In this article Winckelmann states that the good taste in art that is present in contemporary works stems from the work of the ancient Greeks. The beauty in the modern works of artists like Raphael (especially his Madonna and child with St Sixtus and St Barbara) hold such beauty, complexity of emotion, and good taste because he draws on the ideas set up by the great ancient sculptures and society in which they lived and drew inspiration from. Winckelmann categorizes the ancients greatness into two main ideas that are necessary for contemporaries to draw from in order to reach greatness: Natural beauty and noble simplicity and quiet grandeur.
Winckelmann like Vasari dealt greatly with the artistic problems concerning representation and imitation of nature including the need for the human beauty in a figure. However he also was interested in art criticism based in historical timelines and causes for the change and evolution of modern art. This greatly seen in this article not only in his thesis that great contemporary art is based in antiquity but also in his explanation for why the Greek art was so well done and why it has risen back into the hands of modern art. First, Greek work came back to contemporary society greatly by the monarch led by Titus who brought authentic work from Greek masters for his artists to learn from and imitate. He also discusses the correlation between the bodies, like that of the Theseus model, with the Greek lifestyle they lived based heavily on training for the Olympic games and the resemblance of youth’s bodies to godlike figures. Great masters of contemporary work use these same bodily model and ideal of beauty in their work. Winckelmann states that their present good taste is due to the fact that they, “partook of good taste at its source.” Overall the Greeks set up rules of art that could be imitated to capture nature and its ideal form of beauty, an idea that many sought to accomplish.
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.
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.
In the Florence and the early renaissance, we have the greatest master of art like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli and others. In this period of time the painters almost never show their emotions or feelings, they were more focused on indulging the churches and the wealthy people. In The renaissance period the art provides the work of art with ideal, intangible qualities, giving it a beauty and significance greater and more permanent than that actually found in the modern art. Florence and the early renaissance, the art become very valued where every artist was trying to create art forms consistent with the appearance of the beauty or elegance in a natural perspective. However, Renaissance art seems to focus more on the human as an individual, while Wayne White art takes a broader picture with no humans whatsoever; Wayne, modern three dimensional arts often utilizes a style of painting more abstract than Renaissance art. At this point in the semester these two aspects of abstract painting and the early renaissance artwork have significant roles in the paintings. Wayne White brings unrealistic concepts that provoke a new theme of art, but nevertheless the artistic creations of the piece of art during early renaissance still represent the highest of attainment in the history of
It is understandable that Vout took on a discursive tone when attempting to explain her point of view regarding the depictions of the youths in the Hellenistic age. The subject’s content is far too broad to be encompassed within a small range of thinking. This observation is evident in Vout’s temporary straying from the main points to wider subjects; however, she always brings her tangents back to the principal objectives. The primary ideas that she focuses on concern the rendering of children in art forms during Hellenistic times. This idea is then divided into differen...
EPÙÓ, Greek for Eros, is shown to be beautiful in Bridges’ poem: beautiful and adored, yet forgotten. Eros is venerated—called “idol”, and he plagues the heart as a “tyrant.” He is a “flower” of “lovely youth,” and an image of “eternal truth.” Through these strong words, Eros is portrayed to be the god that people all look up to in admiration for his credible honor and ideal beauty. Eros is so striking that only the famous Pheidias, the Greek Sculptor, can compare through his “marmoreal” works. Greek sculptors strove for perfection and this Eros was—perfection. Although giving thought and love to others, he received none back, yet continued his job without complaint. People recognize the youth and beauty of love with the vivid images that Bridges uses. “With thy exuberant flesh so fair,” people are able to see Eros’s outward beauty. At that instantaneous moment, people are enthralled by Eros’ splendor, but once they are satisfied, they forget, and their momentary enchantment disappears. “None who e’er long’d for thy embrace, Hath cared to look upon thy face.” All those who yearned for love, received it, but once having done so, neglected to see and look upon Eros. By using these beautiful words and...
Onians, John. Art and Thought in the Hellenistic Age: The Greek World View 350-50 B.C. London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 1979.
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.
More specifically, Apollonian art forms tells stories through images and are rooted in dreaming. Much like dreams, apollonian art encourages one to continue living. While contemplating apollonian images, an individual is temporarily detached from her normal sense of self and daily struggle. Here, Nietzsche once again references ancient Greece. The Iliad and the Odyssey illustrate idealized illusions of war with great heroes. The language used is able to idealize a bloody war scene and turn it into something more desireable. Similarly, when one gets a tattoo to cover up a scar, they are transfiguring the reality to create something ideal. But the scar and the world do not disappear by these transfigurations and the objective harshness remains. However, our attitude towards the real thing is changed. We see the world in a more hopeful and positive light. As beautiful art is placed in front of the terrors of everyday life, reality may seem less awful and thus art makes life worth living. But Nietzsche realized the limitations of apollonian art. For once we see reality again, the illusion art created breaks and reality seems worse than it appeared
The Greek believed the human body was the measure of all things, therefore the artists created sculptures in a very detailed fashion which made them very life-like although the size of
...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.
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.
Honour, Hugh, and John Fleming. "Hellenistic and Roman Art." A World History of Art. London: Laurence King, 1999. 179-213. Print.
"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)
Philosophies of Art and Beauty Edited by Hofstadter and Kuhns, (Chicago: University of Chicago press, 1976) chapters one and two for an overview of the aesthetics of Plato and Aristotle.
For example, Petrarch focuses on describing not only the appearance of the doe, but her surroundings as well. Furthermore, he is so delighted by the beauty he sees in his beloved that he must drop everything and follow her at all costs; this fact exemplifies the Italian Renaissance’s cultural concept of beauty because the focus is on the poet’s infatuation with the outward beauty of his
During the ancient times in Greece, Plato was the first human to document and criticize the existence of art and artists. He mentioned that human art was always in a form of a representation of something else. In one of Plato’s famous works, he demonstrates the idea of art is like an “imitation of nature” (Blocker 3). In other words, the purpose of art was to represent nature and nothing else. Art was not created for the sake of its own self nor was it created to appreciate its own beauty by any means. Instead, art, usually in forms of writings, paintings, or sculptures, was created to only to represent nature, Gods, emperors, families, or other important individuals. Furthermore, Plato had a very critical view towards the existence art in our society because art makes us more emotional, and our emotions lead to many errors about life. He believed it is our rational thinking, not our emotions or senses, which helps us und...