...Things we see and hear today may have been around for thousands of years. Ancient Greek art has influenced the western world greatly. They left behind brilliant ideas for the future generations to admire. It’s amazing on how much the ancient Greeks accomplished in such a technology limited world at the time. Perhaps, that was the reason why they had their radar on the arts and imagination. The Greeks created classical construction masterpieces as their platforms of entertainment, such as the Panathenaic Stadium, which held several Greek festive events and athletic games. Before it was built, all the Olympic Games were held in Olympia, a sanctuary devoted to Zeus. It was a religious festival just as much as a sporting event. Lots of preparation...
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...To What Extent Was There An Aniconic Period In Buddhism History, And Did Greek Influence The Creation Of Anthropomorphic Buddha Image The Greco-Buddhism theory proposed by Alfred Foucher suggested that Greece colonised India, the Greek Hellenistic culture was also imported into India and made some significant influences on Indian traditional culture. Due to the lack of an anthropomorphic Buddha image before Greek invasion in 323 B.C. and the first of anthropomorphic Buddha image being created during Indo-Greek period as an Apollo like Buddha hence he suggested that to a great extent the creation of anthropomorphic Buddha was very likely to be under the influence of Greek Hellenistic culture. However this argument comes with one condition that...
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...The Influence of Ancient Greece on Western Civilization Of all the cultures that have come and gone throughout human history, it was the achievements of ancient Greece that have left the most indelible imprint on Western civilization. In particular, it was greek achievements in the realms of art, democracy, medicine, philosophy and literature that has influenced the modern world the most. It is interesting to note that the loss of Greek thought after Roman civilization inducted a period popularly characterized as the Dark Ages. During this time human life was, in words popularized by Thomas Hobbes, “nasty, brutish and short.” Superstition, disease and a short life span were the hallmark of the age. It is crucial to understand that the middle “dark” ages finally ended with the re-discovery of greek texts to usher in the re-birth of civilization, ie: the Renaissance. It was the Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas that set Western civilization on its current track by reintroducing Greek thinkers to European intellectuals. The popularizing of Greek philosophers renewed Western interest in Greek achievements, specifically within the realms of art, democracy, medicine, literature, and philosophy. While some of these subjects remained underdeveloped in Greek times, such as the discipline of medicine and democracy, others were so advanced as to set a standard to this day in the realm of art, philosophy, and literature. Discussed herein is a brief exploration of those Greek achievements...
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...Roman Art – The Identity of an Empire Christina Kapua ARTS/100 April 18, 2013 Taurie Kinoshita Roman Art – The Identity of an Empire The Romans ingeniously display majestic art while incorporating function and purpose to build an empire. The Romans had many forms in which they created art. They adorned their city, homes, and palaces with paintings, sculptures, and grand architectural structures. Rome admired and emulated the artistry of the Greek, Egyptians, and Celtic designs. They learned engineering techniques from the Etruscans that has developed Rome’s historical development and style. With its influence of other cultures, Romans have established its own characteristics of ancient classical Rome, which has carved a pathway to many forms of artwork in the past and present time. The different genre that Rome has influenced is two-dimensional arts, sculpture, and architecture; with significant contributors, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti and Gian Lorenzo Benini. Historical Development and Evolution of Style Influenced by the Etruscans and inspired by the Greeks, the Romans artistry evolved to display realism and power. Romans learned practical and advanced engineering techniques from the Etruscans that began the groundwork for the vast buildings built to serve the needs of a growing population. After the overthrow of Greece majority of their artwork, and sculptures were brought back to Rome to adorn their city and palaces. Many Greek artists migrated to Rome to impart...
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...WAKARA VASE (CH 2) In ancient Mesopotamia, around 4000 BCE, humans began to domesticate plants and animals allowing them to organize communities rather than live a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Because they had the basic components of a civilization with a stable food supply, people began to specialize in areas such as trade, manufacturing, administration, and art. Sumerian art was one of the first evidences of narrative art as seen by the Wakara Vase, from the Inanna temple complex in Uruk. The alabaster vessel, roughly three feet tall, is divided into registers to tell the story of a religious ceremony honoring the goddess Inanna. The vase’s reliefs are divided into registers to tell a story. The first register depicts water as a wavy line with a crop above. The next register is of ewes and rams depicted in strict profile, which was characteristic of the time. The crops and animals were necessities in the daily life of all Sumerians. The next band is of naked men carrying overflowing baskets and jars to present as a votive offering and the top band depicts a female in a horned headdress symbolizing the goddess Inanna. Inanna is depicted much larger than the man, signifying her importance. This is one of the first examples of hierarchy of scale, where greater size is used to emphasize power or importance. The layout of the bands signifies Sumerian society: Inanna has blessed the people with abundant crops and herds and in return they give votive offerings. The Wakara vase is...
