Homeric period in the history of Greek art. The Art of Homeric Greece What will we do with the received material?

After the conquest of the Dorians, those weakened in Trojan War The Achaean tribes follow the Homeric period in the history of ancient Greek art (XI-VIII centuries BC), characterized by a patriarchal way of life, the fragmentation of small farms and the primitiveness of the culture that was beginning to take shape. There are almost no architectural monuments left from this time, since the materials used were mainly wood and unfired, but only sun-dried raw brick. An idea of architecture at its origins can only be given by poorly preserved remains of foundations, drawings on vases, terracotta funeral urns likened to houses and temples, and some lines of Homer’s poems:

“Friend, we, of course, have come to Odysseus’s glorious home,
It can easily be recognized among all other houses:
A long row of rooms, spacious, wide and cleanly paved
Courtyard surrounded by battlements, double gates
With a strong lock, no one would think of breaking into them by force.”

Rare sculptures, simple in shape and small in size, were also created in that era. The decoration of vessels, which the ancient Greeks treated not only as objects necessary in everyday life, became especially widespread. In a variety of, sometimes bizarre, ceramic forms, in simple but expressive designs, they showed a desire for beauty, for artistic comprehension peace.

The style of paintings of this time is called geometric due to the nature of the patterns. It existed among the Greek tribes for three centuries. The end of the 11th century BC. e. Its earliest examples date back, in the 10th and 9th centuries there was a slow development of its forms, and by the first half of the 8th century it reached its peak.

In the second half of the 8th century BC. e. features of its decline are revealed. Monuments of the geometric style, widespread over a vast territory, are found on the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor, on Crete, Cyprus and other islands of the Aegean Sea.

In the forms and designs of vases that arose before the 9th century BC. e., the simplicity of expressing the feelings of the people who created them appeared. The vessels were usually covered with ornaments in the form of simple figures: circles, triangles, squares, rhombuses. Over time, the patterns on the vessels became more complex, and their shapes became varied. At the end of the 9th - beginning of the 8th century BC. e. vases appeared with the surface completely filled with ornaments. Body of an amphora from the Munich Museum applied arts divided into thin belts - friezes, painted with geometric figures, like lace lying on a vessel. The ancient artist decided to show on the surface of this amphora, in addition to patterns, animals and birds, for which he allocated special friezes, located one in the upper part of the throat, another at the very beginning of the body and the third near the bottom. The principle of repetition, characteristic of the early stages of the development of art of different peoples, also appears among the Greeks in ceramic paintings; the vase painter here used, in particular, repetition in the depiction of animals and birds. However, even in simple compositions, differences are noticeable on the throat, body and bottom. At the corolla the deer are calm; they graze peacefully, nibbling grass. In the place of the body where the arms begin to rise and the shape of the vessel changes sharply, the animals are shown differently - as if in alarm they turned their heads back and perked up. The disruption of the smooth rhythm of the contour line of the vessel is echoed in the image of the fallow deer.

The Dipylon amphora dates back to the 8th century and served as a tombstone in the cemetery of Athens (ill. 10). Its monumental forms are expressive; The body is wide and massive, and the high throat rises proudly. It seems no less majestic than a slender column of a temple or a statue of a powerful athlete. Its entire surface is divided into friezes, each of which has its own pattern, with a frequently repeating meander of various types. The depiction of animals on the friezes here follows the same principle as on the Munich amphora. At the widest point there is a scene of farewell to the deceased. To the right and left of the deceased are mourners with their hands clasped above their heads. The sadness of the drawings on the vases that served as tombstones is extremely restrained. The feelings presented here seem harsh, close to those experienced by Odysseus as he listened to the exciting story of Penelope, who was crying and had not yet recognized him:

“But like horns or iron, the eyes stood motionless
For centuries. And he did not give vent to tears, being careful!”

In the laconicism of paintings of the 10th-8th centuries, qualities were formed that later developed in the plastically rich forms of Greek art. This era was a school for Greek artists: the strict clarity of geometric style drawings owes to the restrained harmony of archaic and classic images (ill. 11).

