Art Discussion Question Paper Homework Assignment Help

Art Discussion Question Paper Homework Assignment Help

 
Question Description



I'm working on a art writing question and need a sample draft to help me learn.



In two paragraphs answer the following:



First paragraph in 200 words: The Greeks strongly believed in connecting art, science, and everyday life in such a way that each would be informed by one another. Does this happen in our contemporary society? If so, give examples. If not, explain why.



Second paragraph in 200 words: Both ancient Egyptian and Greek culture are said to be based on a related opposites, such as the pairing of “order vs. chaos” or “fertile vs. barren.” Discuss in more detail what this idea of opposites means to each culture. Use examples of artwork to inform your answer.



Aegean and Greek Art



On the face of it, Aegean art, whether Minoan paintings or Cycladic sculpture would seem to have plenty in common with some of the Near Eastern examples from chapter 2 or even certain Egyptian pieces. However, as we wade through history and take in later Greek art, there is a widening gulf between it and what came before. Classical and Hellenistic Greek figures are exquisite prototypes for the works of Renaissance sculptors born over one thousand years later! If one could say that Egyptian art had an enormous influence on the art of antiquity (what we call Greek and Roman art collectively), it is Greek art that has had a lasting influence into the modern world. Indeed, it was Greek philosophers and poets who were closely studied by the founders of the United States. Men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton were well versed in the works of Plato and Aristotle. Well into the first quarter of the 20th century, governmental and corporate architecture all over the world was modeled on Greco-Roman styles favored by our founding fathers.



The reasons behind Greco-Roman art's longevity are burrowed deep into the western world's psyche. Because the history of any time preceding one's own is



reevaluated and often rewritten, modern cultures have interpreted the fact that so much Greek writing is evidence of their inquisitive and academic bent. Added to this is the fact that much of it is exceptional. One can wonder if other ancient cultures' paper trails were no less amazing but unfortunately lost to the sands of time. One very telling fact about classical Greek architecture waited many years to be scientifically analyzed and even in the present day rubs many imaginations the wrong way: buildings were often not sparkling white but polychrome once completed. This undermines our symbolic re-telling of Greek values and aesthetic ideals. Perhaps there are many more inconsistencies waiting to surface with further study. Still, Greek political organization is rightly seen as the prototype of democracy (however uneven), and their legacy of analytical thought and philosophical debate cannot be overestimated in its impact on modern societies the world over. Is it any wonder that their art would also be studied as closely and found to exhibit attributes we cherish into the current day?



What we know of the pre-Greek Aegean cultures comes to us in the form of small-scale sculpture (Cycladic "frying pans" and highly stylized figures, Minoan faience statuettes), ceramics, and the remains of monumental architecture. It is hard to shake the connection between what we know of Greek mythology and the nomenclature used to describe ancient Crete. Visions of the Minotaur hungrily awaiting its doomed prey amid the labyrinthine corridors of the Great Minoan Palace at Knossos are storybook perfect. Akin to the earlier Greek example, does this hurt our efforts to be more analytical when studying Minoan art? The three-dimensional figurative examples shown in the text display all of the rigidity and frontality we have come to expect from ancient depictions. Two-dimensional wall paintings (called frescoes after the practice of applying pigment to "fresh" plaster so to make a permanent chemical bond when dry) are typically composed in registers and display "stacked" figures to symbolize action happening in deep space. There is more evidence of abstract ornamentation and natural, organic elements displayed without human context, and greater fluidity of movement (e.g. The Queen's Megaron "dolphin" fresco, the Spring Fresco from Akrotiri) in these works. This seems to be a deviation from Egyptian and Near Eastern models.



Turning our attention to Archaic Greek sculpture, we see how indebted artists from that part of the world are to their Egyptian counterparts. Both Kouros and Kore figures display near-static poses, highly stylized and idealized physique and posture, and emotionless expressions. The main feature missing is of course the huge back slab, whose absence allows us to see these figures in the round even if they are still made to be seen from the front. With the advantage of hindsight, we can see what appears to us as a seamless transition from the Egyptian tradition to the classical Greek one. The absence of any negative space in the upper (and most of the lower) body gives way to limbs that exert force or show the effects of gravity. The study of human anatomy indicates a cultural shift towards a scientific outlook in classical culture.



That the Greeks of the classical era tie sculpture and architecture together so well illustrates their mission to make art holistic and abide by the same logic manifest in the natural world. From the rough-hewn Mycenaean fortress architecture of mismatched stones we arrive at the precisely cut marble blocks and column drums of the Parthenon. It is a building that echoes the body in its organization and aesthetics barely perceptible deviations from bilateral symmetry and a simultaneous sense of stability and movement gained from the entasis of its columns. Scale too, while majestic, did not serve to squash the average man into psychological near nonexistence.



Statuary was typically over life size but not egregiously so. The Greek ideal of harmony would not allow for buildings on the same outlandish scale as Egyptian pyramids.



The late classical and Hellenistic Ages give us artistic examples that show the degree by which Greek art could absorb foreign influences and strive for positive change while still reflecting the best elements of the well- considered canon. The changes in physiognomy evident in works by Skopas and Praxiteles imbue the stoic classical figure with a slightly more emotional and consciously mortal vitality. Lysippos' Apoxyomenos shows the ever-increasing concern to visualize a figure in dialogue with his environment. This idea is most impressively illustrated in the Hellenistic Nike of Samothrace, a figure who exists in the moment, par excellence. Eschewing the classical ideal of subtlety and contrapposto, the Nike figure extends her limbs and tests the tensile strength of the



marble from which she is carved to take flight (or perhaps land?). The Pheidian style garment is pressed into her body by strong environmental forces, alluding to both a natural and supernatural cause. That she leans into the gust with wings back is compositionally ambitious and denotes athleticism wisely co-opted in the 1970s for the athletic shoe company that must have based its name upon knowledge of this amazing work.



From the first notable deviations from the Geometric and Oriental styles that produced Archaic Greek art, the formal conventions (e.g. composition, proportion, and materiality) would be constantly tweaked and pulled. Greek artists were unafraid to chart unfamiliar aesthetic territory. That Greek political life revolved around fierce competition among neighboring city-states was certainly manifested in their art. This would seem to account for the differences between Greek work and all that came before it. No culture embraced change and the power of new ideas like the peoples of the Ionian peninsula and those lands bordering the Aegean Sea.



You will see in the next chapters on Etruscan and Roman art how those cultures responded to the excellence found in Greek art and architecture. It could be used as a status symbol among the wealthiest Romans, who sought a connection with a glorious legacy. Even today, the wealthiest art patrons still use work from former generations to ground their sense of identity in a mythic past. If the often-used phrase "history is written by the winners" makes sense, it is the artwork of the winners that gets buoyed up by ancestors looking to strengthen their connection to the "winning" past. Roman artists, however, did study Greek works thoroughly and made modifications where they saw



fit. In many museums around the world, we see Greek sculptures only through their Roman copies. This shows how much Roman artists valued their predecessors' works.



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