Within a Greek city, in a complex of temples, lays a marble relief panel known as the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal. Famous for its elaborately carved details and high level of skill, this Classical Greek sculpture stands 3 feet 6 inches tall and has been a subject of discussion between art historians for decades. The panel originates from the city of Athens’ Acropolis in Ancient Greece circa 410 BCE. Prior to the sculpture’s carving, the Athenians faced hardship when the Persians destroyed their original temples in 480 BCE. However, this prompted the leader of Athens, Pericles, to rebuild the Acropolis under a new, classical, principal. Pericles was an exceptional orator, general, politician, and patron of the arts. His rule lasted from 495 BCE …show more content…
to 429 BCE, and during this time he had a tremendous impact on the establishment and cultivation of the Athenian culture; which is why many attribute him to the so-called “Golden Age of Athens.” In addition to constructing the Acropolis under a new style, Pericles envisioned the new complex to communicate a new message—one of strength and glory—to all those who saw it. Although the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal was carved post-reconstruction, it was still clearly a byproduct of Pericles’ aspirations for the Acropolis. Not only is this famous, intricate carving, a window into the values of the Ancient greek, but the stylistic complexity of the piece hints at the beginning of what came to be a new artistic era. The Athenian society in which the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal was created is crucial to the piece’s significance. The Athenians were very religious people, and as so, their devoted worship to the Greek Gods was an essential component in defining Athenian ideals within their society. They believe that places of worship were so scared that having the everyday “city life” of humans in the same location as where they prayed to the Gods was unholy. It was for this reason that they built the Athenian Agora and the Acropolis. The Agora was the center of city life. Among other things, it served as a place for government and judiciary, public debate, and a market place. On a hill adjacent to the Agora, is the Athenian Acropolis. The Acropolis is a grand complex of massive structures that form a landscape of quintessential Greek architecture from the 5th century. Furthermore, the array of temples provided the Athenians with a place to worship their Gods; which allowed for the concretion of Athenian culture and ideals. The Acropolis that stands today can be attributed to Pericles’ determination to rebuild and redefine the Athenian’s spiritual space after the Persians destroyed the original complex. However, the fact that Pericles wanted to reinstate the monument to honor the Goddess Athena, whom the Greeks believed resided over Athens, was only one of the reasons the re-construction of the Acropolis. Both to celebrate the removal of the Persians from Athenian society, and to warn prospective attackers of the cities power, Pericles wanted the new Acropolis to symbolize Athens’ military and political strength while simultaneously proclaiming the city’s glory to the rest of the world. To accomplish this, he hired hundreds of artisans, metal workers, craftspeople, painters, and woodcarvers to design and decorate the temples, along with thousands of unskilled laborers to carry out the construction. The complex of temples Pericles created holds some of the finest architecture and Greek ornamentation in the world. An example of this is the Temple of Athena Nike. Although it is the smallest temple in the Acropolis, its importance is equally important to the neighboring temples around it. The Temple of Athena Nike was built to honor Athens’ patron goddess, Nike, who was the goddess of victory. The location of the temple within the Acropolis is key to the understanding of its significance. All visitors who walked through the Propylaia, an entrance structure into the Acropolis, were immediately confronted with The Temple of Athena Nike’s elegant Ionic features and four monolithic columns. A parapet surrounds the temple and was built to act as a guardrail to prevent Athenians from falling off the temple’s steep edge. At one point, this parapet depicted an array of elaborate low relief statues decorated with numerous depictions of Nike in various states of activity. However, the panel Nike Adjusting Her Sandal is the only one that remains today and has become one of the most famous, and analyzed, low relief sculptures from Greece. Art historians continue to be fascinated in the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal relief due to its depiction of both the mindset of Athenians at the time of carving and the beginning of an evolving artistic movement in Greece.
