Legendary Greek statues. Ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece: names Hellenic sculptor 4 letters
Ancient Greece was one of the greatest states in the world. During its existence and on its territory, the foundations of European art were laid. The surviving cultural monuments of that period testify to the highest achievements of the Greeks in the field of architecture, philosophical thought, poetry and, of course, sculpture. There are few originals left: time does not spare even the most unique creations. We know much about the skill that the ancient sculptors were famous for thanks to written sources and later Roman copies. However, this information is enough to realize the significance of the contribution of the inhabitants of the Peloponnese to world culture.
Periods
The sculptors of ancient Greece were not always great creators. The heyday of their craftsmanship was preceded by the archaic period (7th-6th centuries BC). The sculptures of that time that have come down to us are symmetrical and static. They do not have that vitality and hidden inner movement that makes the statues look like frozen people. All the beauty of these early works is expressed through the face. It is no longer as static as the body: a smile radiates a feeling of joy and serenity, giving a special sound to the whole sculpture.
After the completion of the archaic, the most fruitful time follows, in which the ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece created their most famous works. It is divided into several periods:
- early classic - the beginning of the 5th century. BC e.;
- high classic - 5th c. BC e.;
- late classic - 4th c. BC e.;
- Hellenism - the end of the IV century. BC e. - I century. n. e.
transition time
The Early Classics is the period when the sculptors of Ancient Greece begin to move away from static in the position of the body, to look for new ways to express their ideas. Proportions are filled with natural beauty, poses become more dynamic, and faces become expressive.
The sculptor of Ancient Greece Myron worked during this period. In written sources, he is characterized as a master of transferring the anatomically correct body structure, capable of capturing reality with high accuracy. Miron's contemporaries also pointed to his shortcomings: in their opinion, the sculptor did not know how to give beauty and liveliness to the faces of his creations.
The statues of the master embody heroes, gods and animals. However, the sculptor of Ancient Greece Myron gave the greatest preference to the image of athletes during their accomplishments in competitions. The famous Disco Thrower is his creation. The sculpture has not survived to this day in the original, but there are several copies of it. "Discobolus" depicts an athlete preparing to launch his projectile. The athlete's body is superbly executed: tense muscles testify to the heaviness of the disc, the twisted body resembles a spring ready to unfold. It seems like another second, and the athlete will throw a projectile.
The statues “Athena” and “Marsyas” are also considered to be superbly executed by Myron, which also came down to us only in the form of later copies.
heyday
Outstanding sculptors of ancient Greece worked throughout the period of high classics. At this time, the masters of creating reliefs and statues comprehend both the ways of conveying movement and the basics of harmony and proportions. High Classics is the period of the formation of those foundations of Greek sculpture, which later became the standard for many generations of masters, including the creators of the Renaissance.
At this time, the sculptor of Ancient Greece Policlet and the brilliant Phidias worked. Both of them forced to admire themselves during their lifetime and were not forgotten for centuries.
Peace and harmony
Polikleitos worked in the second half of the 5th century. BC e. He is known as a master of sculptures depicting athletes at rest. Unlike Miron's Discobolus, his athletes are not tense, but relaxed, but at the same time, the viewer does not have any doubts about their power and capabilities.
Polikleitos was the first to use a special position of the body: his heroes often leaned on the pedestal with only one foot. This posture created a feeling of natural relaxation, characteristic of a resting person.
Canon
The most famous sculpture of Polikleitos is considered "Dorifor", or "Spearman". The work is also called the master's canon, since it embodies some of the provisions of Pythagoreanism and is an example of a special way of posing a figure, contraposta. The composition is based on the principle of cross uneven movement of the body: the left side (the arm holding the spear and the leg set back) is relaxed, but at the same time in motion, as opposed to the tense and static right side (the supporting leg and the arm extended along the body).
Polikleitos used a similar technique later in many of his works. Its main principles are set forth in a treatise on aesthetics that has not come down to us, written by a sculptor and called by him "Canon". A rather large place in it Polikleito assigned to the principle, which he also successfully applied in his works, when this principle did not contradict the natural parameters of the body.
Recognized genius
All the ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece of the High Classic period left behind admirable creations. However, the most prominent among them was Phidias, rightfully considered the founder of European art. Unfortunately, most of the master's works have survived to this day only as copies or descriptions on the pages of treatises by ancient authors.