In a geometric style they appeared aesthetic feelings a people who began their journey to the pinnacle of civilization, who subsequently created monuments that eclipsed the glory of the Egyptian pyramids and palaces of Babylon. The determination and inner composure of the Hellenes at that time found an echo in the extreme laconicism of the paintings with an inexorable rhythm, clarity and sharpness of lines. The conventional nature of the images, the simplicity of the forms are the result not of sophistication, but of the desire to express with a graphic sign general concept any very specific object in the real world. The limitation of this image principle lies in the absence of specific, individual features of the image. Its value lies in the fact that a person at an early stage of development begins to introduce an element of system and order into a world that still seems incomprehensible and chaotic. Schematic images of geometry will be saturated in the future with increasing concreteness, but Greek artists will not lose the principle of generalization achieved in this art. In this regard, the paintings of the Homeric period are the first steps in the development of ancient artistic thinking.

Attic art, represented by the Dipylonian vases, happily combines forms developed over centuries in various regions of Greece - on the islands, in the Doric centers, in Boeotia. In Attica, especially beautiful vessels are created with eloquent and lively paintings. In Argos the compositions are extremely laconic, in Boeotia they are expressive, and on the islands of the Aegean Sea they are elegant. But all art schools, the originality of which was already evident in the Homeric period, and especially the Attic one, are characterized by common qualities - an increase in interest in human form, the desire for harmonious correspondence of forms and clarity of composition.

The sculpture of the geometric style has no less originality than vase painting. Small plastic decorations decorated ceramics, when figurines of animals made of clay or bronze were attached to the lids of vessels and served as handles. There were also figurines of a cult nature not associated with vessels, which were dedicated to deities, placed in temples or intended for graves. Most often these were figurines made of baked clay with only outlined facial features and limbs. Only occasionally did sculptors take on complex tasks and solve them using rather original methods of their style. For the most part, geometric figurines are intended to be viewed in profile and appear flat, similar to images on vases. The silhouette is of great importance in them; only later will the master’s interest in volume begin to awaken. The elements of the artist’s plastic understanding of the world are only outlined.

In the sculpture of the geometric style, such works of a narrative nature are still rare, such as the bronze image of a centaur and a man, kept in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, designed to be viewed from the side. However, already here one can clearly observe what will appear later in the Greek archaic - the nakedness of the male figure, the emphasized muscles of the hips and shoulders (ill. 12).

In the second half of the 8th century BC. e. features appear in the geometric style that indicate a rejection of its strict rules. There is a desire to show the figure of a person, an animal, various objects, not schematically, but more vividly. This can be seen as the beginning of a departure from the conventions of paintings and sculptures. Gradually, Greek masters move on to more full-blooded, vitally concrete images. Already at the end of the geometric style, the first signs of the process were visible, which from the convention of forms early antiquity in a geometric style will lead to the utmost concreteness of the reproduction of the world in the monuments of late antiquity. With the emergence of more mature human ideas about the world, the need for not a schematic, but a detailed image appears, leading to a crisis in the geometric style and the emergence of new forms in the monuments of the archaic period of the 7th-6th centuries BC. e.

Chapter “The Art of Homeric Greece.” Section "Art" Ancient Greece" General history of art. Volume I. Art Ancient world. Author: Yu.D. Kolpinsky; under the general editorship of A.D. Chegodaeva (Moscow, State Publishing House "Art", 1956)

The oldest initial period of development of Greek art is called Homeric (12-8 centuries BC). This time was reflected in the epic poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, the author of which the ancient Greeks considered the legendary poet Homer. Although Homer's poems took shape in their final form later (in the 8th-7th centuries BC), they tell about more ancient social relations characteristic of the time of the decomposition of the primitive communal system and the emergence of a slave society.

During the Homeric period, Greek society as a whole still retained the tribal system. Ordinary members of the tribe and clan were free farmers, partly shepherds. Crafts that were predominantly rural in nature received some development.

But the gradual transition to iron tools and improved agricultural methods increased labor productivity and created conditions for the accumulation of wealth, the development of property inequality and slavery. However, slavery in this era was still episodic and patriarchal in nature; slave labor was used (especially at the beginning) mainly in the household of the tribal leader and military leader - the basileus.

Basileus was the head of the tribe; he united in his person judicial, military and priestly power. The basileus ruled the community together with a council of tribal elders, called the boule. In the most important cases, a national assembly was convened - the agora, consisting of all free members of the community.

Tribes that settled at the end of the 2nd millennium BC on the territory of modern Greece, were then still at a late stage of development of pre-class society. Therefore, the art and culture of the Homeric period took shape in the process of processing and developing those essentially still primitive skills and ideas that the Greek tribes brought with them, who only to a small extent assimilated the traditions of the higher and more mature artistic culture of the Aegean world.