The Nike Adjusting Her Sandal was added to the Temple of Athena Nike in 410 BCE after the completion of the the entire Acropolis. The intricate carvings and elaborate nature of this piece illustrate a tremendous amount of skill on behalf of the unknown artist. In this sense, even though Pericles had died by the time the relief was carved, the sculpture was still a continuation his desire to show Athens’ power, strength, and wealth through elaborate construction and ornamentation. However, the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal’s historical significance goes beyond a desire to show skill. The relief was carved during the Athenian’s battle against Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. Athens had already suffered several defeats which placed the fate of their empire in jeopardy. Thusly, the low relief carvings on the parapet of The Temple of Athena Nike was a sort of political propaganda. The parapet’s various depictions of Nike symbolized victory, and thusly, served as a method of reminding the Athenians of their past victories along with the fact that the goddess of victory was on their side—lifting their spirits and encouraging them to fight on. The second aspect of the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal that makes the piece so significant in the world of art history, is the fact that it hints at the presence of a new artistic era. The Acropolis’ reconstruction was in the height of the Classical Period in Greece. During this time, the Greek believed that mathematics manifested itself in beauty. Thusly, all the art produced was obsessed with idealizing bodies through the canon of proportion. A perfect example of this is Polykleitos’ Doryphoros, which set the standard for Greek art in the era due to its perfection of the human form and serene appearance through a relaxed
contrapposto stance. However, a few decades later, artistic values are beginning to change. Now that artists had “perfected” the idealized body, they began to experiment with new forms of sculpting. This gradual divergence from the Classical Period is beautifully illustrated through the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal panel. The first divergence is from classical form. Unlike the typical contrapposto, Nike is presented in a very awkward position with one foot off the ground and her hand reaching down to adjust her sandal. Even though she is presented in an strange position, she still exhibits her stereotypical grace and beauty, and in this way, the sculpture preserves Classical qualities. The second indication of artistic experimentation within the piece is through though her drapery. Until this point, drapery had never been presented in such a way. On the torso and legs, the fabric is hugging every curve and indent of the figure as if it were put on wet. However, this is juxtaposed to the deep folds in the fabric between her legs and upon her arm. This allows for the the figure’s full body position to be revealed while still giving the indication of drapery and is one of the first examples of the body dictating the appearance of the clothing. This slight divergence from the Classical Period lays the groundwork for the upcoming artistic era, which would become known as the Hellenistic Period, and is characterized by the movement away from idealized body and towards emotion and expression. The low relief sculpture of Nike Adjusting Her Sandal is an amazing artifact for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the Acropolis where it was built and the style it was constructed in illustrates the Athenians values and desire to portray themselves as a wealthy powerful city through the complexity and elaborate nature of their architecture and ornamentation. Furthermore, the Nikes depicted along the parapet show how Athenian officials used art as political propaganda. Through carving images of victory in a very visible location, they were able to encourage Athenians to keep fighting in the war against Sparta. Finally, the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal illustrates the beginning of a transition into the Hellenistic Period and away from idealized imagery.
Change in Greek Art Greece is famously known world widely for its spectacular artworks. People are familiarized with its sculptures, paintings, and mosaics, but not many know how its art has been transforming from time to time. An explicit example would be the drastic changes from Aphrodite of Knidos to The Old Market Woman. The Egyptians had influenced Early Greek art for several years; it was during the time of war (Archaic Period) and art was not their top priority. Most of their sculptures were similar to those in Egypt and there was no sense of personal style.
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.