Phidias worked on the decoration of the Athenian Parthenon. Today, an idea of the skill of the sculptor can be summed up by the preserved marble relief, 1.6 m long. It depicts numerous pilgrims heading to the rest of the decorations of the Parthenon perished. The same fate befell the statue of Athena, installed here and created by Phidias. The goddess, made of ivory and gold, symbolized the city itself, its power and greatness.
wonder of the world
Other prominent sculptors of ancient Greece may not have been inferior to Phidias, but none of them could boast of creating a wonder of the world. The Olympic was made by a craftsman for the city where the famous Games were held. The height of the Thunderer, seated on a golden throne, was amazing (14 meters). Despite such power, the god did not look formidable: Phidias created a calm, majestic and solemn Zeus, somewhat strict, but at the same time kind. The statue before its death for nine centuries attracted many pilgrims who sought solace.
late classic
With the end of the 5th c. BC e. the sculptors of ancient Greece did not run out. The names Skopas, Praxiteles and Lysippus are known to everyone who is interested in ancient art. They worked in the next period, called the late classics. The works of these masters develop and complement the achievements of the previous era. Each in their own way, they transform the sculpture, enriching it with new subjects, ways of working with the material and options for conveying emotions.
Boiling passions
Scopas can be called an innovator for several reasons. The great sculptors of ancient Greece who preceded him preferred to use bronze as their material. Scopas created his creations mainly from marble. Instead of the traditional calm and harmony that filled his works of Ancient Greece, the master chose expression. His creations are full of passions and experiences, they are more like real people than imperturbable gods.
The most famous work of Scopas is the frieze of the mausoleum in Halicarnassus. It depicts Amazonomachy - the struggle of the heroes of Greek myths with the warlike Amazons. The main features of the style inherent in the master are clearly visible from the surviving fragments of this creation.
smoothness
Another sculptor of this period, Praxiteles, is considered the best Greek master in terms of conveying the grace of the body and inner spirituality. One of his outstanding works - Aphrodite of Knidos - was recognized by the master's contemporaries as the best creation ever created. goddess became the first monumental image of a naked female body. The original has not come down to us.
The features of the style characteristic of Praxiteles are fully visible in the statue of Hermes. With a special staging of a naked body, smooth lines and soft halftones of marble, the master managed to create a somewhat dreamy mood that literally envelops the sculpture.
Attention to detail
At the end of the late classic era, another famous Greek sculptor, Lysippus, worked. His creations were distinguished by special naturalism, careful study of details, and some elongation of proportions. Lysippus strove to create statues full of grace and elegance. He honed his skills by studying the canon of Polykleitos. Contemporaries noted that the work of Lysippus, in contrast to the "Dorifor", gave the impression of being more compact and balanced. According to legend, the master was the favorite creator of Alexander the Great.
Influence of the East
A new stage in the development of sculpture begins at the end of the 4th century. BC e. The border between the two periods is the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great. They actually begin the era of Hellenism, which was a combination of the art of ancient Greece and the eastern countries.
The sculptures of this period are based on the achievements of the masters of previous centuries. Hellenistic art gave the world such works as the Venus de Milo. At the same time, the famous reliefs of the Pergamon altar appeared. In some works of late Hellenism, an appeal to everyday plots and details is noticeable. The culture of Ancient Greece of this time had a strong influence on the formation of the art of the Roman Empire.
Finally
The importance of antiquity as a source of spiritual and aesthetic ideals cannot be overestimated. Ancient sculptors in ancient Greece laid not only the foundations of their own craft, but also the standards for understanding the beauty of the human body. They managed to solve the problem of depicting movement by changing the posture and shifting the center of gravity. The ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece learned to convey emotions and experiences with the help of a processed stone, to create not just statues, but practically living figures, ready to move at any moment, breathe, smile. All these achievements will form the basis of the flourishing of culture in the Renaissance.
In the monumental sculpture, which was the property of the entire collective of free citizens, in the sculptures that stood in the squares or adorned temples, the civic aesthetic ideal was most clearly manifested. Monumental sculpture had a strong social and educational impact on the life of the Greek city-states. Works of this kind most clearly reflected the breakdown of artistic principles that accompanied the transition from the archaic to the classics. The contradictory transitional nature of the sculptural works of this time is clearly visible in the well-known pediment groups of the temple of Athena Aphaia on the island of Aegina (c. 490 BC, restored by the Danish sculptor Thorvaldsen at the beginning of the 19th century, Munich, Glyptothek).
