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The influence of ancient Greek culture on Western culture
Greek civilization in the western world
Greek culture in the ancient world
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When looking back through history one cannot help but be awed at the artistic accomplishments of the past. There is no greater evidence of this then the artistic achievements of the Greek artists who made some of the world's greatest works of art. Two iconic figures that represent theses changes are the Dying Warrior from the archaic period and the Dying Gallic Trumpeter from the Hellenistic period. As important, as the similarities are between these two pieces it is also important to note the differences that occur alongside the Greek culture. When first looking at the Dying Warrior and the Dying Gallic Trumpeter the first similarity is there position, both warriors are trying to get up after being severely injured in order to make
Throughout the history of Ancient Greece thousands of great works of art were produced. Works were created in many different media, ranging from life-size statues to larger than life architectural structures. One type of art that can sometimes be overlooked, though, is pottery. There are many examples of great Greek pottery, but the two that will be used as a sample are Artemis Slaying Actaeon and Woman and Maid. By considering the backgrounds of these works, and comparing them directly we are able get a taste not only of the artistic styles of the time, but also a taste of ancient Greek culture.
In conclusion, although Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, do appear very different, come from entirely different geographic regions and were separated by thousands of years, they do have many things in common. When we consider subject, style, and function; perhaps other works of art have more in common than they appear to have.
Greek art is considered as a turning point for the development of all aspects of cultural art history, such as architecture, sculpture, pottery and painting. The ancient Greek civilization was famous for its mythical and aesthetic principle in the art culture. Renowned for the pottery, Greek had developed its unique painting technique called the black-figured. “Achilles and Ajax playing Dice” by Exekias is the most significant black-figure amphora for its iconography and that represents the ideal art principle and history of the ancient Greece.
Hunt, Lynn and Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “ The Greek golden age,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 75-108. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
This semester, in comparing works of visual art and opera and particularly between works of the same time period, many parallels emerge. But beyond the scope of individual time periods (e.g., Renaissance, Romanticism, Modern), there are parallels that transcend the scope of time entirely. Individuals of varied cultures and periods in history seem to be invariably fascinated by the idea of an archetypal character whom they can adapt and reinterpret according to the terms of their own zeitgeist and with whom they can identify. A salient example is the Orpheus figure, who hails from the myths of antiquity and has been remade and adapted in operas by composers including Monteverdi, Schütz, Lully, Fux, Telemann, Rameau, Gluck, Haydn, Offenbach, Debussy (in an unfinished project), Milhaud, Birtwistle, and Philip Glass—and that is really only the tip of the iceberg! We see Oprheus depicted as well in paintings by Gennari in the 17th century and by Redon in the 19th century, Corot (1861), dell’Abbate, and Rubens. I could similarly enumerate artists, writers, or composers who have famously depicted any of the figures we have studied this far: the Norse figures held so dear by Wagner, Saint Sebastian...
...r. "Ancient Greece." Gardner's art through the ages the western perspective. 13th ed., Backpack ed. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 101, 123,129. Print.
The Greek’s images also possessed two important ideas that brought the soul of the artist and subject to the surface while still capturing the passion and action of the movement and story: noble simplicity and quiet grandeur. Greek images contained faces that were full of expression but were also balanced because they were not overcome by pain or passion because they still had nobility of soul which creates a sense of tranquility even in the midst of rage, fervor, or desire.
We are honorable warriors we serve and fight for our lords and we die honorable deaths! These warriors were very similar but in different time lines. These warriors fought for their lords and in exchange they either got land or food. Also whenever they were needed in battle they had to go to battle. These are the similarities between these two great warriors.
Castriota, David. The Ara Pacis Augustae and the imagery of abundance in later Greek and early Roman imperial art. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995. (P. 64)
For my final project I chose to compare two works of art from ancient Mesopotamia. A visual work of art and a literary one. The visual work of art I chose was the Statuettes of Worshipers which were created around 2900 to 2350 BCE at the Square Temple at Eshnunna, a city in ancient Mesopotamia. The literary artwork I have chosen is the Epic of Gilgamesh written roughly around 2800 BCE by author or authors unknown. It was set in Uruk, another city in ancient Mesopotamia. Both of these works of art share a common theme; the theme of immortality. It is my hopes that within this paper I can accurately show how each of these works of art express this theme, and how it relates to modern society.
Throughout history, people evaluated themselves and others based on moral judgements. The basis of those evaluations changed over time. In the Homeric period, from approximately 1200-800 BCE, people practiced “warrior ethics.” Warrior ethics were based on teleology, meaning all things had a purpose/function in society. The concept of good/bad was directly related to how well the function was performed. For example, a warrior was considered good when he was an excellent warrior and bad if he performed poorly. In Homeric times, excellence was considered god-like.
"Greek artists…explored people’s experienced, interactions with the natural world,and human relations to the gods. Everyday people were represented in Greek art…" (Emory)
While walking the Greek Art Section in the Metropolitan Museum, people could easily be captivated by the grandiose of one Archaic Period sculpture named Kouros(Youth), a beautiful male nude stone statue. Although it is true that, at the first glance, most people would mistreated this statue as an Egyptian one, for its straight and simple style, which derives from the Sinai Peninsula, this statue is actually from Athen, the center of Greek. Nevertheless, this similarity still arouses people’s curiosities: why and how the Archaic Period Greek statues resembled with the Egyptian one? Is there any other culture also influenced the Greek Art? Thus, this essay is going to discuss how two main foreign cultures: the Egyptian culture and the Ionic culture
Heroes reflect the greatest strengths of the human condition, as well as highlighting the flaws of human nature itself. It is no surprise then that throughout the Greek world are found depictions of heros on various pieces of pottery. These pieces better help to understand what the people of the ancient Greek world were like and which heroic values they felt were worthy of art. When analyzing the art and the stories of such heroes, common themes tend to emerge of what the ancient Greeks thought were heroic values. Values such as valor, strength, and pride are found in these heroes’ stories, however there tends to emerge a theme of devastation threading the stories of the heroes together. These intriguing tales of mythical heroes help to enlighten the mystique of the ancient Greeks.
The world of Art and Architecture has continually provided the tools to communicate many differing concepts or ideas such as political ideologies like socialism to simple folk-tales or intricate narratives. The elements of Greek Art and Architecture and its direct connection to mythology is the main focus of this essay. I will present the comparison of a "new" representation of a Greek Temple used in the set design of, The Clash of the Titans; to the original where its influence is traced to the classic of all Greek Temples, the Parthenon. By illustrating this comparison of new to original, I hope to communicate the idea of how contemporary society has attempted to retell mythology through entertainment outlets.