Originating from the Acropolis at Athens, the Parthenon and the Kritios Boy are significant pieces of Greek art and architecture. They act as distinct transitions in the style of sculpture and architecture respectively. While they represent different cultural aspects of ancient Greece, they have similar societal ideals and artistic techniques and influence. The Parthenon (see Figure 1) was built after the Persians raided the Acropolis as payback for Athen’s part in their defeat in the war of 492-490 BCE. To honor the destruction of their city while celebrating their perseverance and victory in the war, Athenians decided to integrate parts of the ruins into the rebuilding of the city. Using the surviving materials from the destroyed great marble …show more content…
Unlike earlier Archaic sculptures that often depicted idealized figures, the Kritios Boy reflects a more individualized and nuanced approach to human anatomy and expression. Both the Parthenon and the Kritios Boy embody Greek notions of perfection and beauty. The Parthenon, with its harmonious proportions and meticulous craftsmanship, reflects the Greek pursuit of idealized beauty in built form. Every aspect was specifically planned to be perceived as perfect and symmetrical to the human eye, even if it wasn’t. The middle of the floor was raised slightly in the middle of each side of the stairs, the distance between columns was moved closer together toward the ends of each side, and the width of each column varied from the bottom to the top, all to account for imperfections mathematical symmetry can be perceived by the human eye. On the other hand, the Kritios Boy epitomizes the Greek ideal of physical beauty through its naturalistic depiction of the human form, capturing the essence of youthful grace and …show more content…
This sculpture represents a transitional period in the portrayal of male beauty and nudity in art, similar to how the Parthenon acted as a stepping-off point for future Greek architectural building plans and processes. While the Parthenon is often hailed as a masterpiece without an equal, its influence is apparent in later architectural works. It has served as a template for buildings and still is today. The Parthenon stands out for its architectural innovation and cultural significance, but similar traits can be seen in a multitude of pieces. From columns to stylization to its sculptural elements, its impact can be seen in other Greek and Western pieces of architecture. Its combination of Ionic and Doric elements along with the mathematical planning and genius that went into its conception acted as a blueprint for many architectural wonders following its creation. It is part of a continuum of Greek artistic endeavors that sought to achieve perfection and harmony in various forms, whether through sculpture, architecture, poetry, or philosophy. In conclusion, the Athenian Parthenon and the Kritios Boy exemplify different aspects of Greek ideals and artistic
Recall the ancient Greeks and the sculptor Phidias, who created the row of sculptures that sit above the columns of the Parthenon. The Parthenon, built in 447 to 438 BC, is in Athens, Greece. The Greeks used the Golden Ratio, which they called the Golden Section, as the basis for the design of the Parthenon as it created a balance in the design.
Dedicated to Athena Parthenos (Athena the virgin) goddess of war and wisdom. Every god and goddess had worship temples to assure everything went well and nothing bad happened. Greeks gave sacrifices too, such as food, messages, and sacred tiles were all sacrifices they gave. The Parthenon was built in 480 BC but got destroyed while under construction in a battle between the Romans and Greeks. The Parthenon was rebuilt in 447 BC, with the original statue that first stood in 480 BC. ("The Parthenon Frieze." The Parthenon Frieze. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.)
...the Athenian Parthenon’s in some ways its powerful imagery has caused it to be acknowledged it as one of the most wonderful examples of Hellenistic art and architecture.
The Greeks finished building an exquisite temple to their beloved goddess, Athena in the year 432 BCE. (Sayre 60). The name of this enriched, unique temple was the Parthenon. The Parthenon took the Greeks approximately fifteen years to complete and as Pericles stated, it was built to give gratitude to their goddess Athena for the salvation of their city, Athens and all of Greece in the Persian Wars (Sayre 60). It was also a symbol of their power and superiority among other cultures. It was something the Greeks took great pride in and recognized it to a great extent. The Parthenon was built on the highest point of the city of Athens to look over the precious Greek city. On the exterior walls of the Parthenon there was beautiful artwork that adorned the walls, also known as the Parthenon Frieze (“The Parthenon Frieze”, par 1). According to the National Geographic video, “Parthenon Marbles Battle”, two thousand years after the Parthenon was built, in the late 1600's the Parthenon was blown up during a war between Venice and the Ottoman Empire, which left the Parthenon almost in complete ruins. Then, in the early 1800's, there came Lord Elgin, who was a huge fanatic of Greek history. Because Greece was currently under conquest by the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin made the Ottoman Empire a deal and bought the remains of the Parthenon Frieze artwork along with other sculptures as well. Elgin sent these unique sculptures of art work back to his country, England. Since then these sculptures became known as the "Elgin Marbles", and currently sit in the British Museum at London (“What are the 'Elgin Marbles”, par 1). However, do these fine pieces of artwork truly belong to Elgin? There has been a lot of controversy throughout the years of whet...
Introduction The Pantheon in Rome and the Parthenon in Athens are 2 very influential structures and architectural breakthrough milestones in the history of humanity. They have inspired designers and architects of all generations since their erection and continue to draw visitors to admire and study their majestic nature. There are varying similarities seen in the forms of the buildings along with their original purposes. One similarity is the context for why both structures were built. They were both created as places of worship for the gods.