The compositions of both pediments are built on the basis of mirror symmetry, which gave them ornamental features. On the western pediment, the best preserved, depicts the struggle of the Greeks and the Trojans for the body of Patroclus. In the center is the figure of the goddess Athena, the patroness of the Greeks. Calm and impassive, she seems to be invisibly present among the combatants. There is no archaic frontality in the figures of warriors, their movements are more real and more diverse than in the archaic, but they unfold strictly along the plane of the pediment. Each individual figure is quite vital, but on the faces of the fighting and wounded warriors, an archaic smile is a sign of conventionality, incompatible with the depiction of the intensity and drama of the battle.
The sculptures of the eastern pediment (the figure of Hercules) are distinguished by greater freedom of detail and realistic accuracy in the interpretation of the body and the transmission of movements, which is especially noticeable when comparing the wounded soldiers from both pediments. The appearance of sculptural works dedicated to certain historical events was of great importance for the destruction of the constraining conventionality of archaic art. Such is the group of tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton (c. 477 BC, Naples, National Museum) - Critias and Nesiota. Like most Greek sculptures, it was lost and has survived to this day in a marble Roman copy. Here, for the first time in monumental sculpture, the construction of a group is given, united by an action, a plot. The unified direction of the movements and gestures of the heroes smashing the tyrant creates the impression of the artistic integrity of the group, its compositional and plot completeness. However, the movements are still interpreted rather schematically, the faces of the characters are devoid of drama.
The social and educational significance of the art of the early classics was inextricably merged with its artistic charm. The new understanding of the tasks of art was also reflected in the new understanding of the image of man, the criteria of beauty. The birth of the ideal of a harmoniously developed person is revealed in the image of the “Delphian charioteer” (c. 470 BC, Delphi, Museum). This is one of the few authentic ancient Greek sculptures that have come down to us, which is part of a large sculptural group. The image of the winner in the competition is given in a generalized and simple way. He is full of stern calmness and greatness of spirit. All the details are made with great vitality, they are subject to the strict construction of the whole. The heroic ideal of the early classics was embodied in the sculpture of "Zeus the Thunderer" (c. 460 BC, Athens, National Museum). The problem of movement is solved in "The Conqueror on the Run" (second quarter of the 5th century BC, Rome, Vatican). The angular sharpness of early classical sculptures is being replaced by a strictly harmonious unity, conveying the impression of naturalness and freedom - “The Boy Taking Out a Splinter” (second quarter of the 5th century BC, Rome, Palazzo Conservatori).
The mythological theme continues to occupy a leading place in art, but the fantastic side of the myth fades into the background. In mythological images, first of all, the ideal of the strength and beauty of a real person is revealed. An example of rethinking the mythological plot is a relief depicting the birth of Aphrodite (the goddess of love and beauty) from sea foam - the so-called "Throne of Ludovisi" (c. 470 BC, Rome, Museum of Thermae). On the sides of the marble throne are depicted: a naked girl playing the flute, and a woman in long clothes in front of an incense burner. Clear harmony of forms and proportions, calm naturalness of movements are inherent in these figures.
On the central side of the Throne - two nymphs support Aphrodite emerging from the water. Strikingly vital strict beauty of her face. The wet clothes enveloping the body of Aphrodite lay down in a thin network of wavy lines, likened to running streams of water. Sea pebbles, on which the feet of the nymphs rest, speak of the scene. Although there are echoes of archaic art in the symmetry of the composition, they can no longer violate the vitality and amazing poetic charm of this relief. The integrity of the living artistic image clearly stands out in the pediment groups of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (468-456 BC, Olympia, Museum), which completes the period of creative search for early classics. These enlarged images represent the next stage in the development of pedimental plastics in comparison with the pediments of the Aegina temple with their decoratively conditional composition.
Rejecting the complete subordination of the sculptural image to the tasks of decorating architectural forms, the sculptures of the Olympic pediments established deeper links between architectural and sculptural images, which led to their equality and mutual enrichment. Breaking with the principles of archaic conventionality, symmetry, they went from life observations. The location of the figures in both pediments is determined by the semantic content. The eastern pediment of the temple of Zeus is dedicated to the myth of the chariot race between Pelops and Oenomaus, which allegedly laid the foundation for the Olympic Games. Heroes are depicted before the start of the competition. The majestic figure of Zeus in the center of the pediment, the solemn calmness of the participants preparing for the competition give the pediment composition a festive elation, behind which inner tension is felt. The five central figures, standing in free poses, seem to respond to the rhythm of the columns they rise above. Each hero acts as a personality, as a conscious participant in the general action, such are the Charioteer and the Young Man Taking out a Splinter, which are included in the side groups of the pediment.
