing the situation, and providing evidence that others are seeking to help as well.…
INTRODUCTION: PUTTING THE ANCIENT ART OF GREEK INTO MODERN LIMELIGHT, This paper seeks to analyse the ancient art of Greek art and consequently interpret the same for modern day scholars. STYLISTIC ANALYSIS HYDRA WATER JAR The body of this elegant vessel was made of hammered bronze, it is unsual for its thin walls to have survived the intact over a period of 2500 years.…
In contrasting pieces of art, it is important to first identify the time period that each work is from. In this essay the pieces of art that are being compared and contrasted are, “Kritios Boy,” from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and “Dying Gaul,” from Capitolini in Rome, Italy. Kritios Boy was created during the Early Classical style period (480- 323 BCE). The Early Classical style is often referred to as Severe or Transitional, as it was known to bridge the gap between the Archaic and Classical. There is controversy as to weather the Kritios Boy belongs to the late Archaic period or to the Early Classical period, however the Kritios Boy displays many Early Classical attributes that seem to confirm it as Early Classical.…
Context is Important (Especially with Art) Art throughout history has served many purposes; intimidation, expression, guarding of a sacred space, or a show of power to name a few. But as a piece of art is moved from its original space, whether it be taken to a museum or simply taken, the context and deeper understanding of the piece is somewhat lost on the viewer. This has happened over the course of time with many pieces, such as the Ishtar Gate and Nike of Samothrace.…
Greek and Roman Architecture This week’s reading and learning of classical architecture, continues. And so, does the ongoing comparison of two equally famous ancient ruins, the Parthenon in Greece, and the Pantheon in Rome. Each structure was built for a specific purpose, which I will discuss. I will also address similarities between the two structures, if any.…
Indeed, even today, in its somewhat demolished state, planners consider the Parthenon to be one of the finest articulations of Athenian stylish extents, structural exactness and solidarity of regular setting with…
Society, Religion, & Politics in Greek & Roman Dress To some, dress may be seen as just the clothing one wears to get through the tasks of daily life. However, to the women in ancient Greek and Roman society, dress was influenced by so much more than just their own personal choices and styles. There were similarities and differences in the roles of women in these societies, but there seem to be common themes of women being forced to dress modestly and men being more dominant in each society. It is important to understand that the way these women dressed was not simply an extension of their personality, but was controlled and shaped by societal factors around them.…
The realism that was displacing the Hellenic understanding of idealism can be brilliantly exhibited in the Altar of Zeus at Pergamum. Architecturally this altar is not too different from a Hellenic architecture, but this altar’s art was a complete shift from the past Hellenic idealism to a Hellenistic realism. The altar serves as an example of this shift by seeing that the sculptures are not only on the same level as the steps; bringing the art to the people. This movement of the sculptures breaks the past Hellenic idealism as soon as the knee of one of the sculptures touches a step in the Altar of Zeus (Messner “Hellenistic Art”). While this may seem insignificant the ramifications of allowing art to be within the everyday, real world situation and within the viewers’ experience makes the art all the more real and accessible.…