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...Art of the middle ages (which lasted from the 5th to the 13th century) was very religious in tone and content, especially in Europe. Art was overwhelmingly funded by the church, as the catholic church was the dominating force in European politics and had a greater influence than the political state. Portraits of the madonna were very common. Paintings were very often produced by members of religious orders such as monasteries. It is interesting to note that most of the art produced was in the form of paintings often done in illustrated manuscripts. The figures in paintings produced in this era were very flat. The colors were very muted most of the time, with the exception of using real gold leaf as an accent. The figures in paintings of the era rarely had shadows and possessed narrow faces with solemn expressions. There was no perspective in art of the middle ages; all of the paintings were flat and one-dimensional. Artists of the era made little to no attempt at realism. There was a fair amount of artistic evolution towards the end of the era. Paintings became brighter in color and tended towards more realistic imagery. Perception began to develop, causing images to look less flat. Paintings began to use different lighting and incorporate shadows. Art in the Medieval era evolved into more realistic imagery. ("Middle Ages Art." Middle Ages Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.) The evolution in art of the later middle ages culminated with the Renaissance era (the 14th to 16th...
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...execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, and determines your destiny.” The Romans inherited a cornucopia of knowledge from the Greeks and Hellenistic cultures in the Mediterranean, such as architecture, strategies of war, politics and the humanities to name a few. However what the Romans had that the Greeks didn’t was extreme self-discipline and organizational skills and when they opened their minds and allowed themselves to be less dogmatic, more artistic and more inclusive they were able to conquer the world. Since we have limited space in which to make our point, we will use religion, philosophy, politics and art in which to illustrate the magnitude of the influence of the Greeks and the Hellenistic cultures on the Romans. The Hellenistic times were a period of questioning our purpose in this world, why things happen, and what transpires after death. Consequently philosophers from many perspectives became popular and presented people with answers and a multitude of options that were being derived from all the Hellenistic societies surrounding the Romans. The political systems inherited from the Greeks became the inspiration for the Roman Empire’s republic and has become the cornerstone of democracies around the world today. Greek and Hellenistic art became the largest influence on every single aspect of Roman life, including their weapons, fashion and home decor. Professor Weber clearly gives the impression that the Romans “conspicuous consumption”...
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...Golden Age? During the Archaic Age, Greek city-states formed; with this brought different styles of government such as oligarchy, tyranny and democracy. This is also the era that Greeks started to develop personal freedoms and rights. In Athens free men were considered citizens that could vote. It was during the Archaic that the Greeks also started to develop artistic expression and thinking more about the ways the world around them functioned. During the Golden Age, Greeks fine-tuned their democratic government, Athens- which had been the most democratic city-state, expanded that role as it began to form alliances with other strategic communities. It was during the Golden Age...
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...The Greeks art has both political and religious context told by individuals who adopted or supported religious history and art with their spiritual, ethical, and intellectual experiences. I do think Greek art often represents events relevant to the Greek religion and politics. The religion and politics of art was threw sacred writings, pomes of Homer, religious festival, sculptures, shrines and temples, art works and paintings. Greek religion and political art had influence and spread far as west Spain, east to Indus river, and throughout the Mediterranean world. The romans identified their gods and or goddesses with those of the Greeks and surveying through the Christianity period as saints. The Greek religion was the belief in specific human...
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...regardless of whether they represented an animal-headed god, a king, or a scribe. The typical pose was frontal and standing, with the arms hanging close to the body, the hands with clenched fists, the left foot slightly advanced, and an ambiguous facial expression. It must be noted that this “typical Egyptian style” is much more a product of the Egyptian belief system and its associated symbology than the artistic imagination or technical competence of Egyptian artisans (ibid., [YOUR LAST NAME] 2 88). The influence of this Egyptian style can be seen on some of the earliest Greek sculptures, particularly those of two important Greek styles. The first of these is the kouros, a figure of a young nude male and the second is the kore, a figure of a young clothed female (Richter, 102-106). The earliest known versions of the kouros and kore are clearly derivatives of Egyptian sculptures. Apart from the difference in subjects (youths rather than religious figures), the Greeks made few innovations. One that is...