The realistic nature of plastic art is especially clearly revealed in the composition of the western pediment, which represents the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs. The composition is full of movement, free from symmetry, but strictly balanced. In the center of it is Apollo, on the sides is a group of fighting people and centaurs. Without repeating one another, the groups are mutually balanced both in total mass and in intensity of movements. The figures of the fighters are exactly inscribed in the gentle triangle of the pediment, and the tension of the movements increases towards the corners of the pediment as they move away from the calmly standing, restrainedly imperious Apollo, whose figure stands out for its large size and is the dramatic center of this complex and at the same time easily visible composition. The face of Apollo is harmoniously beautiful, I am sure the guiding gesture. Although the battle is still in full swing on the pediment, the victory of the human will and reason over the centaurs, personifying the elemental forces of nature, is perceived as clearly predetermined. The image of a citizen - an athlete and a warrior becomes central in the art of the classics. The proportions of the body and the various forms of movement have become the most important means of characterization. Gradually, the face of the depicted person is freed from stiffness and static. But nowhere else is the typical generalization combined with the individualization of the image. The personal originality of a person, the warehouse of his character did not attract the attention of the masters of the early Greek classics. Creating a typical image of a human citizen, the sculptor did not seek to reveal his individual character. This was both the strength and the limitations of the realism of the Greek classics.
Miron. The search for heroic, typically generalized images characterizes the work of Myron from Eleuthera, who worked in Athens at the end of the second - beginning of the third quarter of the 5th century. BC e. Striving for the unity of the harmoniously beautiful and the directly vital, he freed himself from the last echoes of archaic conventionality. The features of Myron's art were clearly manifested in the famous "Discobolus" (c. 450 BC, Rome, Thermae Museum). Like many other sculptures, "Discobolus" was executed in honor of a certain person, although it does not have a portrait character. The sculptor depicted a young man, beautiful in spirit and body, who is in rapid motion. The thrower is presented at the moment when he puts all his strength into throwing the disc. Despite the tension that permeates the figure, the sculpture gives the impression of stability. This is determined by the choice of the moment of movement - its climax.
Bending over, the young man threw back the hand with the disk, and the elastic body, like a spring, will quickly straighten, the hand will quickly straighten with force, like a spring, the hand will throw the disk into space with force. A moment of peace will take on a monumental stability to the image. Despite the complexity of the movement, the sculpture "Discobolus" retains the main point of view, allowing you to immediately see all its figurative richness.
Calm self-control, dominance over one's feelings is a characteristic feature of the Greek classical worldview, which determines the measure of a person's ethical value. The affirmation of the beauty of rational will, which restrains the power of passion, found expression in the sculptural group “Athena and Marsyas (mid-5th century BC, Frankfurt; Rome, Lateran Museum), created by Myron for the Acropolis of Athens.
planning travel to Greece, many people are interested not only in comfortable hotels, but also in the fascinating history of this ancient country, an integral part of which are art objects.
A large number of treatises by well-known art historians are devoted specifically to ancient Greek sculpture, as the fundamental branch of world culture. Unfortunately, many monuments of that time did not survive in their original form, and are known from later copies. By studying them, one can trace the history of the development of Greek fine art from the Homeric period to the Hellenistic era, and highlight the most striking and famous creations of each period.
Aphrodite de Milo
The world-famous Aphrodite from the island of Milos belongs to the Hellenistic period of Greek art. At this time, by the forces of Alexander the Great, the culture of Hellas began to spread far beyond the Balkan Peninsula, which was noticeably reflected in the visual arts - sculptures, paintings and frescoes became more realistic, the faces of the gods on them have human features - relaxed postures, an abstract look, a soft smile .
Statue of Aphrodite, or as the Romans called it, Venus, is made of snow-white marble. Its height is slightly more than human height, and is 2.03 meters. The statue was discovered by chance by an ordinary French sailor, who in 1820, together with a local peasant, dug up Aphrodite near the remains of an ancient amphitheater on the island of Milos. During its transportation and customs disputes, the statue lost its arms and pedestal, but a record has been preserved of the author of the masterpiece indicated on it: Agesander, the son of a resident of Antioch Menida.
Today, after a thorough restoration, Aphrodite is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris, attracting millions of tourists every year with its natural beauty.