The author, Andrew Stewart, begins with the male figure of Doryphoros. He focuses on the intent of the statue, establishing the knowledge that it was to set a new standard of the perfect male body to guide the future. The proportions of the body of Doryphoros were made according to a specific formula, with meticulous attention to detail. Each muscle and limb was specifically placed next to relaxed ones, creating visual hierarchy of the forms to be more appealing to the eye and mind. The figure is a copy and not originally named, but is most likely said to be of a warrior or athlete, possibly Achilles or Penthesilenia. This statue was to show a culture of people who were expected to take up arms and set a new standard for masculinity. Naked “spearbearers” were uncommon and most often reserved for athletes. The gaze of the sculpture is off in the distance, looking at the competitor, with a solid stance between macho arrogance and meek youth. The unhurried movement, self-contained pose foursquar...
day. lululemon athletica uses fabrics for their apparel that are most suitable for athletic pursuits. The main fabric that they use is called “luon”, which is a mixture of spandex and nylon. The sizes that lululemon athletica offers range from US sizes 2-12 in their tops, bottoms, sports bras, and outerwear. Since lululemon athletica caters to men and women, their product mixes for each gender vary a bit.
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.
Ridgway, Brunilde S. Hellenistic Sculpture II: The Styles of ca. 200-100 B.C. Madison, Wisc.: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2000.
The Hellenistic period started when Alexander died in about 320 BCE and continued approximately three eras, pending the dual killing of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and her Roman partner Mark Antony in 30 BCE after their pivotal overthrow at the combat of Actium by Antony’s opponent Augustus. During that time, Augustus made Egypt a jurisdiction of the Roman Empire. The cultural centers of the Hellenistic period were the court cities of the Greek royals who succeeded Alexander and distributed his widespread empire among themselves. The language which was used was Greek, what unified the Hellenistic world was an international culture. Their monarchs became very fortunate on the riches of the East, priding themselves of their art collections, libraries, innovation of the sciences, and expertise as critics and aficionados, and on the educated men they could bring together at their courts. The larger-than-life-size Greek Head of Poseidon bronze statute is undisputedly a masterwork of the ancient times, the Hellenistic period. The figures were central points of sanctuaries and important civic places, and they served as models and muse for the classical figurines known today. The Head of Poseidon statue is very appealing with its fine facial bone structure, full open mouth, deep-set eyes, and decorative curls of hair and wavy beard. The windswept curls are barely bound by the crown.
Hellenistic art, let alone architecture, was a period of dramatic transformations that deterred greatly from the Greek Classical period. While the Classical Greek concepts were not entirely abandoned, the Hellenistic period expanded the formal horizons with dramatic posing, sweeping lines, and high contrast of light, shadow and emotion, something greatly different from the Classical artists ideas. The conventions and rules of the Classical period gave way to experimentation and a sense of freedom that allowed the artists of the Hellenistic period to explore their subjects from unique points of view that they had not previously done. The Altar to Zeus in Pergamon is the perfect representation of the Hellenistic period. Pergamon contained the Altar to Zeus in the same way that the Athenian Acropolis contained the Parthenon and is considered by the Greek art historian Gisela Richter to be “the most famous altar of Hellenistic times” (Handbook 32). The Altar of Pergamon is uniquely suited as an ideal example of 2nd century Greek culture that is tied to the ideals of the people, and shows off Hellenistic characteristics that define the time just as the Parthenon is a staple in the Classical period. [Stokstad]
Both figures have their chest open and have their head directed to the right side. Augustus’ posture resembles that of the Classical Greek sculpture: Doryphoros, sculpted by Doryphoros in 5 B.C. It shows the two forms directing their body as well as their head to the right, forming an elegant S-shape called the contrapposto. The Age of Pericles also referred to as the Golden Age of Athens occurred at the same time as when Doryphoros was sculpted. It was a period where the city flourished and transformed under the authority of general and orator, Pericles. Their similarity in form indicates their corresponding achievements and mannerisms during their ruling, they are both powerful, influential and successful in their roles. The leaders share akin qualities and to have the same stature as the Greeks provided the Romans hope for civilisation, just like the Age of Pericles. The stance of Augustus of Prima Porta helped especially the people who did not see Augustus in real life trust him, along with his power lead Rome into the same prosperity.