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...Alexander the Great and his armies conquered much of the known world between 334 and 323 B.C. to create a great empire that stretched from Greece to Asia, Egypt, and the Persian empire in the Near East to India. And with the death of the great conqueror, Alexander, came the birth of the era that would be known as the Hellenistic Age. This era was a time of power, conflict, and great cultural influences that paved the way for change and development. This era brought change and artistic influences to the world as it was known until it would change again, marking the end of the Hellenistic Era with the battle of Actium, which was the pivotal moment that would later be defined as the end of Ancient Greece. Yet, while the Hellenistic Age strived,...
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...Art History Introduction The Conquests of Alexander the Great culminated to the establishment of Hellenistic Kingdoms in South-West Asia from 323 BC to 146 BC. This led to the spread of Hellenistic cultures to these regions. The Hellenistic civilization and culture encompasses a blend between the Ancient Greek culture, religion and art and the South-West Asia art, culture and religion. The Head of Bodhisattva contained in the Cantor Museum encompasses the head of a Buddhist being that easily attained Buddhahood, but forgoes his Nirvana with the aim of aiding those in the world to walk in the Buddhist path. This Head was created in the Gandhara Ancient kingdom located in South West Asia. This Head was created using the Gandhara or Greco-Buddhist art that was highly influenced by Hellenistic Art. The Head of Alexander the Great encompasses an art created during the Hellenistic Civilization that spread after the Conquests of Alexander the Great. The fact that both The Head of Alexander the Great and The Head of Bodhisattva were created under Hellenistic and Greco-Buddhist art, cultural, religious and artistic connections can be identified between them. Cultural Connections Both Heads were created during the Hellenistic civilization whose major characteristic was the Hellenistic culture. This culture was however influenced by the indigenous cultures of the conquests culminating into the Greco Buddhist culture. During the creation of both heads the main language utilized in Alexandria...
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...In Western culture the Greeks and Romans are citizens of the two most celebrated ancient cultures. “Classical art” was referred to the art of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture which the three primary areas of classical art are painting, architecture, and sculpture. The differences between Greek and Rome art are both interesting and significant for identification. Historically, the Greeks were the primary influences of the Romans in terms of artwork. The most obvious difference between Greek and Roman architecture is the material used. The Greeks used marble and the Romans used concrete. Greek sculptures are associated with white marble, Greek sculpture in the early classical period was often made in bronze during the high classical period. They were made from white marble and were often painted. Roman sculptors also used primarily white marble, though they did not paint their sculptures as Greeks did. Throughout the classical period Greek sculpture consisted primarily of depictions of Gods, mythological scenes and figures. These figures are often sculpted as "heroic nudes," in which the male figure is idealized. Although Roman sculpture, which features many copies of Greek sculptures, is also apprehensive with mythology. Romans often storied emperors and naturalistic examples of noble individuals. The Greeks not only had free-standing sculptures, but also sculpture worked into architecture. The panels primarily ran in horizontal strips above architectural columns...
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...There are three examples that will be given. James Curcio, a college graduate, writes, “It is neatly overlooked that myths remain at the center of the bloody stage of modern religious, national, economic or ideological dynamics, not to mention our personal and everyday lives.” (Weaponized.net) Many fail to realize just how large an influence mythology had on peoples everyday lives even when it is right in front of someone’s face in the form of monuments, famous sayings and even brand names many are familiar with. Only a few have seen such connections but that only proves how ingrained such things are into modern society that people don’t even notice them. While some consider mythology quite arcane when in all reality it is quite understandable...
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...GREEK AND ROMAN ART Various Authors Edited By: R. A. Guisepi The art of the ancient Greeks and Romans is called classical art. This name is used also to describe later periods in which artists looked for their inspiration to this ancient style. The Romans learned sculpture and painting largely from the Greeks and helped to transmit Greek art to later ages. Classical art owes its lasting influence to its simplicity and reasonableness, its humanity, and its sheer beauty. The first and greatest period of classical art began in Greece about the middle of the 5th century BC. By that time Greek sculptors had solved many of the problems that faced artists in the early archaic period. They had learned to represent the human form naturally and easily, in action or at rest. They were interested chiefly in portraying gods, however. They thought of their gods as people, but grander and more beautiful than any human being. They tried, therefore, to portray ideal beauty rather than any particular person. Their best sculptures achieved almost godlike perfection in their calm, ordered beauty. The Greeks had plenty of beautiful marble and used it freely for temples as well as for their sculpture (see Marble). They were not satisfied with its cold whiteness, however, and painted both their statues and their buildings. Some statues have been found with their bright colors still preserved, but most of them lost their paint through weathering. The works of the great Greek painters have disappeared...
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