Greece Boy With Thorn: The Hellenistic Period

Thesis: The period between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars can be considered the Golden Age of Athens. It was the golden age because Athens thrived in multiple characteristics of an empire. Context:

Ancient sculptures bring on endless philosophical arguments regarding what is an appropriate form of perfection, defined as a fit body guided by a keen mind. This paper will approach a visual essence of the sculpture of The Lansdowne Athlete, by Lysippos, Rome 340-330 B.C. marble after a bronze original, that I viewed at the LACMA. This sculpture is located in the left wing of Greek exhibition Building, 3rd floor. I selected this sculpture as an example of an idealized body. Therefore, I will be explaining the historical background of the sculpture and address why I think it would make a good addition to our text. I will provide an analogy with other sculpture of idealized body from our textbook chapter 12 on “Mind and Body” mainly. I will impart more information about the essence of idealized human form as well as cultural ideals during this time period in Greece.

Power and Pathos uses 50 absolute masterpieces to tell the story of the spectacular artistic developments of the Hellenistic era (4th to 1st centuries B.C.), when new forms of expression began to prevail throughout the Mediterranean basin and beyond. There was an extraordinary leap forward in the development of techniques to form the first instance of globalization of the language of art in the known world. Art was in effect, going international. This exhibit has gathered together some of the most spectacular ancient bronze sculptures that still exists today. It displays monumental life sized figures of Gods, Heroes, Athletes and rulers. Ancient cultures invented bronze. They discovered that making an alloy of copper and tin produced a strong metal that could hold great detail and objects cast with it can easily be reproduced. The ancient Greeks prized bronze for its visual worth and they used it create statue of the human body. Unfortunately, because bronze is a metal that can be cast and is expensive, it can also be melted down. Hence, large bronze statues have rarely survived from antiquity, as most were melted down so that their valuable metal can be reused. The ones that are still preserved today are mostly the same ones that were either lost at sea or buried underground.

Boardman, John, Jasper Griffin, and Oswyn Murray. The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World. 1986. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

One of the basic themes of the book is that the thought and the art of classical Athens is full of meaning for people of later generations. It is the full of meaning for nations, cultures and societies beset by broad-scale and profound social and political change and the accompanying confusion and fear produced in the minds and souls of human beings.

Ancient Greece had a major impact on the Western World due to many factors. Documents 1 and 2 reveal that the Western World has been impacted by political factors of the ancient Greeks, whille documents 4, and 5 show us that the Western World was impacted due to cultural reasons.

Hellenistic art was engaged more on perfection of the human frame, accuracy and detail. Models from Greek times looked more God-like than human. Hellenic art depended on the new thought of authenticity. Hellenic figures were molded into sensible, blamed human structures. Art in the Hellenic world art epitomized richness, cheerful nature, and coarse with. Marble statues and reliefs described human greatness and sensuality. Art in Hellenistic world emphasize extraordinary naturalism and unashamed luxury. Art in Hellenistic and Hellenic showed feelings and other components filled with different

Every place has its own culture that can be represented in multiple ways. The Ancient Greeks were farmers, soldiers, voyagers, and more. There were multiple things that they valued and others that were not so important but were still there. In the book, The Victor’s Crown, it showed multiple qualities that the Greeks thought were important. The book shows that the Greeks as a whole thought that the truth was a quality that was very important whereas an individual did the games to show who they were and for family.

The Roman adoption of Greek culture and arts started via the Greek colonies sometime c 700 BC; yet it was intensified in the late Third and Second Millennium BC, when expansion into the Hellenistic world 'opened Roman eyes ' to the hitherto unregarded aspects of the mesmerizing

For instance, the “Warrior” sculpture portrayal a Greek Olympic warrior of a time period in which it could have been important as a representation of the Olympics since it was on its “way from the Greek mainland to Rome, where the Greek statuary was much admired and copied”. In addition, this “Warrior” is a symbolic power due its physical strength which he had to use for the constant fights to achieve its recognition of warrior. However, the head of “Alexander the Great” demonstrate a different power which is more authoritative by the fact of his noble position of king. The image of “Alexander the Great” can represent nobility and a position of leadership by only projecting its head such as a symbolic manner to identify his great power as a conqueror and authority of Greece. However, for the sculpture of “Alexander the Great” it can be distinguished that it is not necessary to use a human figure as a force or power, therefore by showing their head was acceptable to demonstrate his authority and power beyond the physical attributes such as the “Warrior”

Greek mythology played a large role in Greek artistic styles and functions. In the case of this study, the mythological god Apollo is the subject of the artistic works of the votive known as the “Mantiklos Apollo” and the statue of “Apollo” that was found in Pireaus. These figures show a natural progression in style and technique. They are important because they represent the sacred beliefs and superstitions of their respective cultures and time periods.

Democracy was a revolutionary idea that moved the shaping of the law into the hands of many rather than a select few, or, in some cases, one tyrant or monarch. Politeia, which refers to both the literal city-states of Ancient Greece and the metaphorical and philosophical idea of citizens’ rights as expressed by Plato and other philosophers of the time, takes that idea of “power to the people” to a higher, more sacred level. Political participation was woven into the daily life of an Athenian citizen: emphasis was placed on the common good rather than the individual in a “radical egalitarianism, not in circumstances, but in responsibility”-- responsibility for the people (at least the people who were eligible) to shape the law around maintaining Athens’ values of valor, intellectualism, and patriotism. Civic engagement was an important expression of one’s identity and devotion to Greek society, and this paper will explore how that sacred dedication to civic engagement could have been a primary motivation in building--and creating the visuals of-- the Parthenon.

When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of research about the time and art. During the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.

In 323 B.C., the Hellenic Humanistic civilization came to an end, and Hellenistic individualism was born. Hellenistic individualism was everything that Hellenic Greece was not. This new time period would be described as “Greekish” because it was not purely Greek in culture (Humanities, 83). Before the Individualistic era began, the civilization was united in language, philosophy and religion, having a strong historical impact that connected them. Hellenistic individualism was created in a time of loneliness and isolation. When the polis were replaced, individualism emerged, because people were searching for continuity, they were searching for identity through the individual (Humanities, 91). I will be contrasting the different viewpoints from Hellenic Age and the Hellenistic Age; focusing on the philosophy of Aristotle, the philosophy of Epicurus and the new art form.

A. J. Polyzoides, an honorary senior lecturer at Birmingham University, states: “The western world has adopted and developed their discoveries throughout the centuries.” (Polyzoides 1). As the Hellenistic society shifted away from the Classical ideals of perfectionism and idolization of the elites and gods in sculpture, artists began to be fixated on illustrating imperfection of a variety of individuals faced with the ruthless authenticity of their emotional struggles. Whereas, Classical architecture focused on dedicating massive structures to the gods to emphasize their divinity, but Hellenistic architecture used advanced technology to exemplify Alexander the Great’s magnificence. Thus, differences in the architecture can be seen in the sophisticated town of Alexandria with structures such as the lighthouse that show how Alexander the Great influenced town planning that was centralized on the creation of a superior city, likewise, The Altar at Pergamon expresses the loss of focus on the divine through unique sculptural techniques. Change can also be seen in the sculptures of The Boxer and The Old Market Woman as they are depicted to be imperfectly individualistic and in emotional distress.