Nike of Samothrace
The time of creation of the statue of the goddess of victory Nike dates back to the 2nd century BC. Studies have shown that Nika was installed above the sea coast on a sheer cliff - her marble clothes flutter as if from the wind, and the slope of the body represents a constant movement forward. The thinnest folds of clothing cover the strong body of the goddess, and powerful wings are spread in joy and triumph of victory.
The head and hands of the statue have not been preserved, although individual fragments were discovered during excavations in 1950. In particular, Karl Lehmann with a group of archaeologists found the right hand of the goddess. Nike of Samothrace is now one of the outstanding exhibits of the Louvre. Her hand was never added to the general exhibition, only the right wing, which was made of plaster, underwent restoration.
Laocoon and his sons
A sculptural composition depicting the mortal struggle of Laocoön, the priest of the god Apollo, and his sons with two snakes sent by Apollo in retaliation for the fact that Laocoön did not listen to his will and tried to prevent the Trojan horse from entering the city.
The statue was made of bronze, but its original has not survived to this day. In the 15th century, a marble copy of the sculpture was found on the territory of the "golden house" of Nero, and by order of Pope Julius II, it was installed in a separate niche of the Vatican Belvedere. In 1798, the statue of Laocoon was moved to Paris, but after the fall of Napoleon's rule, the British returned it to its original place, where it is kept to this day.
The composition, depicting Laocoön's desperate death struggle with divine punishment, inspired many sculptors of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and gave rise to a fashion for depicting complex, vortex-like movements of the human body in fine art.
Zeus from Cape Artemision
The statue, found by divers near Cape Artemision, is made of bronze, and is one of the few pieces of art of this type that has survived to this day in its original form. Researchers disagree on whether the sculpture belongs specifically to Zeus, believing that it can also depict the god of the seas, Poseidon.
The statue has a height of 2.09 m, and depicts the supreme Greek god, who raised his right hand in order to throw lightning in righteous anger. The lightning itself has not been preserved, but numerous smaller figurines show that it looked like a flat, strongly elongated bronze disk.
From almost two thousand years of being under water, the statue almost did not suffer. Only the eyes, which were supposedly made of ivory and encrusted with precious stones, disappeared. You can see this work of art in the National Archaeological Museum, which is located in Athens.
Statue of Diadumen
A marble copy of a bronze statue of a young man who himself crowns himself with a diadem - a symbol of sports victory, probably adorned the venue for competitions in Olympia or Delphi. The diadem at that time was a red woolen bandage, which, along with laurel wreaths, was awarded to the winners of the Olympic Games. The author of the work, Poliklet, performed it in his favorite style - the young man is in easy movement, his face displays complete calm and concentration. The athlete behaves like a well-deserved winner - he does not show fatigue, although his body needs rest after the fight. In sculpture, the author managed to very naturally convey not only small elements, but also the general position of the body, correctly distributing the mass of the figure. The full proportionality of the body is the pinnacle of the development of this period - classicism of the 5th century.
Although the bronze original has not survived to our time, copies of it can be seen in many museums around the world - the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Louvre, the Metropolitan, the British Museum.
Aphrodite Braschi
A marble statue of Aphrodite depicts the goddess of love, who was naked before taking her legendary, often described in myths, bath, returning her virginity. Aphrodite in her left hand holds her removed clothes, which gently fall on a nearby jug. From an engineering point of view, this decision made the fragile statue more stable, and gave the sculptor the opportunity to give it a more relaxed pose. The uniqueness of Aphrodite Brasca is that this is the first known statue of the goddess, the author of which decided to portray her naked, which at one time was considered unheard of insolence.
There are legends according to which the sculptor Praxiteles created Aphrodite in the image of his beloved, hetaera Phryne. When her former admirer, orator Euthias, found out about this, he raised a scandal, as a result of which Praxiteles was accused of unforgivable blasphemy. At the trial, the defender, seeing that his arguments did not impress the judge, pulled off Phryne's clothes to show those present that such a perfect body of the model simply cannot harbor a dark soul. The judges, being adherents of the concept of kalokagatiya, were forced to fully acquit the defendants.
The original statue was taken to Constantinople, where it died in a fire. Many copies of Aphrodite have survived to our time, but they all have their own differences, as they were restored according to verbal and written descriptions and images on coins.
marathon youth
The statue of a young man is made of bronze, and presumably depicts the Greek god Hermes, although there are no prerequisites or his attributes in the hands or clothes of the young man. The sculpture was raised from the bottom of the Gulf of Marathon in 1925, and since then has replenished the exposition of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Due to the fact that the statue was under water for a long time, all its features are very well preserved.
