MANTENIMIENTO DE EQUIPOS EXISTENTES

In the 400s B.C. Greece entered a new era of cultural progress. Thus, we call this period

the golden ageof Greek culture. Athens stood as the symbol of Greece’s golden age. The city’s wealth and power drew artists and teachers from across Greece. These people worked to make Athens a center of learning and artistic achievement.

Architecture.The Athenians surrounded themselves with beauty. They showed their pride in Athens by building temples, gymnasiums, and theaters. Artists decorated these structures with their finest work, especially sculpture.

A high hill called the Acropoliswas the center of the original city-state. This hill offered a perfect setting for special artistic creations. A magnificent gate marked the entrance to a path up the hill. Nearby stood a towering bronze statue of the goddess Athena.

At the top of the Acropolis stood the Parthenon,a white marble temple built in honor of Athena. The Parthenon is considered the finest example of Greek architecture. People admire it most for its perfectly balanced proportions—that is, the relation of length to width, and of length and width to height.

The Main Idea

Greek artists of the golden age expressed their society’s ideals in styles that combined beauty and usefulness.

1

1

Why are the 400s B.C. con-

sidered the golden age of Greek art and architecture? How did Greek art of the golden age reflect the Greeks’ view of themselves and the world?

golden age Acropolis Parthenon Myron Phidias Praxiteles

Greek art and architecture had a lasting influence on Western culture. Use

or other current eventsources to find a cur- rent example of a building or object that is based on Greek styles. Record your findings in your journal.

Construction of the

Parthenon began in 447 B.C. and was completed about 15 years later.

Sculpture: Greek Funeral Stele

The ancient Greeks believed in a sort of “shadowy” existence after death. They carved steles (STEE·leez), or

stone slabs, to commemorate their dead. Many steles showed how the dead person had lived and worked. TheGrave Stele of Hegeso is from the late 400s B.C. It

shows Hegeso, an Athenian woman. Hegeso is choosing a jewel from a box held by her servant.

How does the Grave Stele of Hegesoshow major characteristics of Greek art?

Understanding the Arts

The Parthenon had doors but probably had few windows. This is because Greek temples were built as shrines to honor Greek gods, not as meeting places for worship- pers. A series of columns, called a colonnade, surrounded the structure. Large, sculpted figures painted in bright colors decorated the marble above the columns. Inside the Parthenon stood an even larger statue of Athena. Made of ivory and gold, it rose to about 38 feet high. Today many people consider the Parthenon and its sculp- ture to be among the Greeks’ greatest achievements.

Painting. Painting was an important form of art in ancient Greece. Unfortunately, most original artwork has been lost or badly damaged. Knowledge of Greek painting comes mainly from written descriptions and from later Roman copies. The best- preserved Greek paintings are found on vases. Greek vase painters illustrated scenes from everyday life as well as mythological events. These artists delighted in showing graceful and natural movements of their subjects. Some vase painters used light and shade on the pottery to show contour and depth.

The Greeks initially adopted styles of painting from other cultures, then trans- formed them into their own. Researchers believe that Greek traders were impressed by the animals they found painted on pottery in places such as Egypt. Greek artists adopted this style, but over a few centuries began to replace the animals with human figures.

Sculpture. Original works of Greek sculpture, like Greek paintings, are rare today. We know about Greek sculpture chiefly from studying copies made during Roman times. Like Greek paintings, Greek sculpture shows Egyptian influences. Early Greek sculpture was highly structured. Figures were shown in stiff, unnatural poses. Men and women were often portrayed standing with their arms straight

down by their sides. By the 400s B.C., however, Greek sculptors

were creating figures that were more lifelike. Many used math- ematical proportions to make their works look realistic.

Myronand Phidias(FID·ee·uhs) were two of history’s

greatest sculptors. They both lived during the golden age. Myron sculpted the famous figure The Discus Thrower.

Phidias created the statues of Athena that decorated the Acropolis and the Parthenon. His greatest work, however, was the statue of Zeus at the Temple of Olympia. In ancient times people considered this statue, which stood almost 40 feet high, to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Praxiteles(prak·SIT·uhl·eez) lived about 100 years after

Phidias. He created a very different kind of sculpture. Phidias had made large, formal works appropriate for the gods. Praxiteles, on the other hand, sculpted figures that were more lifelike and natural in form and size. Above all, Praxiteles expressed the Greek admiration for the beauty of the human body.

READING CHECK:Analyzing Information What qualities defined Greek architecture, painting, and sculpture?

✔