In the time of Ancient Greece, the Parthenon was the epitome of all Greek temples, possessing desired traits from hut-like temples, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, and other temples. All the column styles were established in 6th century BCE, but the styles were named afterwards (Spawforth 62). The chief column styles of Greek temple building were Doric and Ionic, and they were named in the 5th century BCE (Spawforth 62). The Corinthian column style was named in the 4th century BCE (Spawforth 62). Doric columns from the 4th century BCE are skinnier than the 6th century BCE columns (Spawforth 62). The “Aeolic” column, related to the Ionic column, was developed by the Aeolian Greeks (Spawforth 62). The Ionic and Aeolic columns has scrolls at the top, but only the Aeolic column’s scrolls spring outwards in a vertical direction, making it unique from the Ionic column (Spawforth 62). The Doric columns were created by the Dorians; the Ionic columns were created by the Ionians (Jenkins 15, 17). Each column consists of a column, base, shaft, capital, and entablature. The entablature consists of the architrave, frieze, and cornice (Summerson). The Romans used columns as ornaments, but the Greeks used the columns for structural stability (Summerson). The Parthenon was a Doric temple (Spawforth 64). The Parthenon was the centerpiece of acropolis renewal (Jenkins 76). The marble is from Mount Pendelikon (Jenkins 76). The Parthenon is a culmination of long tradition (Jenkins 28). The Parthenon is the Romantic Symbol of a cultural age; it is viewed with great fondness and nostalgia in the Western civilizations’ cultural memory (Nardo 12). The Parthenon is not at ground level; it stands on a three step stylobate (Corbett). In the 6th century, the ...
The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structures are built using straight lines they tend to look slightly distorted due to the science of optics. The architects Iktos and Kallikretes were skilled architects of their time and they used illusory tactics to create an ideal aesthetic for The Parthenon. The architects compensated for these visual illusions by counteracting them in their design. The end result is a structure that is not composed of straight lines, but when viewed by the human eye, looks perfectly straight. Plato would have mentioned one of his famous dictums, ?That which changes least is most real.? He would have viewed Iktos and Kallikretes designs as less real than other designs that do not u...
Building the Parthenon was a greater feat than they ever would have known. Work on the Parthenon began in 477 BC. A much smaller shrine already stood on this site, one to which we can attribute various pieces of surviving decorative material--lions and snakes, a cornice incised with flying birds, and a blue-bearded trinity that may conceivably represent Cecrops, Erechtheus, and Poseidon. If such an edifice in fact existed, it was torn down to make way for a huge limestone platform, roughly 252 by 103 feet in size, that was built as a base for the new temple. The slope of the Acropolis was such that while on the north side the foundations rested directly on bedrocks, the southeast corner needed to be built up with no less than twenty-two courses, in order to correct a vertical drop of thirty-five feet. This was only the beginning of the temple. The actual base of the new temple was smaller than the platform, as can be still be clearly seen. The temple itself was Doric, with a peristyle of six columns at each end and sixteen along the sides. Except for the lowest course of the base, the structure was to be built entirely of Pentelic marble.
The works of art from the Archaic Period, Classical Period, and Hellenic Period developed physically and mentally, and the study of their aesthetic differences from period to period allow for a decided contrast and comparability. This interpretation has had a profound effect on the art world and that continues even in today’s world. The importance of Greek sculptures is evident in the storytelling of the gods, the people, and the culture. We use these sculptures as a tool to go back into the past of the Greek people, letting us admire how far mankind has truly come, whether it is in art or intelligence. Generation after generation has been and will continue to be able to see for themselves the society, culture and uniqueness of these periods through the wonderful sculptures that came out of ancient
Brief History Though the Persian wars were possibly over before the Parthenon was being considered, the wars played a vital role for Athens and her temples. During the wars, the armies of Persia attacked Athens and sacked the city leaving much of it in ruins, including the new temple in honour of Athene atop the Acropolis that was under construction. During the struggle, many of the states in Greece joined together to fight against the Persians and decided that they should not rebuild any of the temples that had been destroyed by the Persians to have an eternal memory of the devastation they caused and the lack of respect they have for religion. The once impressive city of Athens was reduced to dust, with small basic houses and nothing really imposing.
The Pantheon and the Parthenon are two of the most influential building in history. They share some basic styles, pillars, pediment and frieze, even though they share these elements they are vastly different on each building. The Pantheon shows how with the advancement in technology bigger, stronger thing can be built. The Greeks however show great craftsmanship in the Parthenon, with its carvings and reliefs. The fact that these building are standing today is a testament to genius of both the Romans and the Greeks
Cultures are often opaque due to its dense and rich nature as the collective foundation of a civilization. Due to the complexity of cultures, not every angle of ideologies of the society can possibly be clearly condensed into words, therefore visual representations are often times used to reflect the major sociocultural motifs. In Ancient Athens, the Parthenon was an architectural phenomenon built around mid 5th century that represented the integrity and cultural values of being an Athenian. Prior to the existence of the Parthenon, the Persians raided the acropolis and Pre-Parthenon in 480 BC, causing Athenians to pledge to defeat the Persians before rebuilding the fallen temple. The elevated acropolis continuously showcased the ruins of the
Besides being the Athenians greatest architectural achievement, the Parthenon serves a basic purpose. The Parthenon is a temple devoted to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and guardian of the city- state of Athens that got its name from her. The temple marked the zenith of ancient Greek architecture (Glancey 26). The structure was built to protect and shelter the statue of Athena, which was sculpted by Phidias. The enormous statue of Athena consisted of gold and ivory and stood up to be approximately nine to eleven meters. Unfortunately, this statue of Athena was thought to be lost in the future and was later replaced. Upon construction of the Athenian pride and symbol, the Parthenon successfully stood for 2,500 years. Later, the Parthenon was converted into a church for Virgin Mary of Athens in the sixth century AD. The condition and position of the building seemed well until the fait of the Parthenon changed in the future when two major collisions occurred.
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting