Category: Hellenistic Period

Throughout history art has been essential in understanding and interpreting ancient cultures. Greek art has had many different dynamics throughout history, most notably The Hellenistic Age. The various depictions of the god Eros during the Hellenistic Age, gives a glimpse of new sought values and ideals in Greek culture. Hellenistic art consists of distinctive features and characteristics, which set it apart from other art periods in Greek history.

The sleeping statue of Eros is believed to be created during the Greek Hellenistic Age and originally from the island of Rhodes. The bronze sculpture depicts a sleeping winged child in a natural position on a rock or pedestal. His features are more realistic looking than ideal, which was characteristic during the Hellenistic Age. The sleeping statue of Eros was created by an unknown artist and is believed to be a 3rd or 2nd century Roman recreation. The most renowned sculptor during the Hellenistic Age was Lysippus, born in 390 B.C. in Sicyon, which is present day Corinthia. His attention to detail and realistic bronze work caught the attention of Alexander the Great, who recruited him as his own personal sculptor. Lysippus’s most notable bronze sculptures include Eros stringing a bow, Zeus, and Herakles.

Unlike the idealistic portrayals of art during the Greek Classical Age, Hellenistic art focused more on daily life, real people, and more accurate displays of the human form. Art of the period accentuated raw human emotions and expression was emphasized. Eroticism was a common theme also seen throughout Hellenistic art, evidenced by the many sculptures of Eros and Aphrodite.

The Hellenistic Age began after Alexander the Great’s death, and is known for its major Greek influence in art and literature. It also sparked a new found interest in science and education. Gymnasiums were built for higher learning and their curriculum consisted of grammar, poetry, public speaking, music, and dance. Libraries were established, with the largest located in the city of Alexandria. The first heliocentric model of the universe was introduced by Aristarchus, a well-known astronomer and mathematician of the time. Archimedes was another famous Hellenistic mathematician who is credited for the value of pi, and for developing an exponential system for expressing large numbers. Hellenistic cities allowed for scholars from different locations to interchange ideas, which ultimately resulted in new scientific advances.

The Greek god Eros has more than one origin story, and is also known as Cupid in Roman mythology. In his primordial origin story, he is described by Hesiod as the most beautiful of all the immortal gods. He is known to be the god of love, desire and eroticism. He was often illustrated as a handsome young man with an ideal male body. During the Hellenistic Age, Eros was most often portrayed as a baby cherub with wings, and his mother was Aphrodite. He often carried out her bidding, which usually involved corrupting the love lives of others. He carried a stringed instrument and a bow and arrow, which caused unsuspecting individuals to fall madly in love with one another.

The statue of sleeping Eros has an innocent and playful looking sense to it. His presence is whimsical and light hearted. It showed a great amount of work and planning went into creating this piece. Although it is not certain if it is an original or a Roman recreation, it obviously was significant during its time. Though earlier myths depicted Eros as an adult, it’s a refreshing change to see a god represented as a child. As an adult he was illustrated with a perfect body, and as a child he has a more realistic natural form. Eros or Cupid is still relevant in this day in age. He is celebrated during Valentine’s Day as a capricious winged child that is still associated with love and desire. Although the Hellenistic Age is long gone, its legacy is still significant today.

The Hellenistic period starts in 323 BCE with the death of Alexander the great, and ends with the death of Actino in 31 BC. During this period, there was a important change in art style, specially in sculptures. The artists started to create more dramatic postures, more defined lines, high contrast of light, shadows and even emotions. The artist had freedom to explore its subjects from different points of view.

Something that I found interesting, is how the sculptors were capable of creating well-detailed expressions on each sculpture; on every piece you can see pain, fear, pleasure, amusement and death. This period was particularly interested in recreating heroic themes, but slowly started to shift towards more expressions of the subjects. Two of the most representative pieces of Hellenistic art are Athena Battling Alkyoneos and Laocoön & his sons. You can see clearly how the techniques used on both of these pieces evoke that particular realism on their movements, gestures and expressions, and how it seems that both of the sculptures interact with the viewers.

On the gigantomachy frieze of Athena, by Philoxenos of Eretia, we can see how the sculptors created that characteristic style, showing plenty of emotion on their characters, perfect shadows, and a sense of depth, which add more drama to the piece. The sculpture is part of The Altar of Zeus, Pergamon, a “baroque” monument showing the battle of gods and giants. On the other hand we have the piece Laocoön and his sons, by Athanadoros, Hagesandros and Polydoros of Rhodes. Shows Laocoön being sacrificed by serpents on an altar, with his two sons. He was a Trojan Priest who warned the Trojans not to accept the Greek wooden horse. He inserted his spear into one side of the Trojan horse to see if it was empty. In order to prevent Laocoön to discover the Greeks inside the horse Poseidon and Athena sent immediately two serpents that killed him and his sons.

His expression it’s a clearly representation of pain and agony, which contrast with the beauty of the sculpture, which seems prominent because the position of the main character and its imposing body. One of the main features of the Hellenistic Period, is that resemble that we can observe on the sculptures of Athena Battling Alkyoneos and Lacoön, as we see similarities on their expressions, their body movements, the shadows, how everydetail were considered in order to portrait the human body on a realistic manner.

Both the Hellenic and Hellenistic periods offer differences in their architecture. These include the over all design, their building techniques, the location, how they are decorated, and the symbolism related to the temple it self.

The piece of architecture that is from the Hellenic period is the Parthenon. Built in 447 BCE, it was finished in 432 BCE. The massive size and beauty was meant to show the world the dominance and power of Athens. The Parthenon sits atop the acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was the town center where it was used for their government officials, teachers, and as well as religious affairs. In the center of the Parthenon was a statue of Athena Parthenos. Her statue was made of gold and ivory and stood an amazing 38 feet tall. The Parthenon was also filled with larger then life statues, more so then any other temple of it kind. The rest of the states were built to fit with the state of Athena. One marble statue that once was in the Parthenon is the Three Goddesses. This statue depicts Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite. It shows the three goddesses relaxing with one and other. This part of the Parthenon now resides in the British Museum, in London. How ever the Parthenon is more then just a show of how early humans could achieve such feats of incredible size, but it a symbol for many as a perfect example of “Western democracy, humanism, and rationality” (UofR 1). While the Parthenon, it the naked eye, look like an amazing feat of mathematical skill and precision where every stone is straight, it isn’t. There is a light cure to everything in the Parthenon. Yet, there is still unbelievable symmetry involved. It’s seen in the Parthenon as well as in a life size statue of a man. This Symmetry can be expressed mathematically as x=2y+1. An example of this this is that the long side has 17 columns and the short side has 8. Its then expressed as 17=2(8)+1 (Gardner’s 127). The layout of the Parthenon is seen with two main rooms. One housed the statue of Athena, the other most likely held a few of the many bigger then life like statues that were in the Parthenon. Around the out side of the two rooms ran the Iconic Friezes. On the shorter side ran another six supporting columns, then were the main columns that ran around the entire out side. All together that columns come to a total of 46 columns the outside, 12 inner supporting columns, 23 columns in Athena’s statue room and 4 in the other small room. Combined, there are 85 columns in the Parthenon all constructed with the same mathematical formula to create the subtle curve seen in them all (Gardner’s 127). As well as the Parthenon’s beautiful symmetry, it is adorned with hundreds of Ionic friezes. These friezes ran top of the Parthenon under the roof, as well as inside around the ceilings much like the modern day crown moldings. The friezes are said to depict the Panathenaic Festival procession that took place every four years in the city of Athens. Is this is true, this is another example of how highly the Athenians viewed them selves (Gardner’s 131).

Then, from the Hellenistic period, another great feat of ancient architecture is the Alter of Zeus in Pergamon, Turkey. It sits today, reconstructed, in berlin. Eumenes II commissioned this massive monument in 166 BCE, but after his death, Attalus II continued to build the Alter. The Alter of Zeus is a raised platform and the main part of the building is shaped like a “U”. Stairs lead up to the back base of the temple. Columns wrap around the structure with Voltue top in them. Much like the Parthenon beautiful friezes depicting many battle scenes adorn its walls. One example frieze is one where Athena is battling Alkyoneos. Each slab of marble stands 7’ 6” high. This specific frieze wraps around the base of the raised platform of the entire alter. Another frieze that is on the walls of the temple is the battle between Zeus and the gods against the giants. Gardner’s calls it “The most extensive representation Greek artists have ever attempted of [Zeus’] epic conflict for control of the world” (Gardner’s 147). A small add on to the battle of Zeus, the Athenians wanted to show the similarities between that battle and the one between the Persians and their triumph over them as well. The finished alter was also a symbol for their victory over the Gauls in Asia Minor.

While both incredible displays of ancient architecture differ, they are still very similar. Whether it be the friezes that line its walls to the columns that hold up its roofs both show monuments that we can’t even dream of constructing with out modern machines and the small details that make both the Parthenon and the Alter of Zeus what they are today.

The scope of variety within the world of sculpture is profoundly oceanic. The rich domain of history, culture, appearance, and overall styles all differ substantially, evoking different sentiments and emotions. The sculptures that derive from different cultures all speak different volumes, but sculptures from Greek culture, in particular, are undeniably breathtaking due to their realism and vivid, lifelike detail. The Greek sculptures are nothing short of staggering beauty and the sculpture of the goddess Nike of Samothrace’s “winged victory” is no exception.

The white marble statue of Nike stands firm on the of ship against the strong winds of a storm. Her posture is bold and fierce in windswept form. Her body appears to be moving in multiple directions simultaneously, as her abdomen is torqued, her torso is lifted up, her leg is striding forward while her feathered wings are fully spread back in true goddess form as if she is in flight or in descension from the heavens. One can almost feel the wind whipping and swirling around her body, pulling her drapery from her. The expertly crafted drapes of her tunic swaddle her blooming body, so fully enveloped against her as if she is completely saturated by the splashes of the sea. Laid bare and susceptible to the war of the storm, her posture remains unphased. She hovers gracefully and tranquilly. She is a symbol, a messenger, wholly representative of true victory.

The goddess Nike is more specifically a messenger of victory in Greek religion. The Greeks depicted concepts such as peace, fortune, vengeance, and justice as goddesses in art very early on, and Nike depicted as victory is one of the earliest of these incarnations first seen in Greek art from the Archaic period (sixth century BC). Her large, feathered wings allow her to soar across the earth to give victors an insignia of victory, a trophy or a crown. She will often carry a trumpet and blow in it to let her presence be known. In other appearances, she is seen carrying a palm branch, wreath, or Hermes staff depicting her as a messenger. Nike can be clearly seen in Greek art erecting a trophy or hovering over the victor in a competition. She is seen in many forms— statues, vessels, coins, or bronze figurines, but she is undoubtedly the most gloriously represented in this marble sculpture. There have been reconstructions of what this sculpture would have originally looked like that depict her as an actual herald with a horn. “It has been suggested that the Victory held a trumpet, a wreath, or a fillet in her right hand,” The Louvre explains. “However, the hand discovered in Samothrace in 1950 had an open palm and two outstretched fingers, suggesting that she was not holding anything and was simply holding her hand up in a gesture of greeting.”

Although this sculpture has attracted many since its discovery, the exact origins of the Winged Victory are not surely known. Archaeologists and art historians, however, have extensively studied the sculpture in order to determine its age and original intention. A French diplomat and amateur archaeologist named Charles Champoiseau was the one who unearthed the Winged Victory in April of 1863. Nike was found in an ancient temple. This temple was the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, an ancient temple complex on the island of Samothrace located in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Thrace, in north-eastern Greece. Nike was not standing on an actual boat, she was standing on the prow of a statue of a stone ship that was around that temple complex. The temple faces in such an away that the predominant wind that blows off the coast seems to be the wind that was enlivening her drapery as she stood on the ship. Indeed, it must have been a very victorious sight in all of its original glory.

According to the Louvre, the piece was likely crafted by the people of Rhodes, a Greek island, in the early second century BCE to commemorate a victory in a sea battle. This means it was created at the heart of the Hellenistic period (323 BCE-31 CE). This ancient art movement is particularly known for its naturalistic and expressive extremes of emotion through anatomically accurate sculptures of men, women, gods and goddesses in motion. Like many other Hellenistic sculptures, the Winged Victory is admired for its realistic anatomy and its vivid portrayal of movement. The Hellenistic culture has studied and celebrated the body in movement and used it for a tremendous expressive force. To see how clear it is that Nike belongs to the Hellenistic period, all one has to do is study her movement. To demonstrate her body in motion, the artist positioned Nike in an asymmetrical stance. Known as contrapposto (“counterpoise”), this pose displays movement through the use of physics-based weight distribution and an S-shaped body. Another aspect that depicts movement is the billowing fabric draped across her voluptuous body. As Nike dramatically steps forward, her garment flows around her waist and wraps around her legs, fluttering back. According to the Louvre, this “highly theatrical presentation—combined with the goddess’s monumentality, wide wingspan, and the vigour of her forward-thrusting body—reinforces the reality of the scene”. Nike of Samothrace embodies the heart of Hellenistic sculpture.

During the Hellenistic period, there were many naval battles over control of the Aegean Sea between kingdoms inherited by the successors of Alexander the Great. As the island of Samothrace is in the northern Aegean Sea, the island was undoubtedly affected by these successors. The temple itself underwent intensive renovations when the Successors of Alexander the Great were constantly trying to surpass each other in generosity by beautifying the temple complex. Due to the prevalence of naval battles during the Hellenistic period and its taking place in the Aegean Sea where the island of Samothrace is located, there were several sea-inspired monuments in the temple. These included artistic columns, naval ships, and, of course, the Winged Victory. There were many new developments in naval architecture at this time which is likely what lead to a naval victory which the prow battleship base of Winged Victory is most likely commemorating. Unfortunately, there have been no dedicatory inscriptions discovered which would tell of the exact circumstances that caused the birth of the monument. So there is only one theory.

The Nike of Samothrace is one of the few surviving examples of original Hellenistic sculpture, and despite its incomplete survival, its representation of realistic human anatomy and lifelike movement reveals its mastery and genius of artistry during its Hellenistic time and so it will continue to be greatly admired. The nude female body revealed by the transparency of the wet drapery marks the end of the reserved, high classical style, now in its place — highly expressive, graphic, voluptuous and windswept energy full of decorative richness, fleshy volume and intensity of movement. Even if the historical events that surround its dedication can never be fully known, the Winged Victory is truly a masterwork of Hellenistic sculpture, and her presence will forever invoke a spirit of awe and victory.

Free-standing Dionysos With a Panther

When I arrived at the gallery I had the first statue I saw in mind for my essay. Then I came across a piece that seemed to steal my attention. I was absolutely captivated. I had noticed the Statue of Dionysos standing next to a small panther. This piece is believed to be from the Hellenistic period of art. In Khan academy, it says “The word Hellenistic comes from the Greek word meaning ‘imitating the Greeks.’ Hellenism introduced and spread the Greek language, art, culture, political ideas, and philosophy across the Mediterranean and the Middle East” (Hellenism’s Influence). The statue is made out of marble and Dionysos is in a very relaxed pose. Even whilst standing next to one of the most dangerous predators in the world, Dionysos seems to have what I identified as a smirk on his face. Along with most sculptures made by the Greeks, this one seems to carry the same influence. “The death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. traditionally marks the beginning of the Hellenistic period” (Art of the Hellenistic). The date of Alexander the Great’s death is usually what we consider to be the beginning because there is no other exact date that is I guess what could be called a defining point.

While looking around the sculpture I noticed some little things. His left eye seems to be slightly smaller than his right which is weird to me because Greek art focused a lot on the symmetry of the body. Apart from this, the body was very symmetrical when it came to the rest of the body.

They assured symmetry even down to the genitalia. “Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era was more exciting, and typically featured more movement and stronger emotion…But although more active than classical forms, Hellenistic works retained several classical features such as all-round viewability of statues, meticulous drapery, and suppleness of posture” (Hellenistic Art). It follows the art of its time with the drapery. Greeks liked to focus on and seemed fascinated by the physics of cloth and how they draped it over the skin. They liked to emphasize How silk flowed and still emphasize the physique beneath the drapery. I also found it odd that his body wasn’t overly masculine. He had average-sized biceps and normal pectorals. When most statues that were made by Greek sculptors had very prominent biceps, abs, and pectorals. The men were made to seem young and be very strong. Dionysos has a wreath-type crown on his head that partially covers his long wavy hair that reaches down to his upper back. As expected his chest and pelvis were exposed. Better put his genitalia were exposed to the viewer. This statue of Dionysos is one of the more exciting sculptures I’ve seen of Dionysos. Most of the sculptures from this time that I’ve seen include Dionysos him standing alone or sitting on something not usually anything that stands out.

In reference to Dionysos and the sculpture, I took a couple of notes. I said “Dionysos is leaning on a support beam that is covered in grape clusters. The jaguar could possibly represent the exoticness of Dionysos. He could have possibly held a jug for wine in his right hand but this can only be an assumption because both of his hands are missing. He has a grapevine wreath in his hair. He is nude except for the drapery on his legs and left shoulder. There is some corrosion and what seems to be the front right corner of the jaguar’s jaw is missing. The jaguar also had no claws.

I also took note of the jaguar in comparison to Dionysos he is quite small. The jaguar is obviously not meant to be life-sized. I wondered to myself why the jaguar would be looking up and then it hit me. The jaguar looking up to Dionysos emphasized the man’s power. For such a powerful apex predator to be calm at the side of a man and even look up at him is quite a feat.

Dionysos was an interesting God. The myth summary of chapter 13 states, “Dionysus is a god of vegetation in general and in particular of the vine, the grape, and the making and drinking of wine, with the exhilaration and release it can bring. He is the coursing of the blood through the veins and the throbbing intoxication of nature and of sex. He represents the emotional and the irrational in human beings, which drives them relentlessly to mob fury, fanaticism, and violence, but also to the highest ecstasy of mysticism and religious experience. Within Dionysus lies both the bestial and the sublime” (Morford, Lenardon, Sham). After reading this I understood the statue a lot better I thought his duties had no deeper meaning than just that of a God of crops. His role plays deeply into the lives of those he presides over. He is our animal side. He is what could be used to explain back then the behavior of those who had no impulse control. People that just acted instantly on a thought instead of taking the time to consider consequences. Dionysos is our recklessness, our obsessions, our violent nature, and pure bliss. He is the depiction of so many things in Greek culture. I found the Greek’s view of their Gods interesting. They had a God for every possible thing. Grape crops were failing – must be because of Dionysos.

This piece seems to be one of the more classical ones. Because at the time Hellenistic era art was more active in its depictions. Usually depicting the subject moving in a certain way flexing muscles or making some sort of strike on a lesser character. This statue has the classical features common in the pre-Hellenistic sculptures in its having all-round viewability, suppleness of posture, and meticulous drapery. A book by Linda R. Bascara and Adela T. Avillanoza says “Hellenic sculpture existed during the 5th century B.C. and have important aspects such as it reflected classical Platonic philosophy in its quest for ideal form and it gained the important insight of the body as revolving around its axis. Greek artists attempted to embark on a quest for ideal ratio and proportion” (Bascara, Avillanoza. Sculpture 28). This is just basic background on the sculptures of the time and where their influences really came from. This sculpture happened to use these influences somewhat as its references. Dionysos does look very young almost boyish like most Greek sculptures of the time.

Works Cited Page

1. Bascara, Linda R, and Adela T Avillanoza. “Humanities and the Digital Arts with Emphasis on Arts in the Philippine Setting.” Google Books, Rex Bookstore, books.google.com/books?id=3_ocHJ0_t44C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.
2. “Hellenism’s Influence.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-world-history/ap-ancient-medieval/ap-empire-of-alexander-the-great/a/the-rise-of-hellenism.
3. Morford, Mark P.O., et al. “Myth Summary.” Classical Mythology, global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195397703/student/materials/chapter13/summary/.
4. “Free-Standing Dionysos with a Panther.” Free-Standing Dionysos with a Panther. | Yale University Art Gallery, artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/7103.
5. “Hellenistic Art (C.323-30 BCE).” Hellenistic Art: Hellenism in Classical Antiquity, www.visual-arts-cork.com/antiquity/hellenistic-art.htm#sculpture.