The style in which the statue is made betrays the style of the famous sculptor Praxiteles. The young man stands in a relaxed pose, his hand rests on the wall, near which the figure was installed.
Discus thrower
The statue of the ancient Greek sculptor Myron has not been preserved in its original form, but is widely known throughout the world thanks to bronze and marble copies. The sculpture is unique in that for the first time it depicted a person in a complex, dynamic movement. Such a bold decision of the author served as a vivid example for his followers, who with no less success created objects of art in the style of "Figura serpentinata" - a special technique depicting a person or animal in an often unnatural, tense, but very expressive, from the observer's point of view, pose.
Delphic charioteer
The bronze sculpture of a charioteer was discovered during the 1896 excavations at the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and is a classic example of ancient art. The figure depicts an ancient Greek youth driving a wagon during Pythian games.
The uniqueness of the sculpture lies in the fact that the inlay of the eyes with precious stones has been preserved. The eyelashes and lips of the young man are decorated with copper, and the headband is made of silver, and presumably also had inlay.
The time of creation of the sculpture, theoretically, is at the junction of archaic and early classics - its pose is characterized by stiffness and the absence of any hint of movement, but the head and face are made with a rather great realism. As in later sculptures.
Athena Parthenos
Majestic goddess athena statue has not survived to our time, but there are many copies of it, restored according to ancient descriptions. The sculpture was completely made of ivory and gold, without the use of stone or bronze, and stood in the main temple of Athens - the Parthenon. A distinctive feature of the goddess is a high helmet, decorated with three crests.
The history of the creation of the statue was not without fatal moments: on the shield of the goddess, the sculptor Phidias, in addition to the image of the battle with the Amazons, placed his portrait in the form of a weak old man who lifts a heavy stone with both hands. The public of that time ambiguously regarded the act of Phidias, which cost him his life - the sculptor was imprisoned, where he committed suicide with the help of poison.
Greek culture has become the founder for the development of fine arts around the world. Even today, looking at some modern paintings and statues, one can detect the influence of this ancient culture.
Ancient Hellas became the cradle in which the cult of human beauty in its physical, moral and intellectual manifestation was actively brought up. Inhabitants of Greece of that time, they not only worshiped many Olympic gods, but also tried to resemble them as much as possible. All this is displayed in bronze and marble statues - they not only convey the image of a person or a deity, but also make them close to each other.
Although many of the statues have not survived to the present, their exact copies can be seen in many museums around the world.
Thessaloniki in Greece. History, sights (part six)
Ottoman control of the city during the last decades of Turkish domination was the backbone of its development, especially in infrastructure. A large number of new public buildings were erected in an eclectic style to give Thessaloniki a European face. Between 1869 and 1889 the city walls were destroyed as a result of the planned expansion of the city. In 1888, the first maintenance of the tram line began, and already in 1908, the city streets were lit with electric lamps and posts. From the same year, the railway connected Thessaloniki with Central Europe via Belgrade, Monastir and Constantinople. The city again began to acquire its national “Greek face” only after the departure of the Turkish conquerors and the state gaining freedom. However, the turbulent events of the last century left their mark on the modern image of the city. Currently, Thessaloniki plays the role of a metropolis with a rather mixed population - representatives of more than 80 peoples live here, not counting minor ethnic groups.
Euboea, or in modern Greek Evia, is the second largest island in Greece: about 3900 km2. However, the insular position of Euboea is quite relative: the island is separated from mainland Greece by the narrow strait of Evripos (Euripus), the width of which is only 40m! Even the ancient Greeks connected Euboea with the continent by a bridge about 60 m long.
Christmas on Athos. Pilgrimage at Christmas
It is called the earthly lot of the Mother of God and the main holy place for all Christians. This is Mount Athos, around which there are many legends and incredible stories of amazing healing. Mount Athos is sacred not only to the Greeks, but also to hundreds of thousands of Christian men around the world. The foot of a woman has never set foot on the ground of this monastic monastery, except for the foot of the Mother of God, as the Mother of God herself bequeathed.
Alexandroupoli
Many people are not alien to the desire to go somewhere in the south in the summer. Even if they go to Greece, they still want to relax on its southern part. I suggest you visit the Thracian city of Alexandroupoli, located in the northeast of Hellas. The city was founded by the great commander and conqueror Alexander the Great in 340 BC. e.