The Greeks believed the deities provided the city protection and allowed them to be successful in their endeavors while in time of war. Phidias, a master bronze worker, was commissioned to create the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, the goddess of wisdom to show tribute to the gods by creating a large scale sculpture in Acropolis. The Acropolis was the most important site in the city of Athens, and was well recognized as the hilltop of protection. It is also the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture as well as the symbol of the city of Athens. Some of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
The primary focus of ancient Greek sculptures was that of the human body. Almost all Greek sculptures are of nude subjects. As the first society to focus on nude subjects, Greek sculptors attempted to "depict man in what they believed was the image of the gods and so would come to celebrate the body by striving for verisimilitude or true – likeness (realism and naturalism!)."(Riffert) Not only did the Greeks celebrate the human form in their art but also in everyday life. (Riffert) One of the favorite topics for sculptors was that of the athlete. In Greek culture athletes were described as "hero–athletes". (Riffert) This shows that athletes were revered and looked upon as heroes. The influence of athleticism is evident in many famous sculptures. I will attempt to show how the human form influenced Greek art. It is important to note that many of the Greek sculptures discussed do not exist in their original form but rather in Roman copies of the original bronze sculptures. (Riffert)
Sculpture is one of the most important parts of Greek art since it is almost the only art form that has survived in some quantity. The ancient Greeks were especially known for their sculpture because their sculptures were extremely life like and beautiful. It was important to the ancient Greeks to combine passion and reason in their sculpture. Greek sculptures were mostly of the human form since they looked at their gods as having a human form. All of the sculptures were nudes of males because society looked down upon female nudity until latter on in time when you started to see sculptures such as the Venus di Milo, which was modeled after Aphrodite (Wikpedia the free encyclopedia. Wikpedia.11 Nov 2004. 12 Nov 2004 http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Greek_art ). One of the most amazing sculptures is the colossus sculpture of Zeus in Olympia it was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ancient writers said that it stood 12.40 meters high, 6.65 meters long and 9.76 meters deep the body of Zeus was made of ivory followed by a robe made of gold topped with a silver olive wreath and his throne was decorated with mythological scenes painted by Panainos and Kolotis the statue itself was created by Phidos. Michael Lahanas. 25 Dec 2002. 11 Nov 2004 (http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/ZeusStatue.htm). Another great sculpture is the colossus Athena Parthenos. This sculpture just like the colossus statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory and had various mythological engravings in her shield, helmet and pedestal.
Ancient Greece has set the tone for the standard of how great sculptures were crafted. Therefore, a classic example of this form is the Fallen Warrior from the East Pediment, taken from the ruins of the temple of Aphaia. With its mythology and architectural styles, Ancient Greece has undoubtedly changed the way sculptures were made and still inspires many artists to this day.
Honour, Hugh, and John Fleming. "Hellenistic and Roman Art." A World History of Art. London: Laurence King, 1999. 179-213. Print.
Even the few sculptor’s names known to us, usually by chance, from the imperial period are Greek names and seem to confirm the assumption that these artists’ work should be regarded simply as a late phase of Greek art” (Hanfmann, 12). The Greeks were the first western culture to figure out how to accurately depict the human form which they did through the use of geometric ratios. It is also widely accepted that it was even Greek artists who first made marble portraits for the Romans as the Romans originally had no skill with the stone. “It was certainly at first Greek artists who were entrusted by eminent Romans with the execution of portraits of themselves and of important personalities in the Roman state, just as it was Greeks who depicted Aemilius Paulus victory at Pydna and later were largely responsible for the portraits of the emperors” (Kahler 16). The Romans mainly used terracotta for their sculptures and it was only when Augustus reigned that the marble quarries at Carrara were opened and marble was used on a large scale. The Romans inherited the use of realistic proportions, the sense of movement (contrapposto), and the overall beauty of Greek sculptures. A great example of Roman sculpture that was clearly carved by a Greek artist who was familiar with the Hellenistic styles of Greece, is the Relief of the Wedding of Amphitrite and Neptune. It “shows a mythological