Mini Hotel
Mini-hotel, ILIAHTIADA Apartments is a small modern hotel, built in 1991, located in Halkidiki, on the Kassandra peninsula, in the village of Kriopigi, 90 km from Macedonia Airport in Thessaloniki. The hotel offers spacious rooms and a welcoming atmosphere. This is a great place for an economical family vacation. The hotel is located on an area of 4500 square meters. m.
We have already spoken about the ORIGINS. The planned dotted line was interrupted for objective reasons, but I still want to continue. I remind you that we stopped in deep history - in the art of ancient Greece. What do we remember from the school curriculum? As a rule, three names are firmly seated in our memory - Miron, Phidias, Poliklet. Then we remember that there was also Lysippus, Skopas, Praxiteles and Leochar ... So let's see what is what. So, the time of action is 4-5 centuries BC, the scene is Ancient Greece.
PYTHAGORAS REGIA
Pythagoras of Regius (5th century BC) is an ancient Greek ancient Greek sculptor of the early classic period, whose works are known only from mentions of ancient authors. Several Roman copies of his works have survived, including my favorite, The Boy Taking Out a Splinter. This work gave rise to the so-called landscape gardening sculpture.
Pythagoras Rhegian Boy removing a splinter c. middle 5th century BC br.roman copy of the Capitoline museum
MIRON
Myron (Μύρων) - sculptor of the middle of the 5th century. BC e. Sculptor of the era immediately preceding the highest flowering of Greek art (late 6th - early 5th century). The ancients characterize him as the greatest realist and expert in anatomy, who, however, did not know how to give life and expression to faces. He portrayed gods, heroes and animals, and with special love he reproduced difficult, fleeting poses. His most famous work, "Discobolus", an athlete intending to start a discus, is a statue that has come down to our time in several copies, of which the best is made of marble and is located in the Massimi Palace in Rome.
Discus thrower.
PHIDIUS.
One of the founders of the classical style is the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias, who decorated with his sculptures both the temple of Zeus in Olympia and the temple of Athena (Parthenon) in the Acropolis of Athens. Fragments of the sculptural frieze of the Parthenon are now in the British Museum (London).
Fragments of the frieze and pediment of the Parthenon. British Museum, London.
The main sculptural works of Phidias (Athena and Zeus) have long been lost, the temples have been destroyed and plundered.
Parthenon.
There are many attempts to reconstruct the temples of Athena and Zeus. You can read about it here:
Information about Phidias himself and his legacy is relatively scarce. Among the statues that exist today, there is not a single one that would undoubtedly belong to Phidias. All knowledge about his work is based on the descriptions of ancient authors, on the study of later copies, as well as surviving works, which are attributed with more or less certainty to Phidias.
More about Phidias http://biography-peoples.ru/index.php/f/item/750-fidij
http://art.1september.ru/article.php?ID=200901207
http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3155073/post207627184/
Well, about the rest of the representatives of ancient Greek culture.
POLYCLETUS
Greek sculptor of the second half of the 5th c. BC e. The creator of many statues, including the winners of sports games, for the cult sports centers of Argos, Olympia, Thebes and Megalopolis. The author of the canon of the image of the human body in sculpture, known as the "canon of Polykleitos", according to which the head is 1/8 of the length of the body, the face and palms are 1/10, the foot is 1/6. The canon was observed in Greek sculpture to the end, the so-called. classical era, that is, until the end of the 4th century. BC e., when Lysippus laid down new principles. His most famous work is "Dorifor" (Spearman). It's from an encyclopedia.
Polykleitos. Doryphorus. Pushkin Museum. Gypsum copy.
PRAXITELS
APHRODITE OF CNIDS (Roman copy from original 4th century BC) Rome, National Museums (head, arms, legs, drapery restored)
One of the most famous works in ancient sculpture is Aphrodite of Knidos, the first ancient Greek sculpture (height - 2 m.), depicting a naked woman before bathing.
Aphrodite of Cnidus, (Aphrodite of Braschi) Roman copy, 1st c. BC. Glyptothek, Munich
Aphrodite of Knidos. Medium grained marble. Torso - Roman copy of the 2nd century. n. gypsum copy of the Pushkin Museum
According to Pliny, the inhabitants of the island of Kos ordered the statue of Aphrodite for the local sanctuary. Praxiteles performed two options: a naked goddess and a dressed goddess. For both statues, Praxiteles appointed the same fee. The customers did not risk it and chose the traditional version, with a draped figure. Its copies and descriptions have not been preserved, and it has sunk into oblivion. And Aphrodite of Knidos, who remained in the workshop of the sculptor, was bought by the inhabitants of the city of Knidos, which favored the development of the city: pilgrims began to flock to Knidos, attracted by the famous sculpture. Aphrodite stood in an open-air temple, visible from all sides.
Aphrodite of Cnidus enjoyed such fame and was copied so often that they even told an anecdote about her, which formed the basis of the epigram: “Seeing Cyprida on Knida, Cyprida bashfully said: “Woe to me, where did Praxiteles see me naked?”
Praxiteles created the goddess of love and beauty as the personification of earthly femininity, inspired by the image of his beloved, the beautiful Phryne. Indeed, the face of Aphrodite, although created according to the canon, with a dreamy look of languid shaded eyes, bears a hint of individuality, indicating a specific original. Having created an almost portrait image, Praxiteles looked into the future.
A romantic legend about the relationship between Praxiteles and Phryne has been preserved. It is said that Phryne asked Praxiteles to give her his best work as a token of love. He agreed, but refused to say which of the statues he considered the best. Then Phryne ordered the servant to inform Praxiteles about the fire in the workshop. The frightened master exclaimed: “If the flame destroyed both Eros and Satyr, then everything died!” So Phryne found out what kind of work she could ask Praxiteles.
Praxiteles (presumably). Hermes with the infant Dionysus IV c. BC. Museum at Olympia
The sculpture "Hermes with the baby Dionysus" is typical of the late classic period. She personifies not physical strength, as was customary before, but beauty and harmony, restrained and lyrical human communication. The depiction of feelings, the inner life of characters is a new phenomenon in ancient art, not characteristic of high classics. The masculinity of Hermes is emphasized by the infantile appearance of Dionysus. The curved lines of the figure of Hermes are graceful. His strong and developed body is devoid of the athleticism characteristic of the works of Polykleitos. The facial expression, although devoid of individual features, is soft and thoughtful. Her hair was painted and tied with a silver headband.
Praxiteles achieved the feeling of warmth of the body by fine modeling of the surface of marble and with great skill conveyed in stone the fabric of Hermes' cloak and Dionysus' clothes.
SCOPAS
Museum in Olympia, Skopas Menada Reduced marble Roman copy after the original 1st third of 4 c
Skopas - ancient Greek sculptor and architect of the 4th century. BC e., representative of the late classics. Born on the island of Paros, he worked in Teges (now Piali), Halicarnassus (now Bodrum) and other cities of Greece and Asia Minor. As an architect, he took part in the construction of the temple of Athena Alei in Tegea (350-340 BC) and the mausoleum in Halicarnassus (mid-4th century BC). Among the authentic works of S. that have come down to us, the most important is the frieze of the mausoleum in Halicarnassus depicting Amazonomachia (mid-4th century BC; together with Briaxis, Leoharomi Timothy; fragments - in the British Museum, London; see illustration). Numerous works by S. are known from Roman copies (“Potos”, “Young Hercules”, “Meleagr”, “Maenad”, see illustration). Rejecting the inherent art of the 5th century. harmonious calmness of the image, S. turned to the transfer of strong emotional experiences, the struggle of passions. To implement them, S. used a dynamic composition and new techniques for interpreting details, especially facial features: deep-set eyes, wrinkles on the forehead, and a parted mouth. The work of S., saturated with dramatic pathos, had a great influence on the sculptors of the Hellenistic culture (see Hellenistic culture), in particular on the works of masters of the 3rd and 2nd centuries who worked in the city of Pergamon.
LYSIPP
Lysippus was born around 390 in Sicyon in the Peloponnese and his work already represents the later, Hellenic part of the art of ancient Greece.
Lysippos. Hercules with a lion. Second half of the 4th c. BC e. Marble Roman copy of a bronze original. St. Petersburg, Hermitage.
LEOHAR
Leohar - ancient Greek sculptor of the 4th century. BC e., who in the 350s worked with Scopas on the sculptural decoration of Mausoleum in Halicarnassus.
Leohar Artemis of Versailles (Mr. Roman copy of 1-2 centuries from original c. 330 BC) Paris, Louvre
Leohar. Apollo Belvedere This is me with him in the Vatican. Forgive the liberties, but it's easier not to load a plaster copy this way.
Well, then there was Hellenism. We know him well from Venus (in "Greek" Aphrodite) of Milos and Nike of Samothrace, which are kept in the Louvre.
Venus de Milo. Around 120 BC Louvre.
Nike of Samothrace. OK. 190 BC e. Louvre