However, some legends and mythological images that developed in the culture of the Aegean world entered the circle of mythological and poetic ideas of the ancient Greeks, just as various events in the history of the Aegean world received figurative and mythological translation in the legends and epics of the ancient Greeks (the myth of the Minotaur, the Trojan epic cycle, etc.). The monumental architecture of ancient Greek temples, which originated in the Homeric period, used and in its own way reworked the type of megaron that had developed in Mycenae and Tiryns - a hall with a vestibule and a portico. Some of the technical skills and experience of Mycenaean architects were also used by Greek craftsmen. But in general, the entire aesthetic and figurative structure of the art of the Aegean world, its picturesque, exquisitely expressive character and ornamental, patterned forms were alien to the artistic consciousness of the ancient Greeks, who initially stood at an earlier stage of social development than the states of the Aegean world that switched to slavery.

12th-8th centuries BC. were the era of the formation of Greek mythology. During this period, the mythological character of the consciousness of the ancient Greeks received its most complete and consistent expression in epic poetry. Large cycles of epic songs reflected the people’s ideas about their life in the past and present, about gods and heroes, about the origin of earth and sky, as well as popular ideals valor and nobility. Later, already in the archaic period, these oral songs were compiled into large, artistically completed poems.

The ancient epic, along with the mythology inextricably linked with it, expressed in its images the life of the people and their spiritual aspirations, having a huge influence on the subsequent development of Greek culture. His themes and plots, reinterpreted in accordance with the spirit of the times, were developed in drama and poetry, reflected in sculpture, painting, and drawings on vases.

The fine arts and architecture of Homeric Greece, with all their directly popular origins, did not reach either the breadth of social life or the artistic perfection of epic poetry.

The earliest (of those that have reached us) works of art are “geometric style” vases, decorated with geometric patterns applied brown paint on the pale yellowish background of the clay vessel. The ornament usually covered the vase in its upper part with a series of ring belts, sometimes filling its entire surface. The most complete picture of the “geometric style” is given by the so-called Dipylon vases dating back to the 9th-8th centuries. BC. and found by archaeologists in an ancient cemetery near the Dipylon Gate in Athens. These very large vessels, sometimes almost as tall as a person, had a funerary and cult purpose, repeating in shape clay vessels that were used to store large quantities of grain or vegetable oil. On Dipylon amphorae the ornamentation is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular meander braiding (the meander ornament was preserved as an ornamental motif throughout the development of Greek art). Except geometric ornament Schematized plant and animal ornaments were widely used. Animal figures (birds, animals, such as deer, etc.) are repeated many times throughout individual stripes of the ornament, giving the image a clear, albeit monotonous, rhythmic structure.

Important feature later Dipylon vases (8th century BC) is the introduction into the pattern of primitive plot images with schematized figures of people, reduced almost to a geometric sign. These plot motifs are very diverse (the ritual of mourning the deceased, a chariot race, sailing ships, etc.). Despite their sketchiness and primitiveness, the figures of people and especially animals have a certain expressiveness in conveying the general nature of the movement and the clarity of the story. If, in comparison with the paintings of Cretan-Mycenaean vases, the images on the Dipylonian vases are more crude and primitive, then in relation to the art of pre-class society they certainly mark a step forward.

The sculpture of Homer's time has reached us only in the form of small sculptures, most of which are clearly of a cultic nature. These small figurines depicting gods or heroes were made of terracotta, ivory or bronze. Terracotta figurines found in Boeotia, completely covered with ornaments, are distinguished by their primitiveness and undifferentiated forms; Some parts of the body are barely outlined, others are excessively highlighted. Such, for example, is the figure of a sitting goddess with a child: her legs are fused with the seat (throne or bench), the nose is huge and beak-like, the master is not at all interested in conveying the anatomical structure of the body.

Along with terracotta figurines, there were also bronze ones. "Hercules and the Centaur" and "Horse", found at Olympia and dating back to the end of the Homeric period, give a very clear idea of the naive primitiveness and schematism of this small bronze sculpture, intended for dedications to the gods. The figurine of the so-called “Apollo” from Boeotia (8th century BC) with its elongated proportions and general structure of the figure resembles images of a person in Cretan-Mycenaean art, but differs sharply from them in its frontal rigidity and schematic convention of conveying the face and body.

Monumental sculpture Homeric Greece has not reached our time. Its character can be judged from the descriptions of ancient authors. The main type of this sculpture were the so-called xoans - idols made of wood or stone and apparently representing a roughly processed tree trunk or block of stone, completed with a barely outlined image of the head and facial features. Some idea of this sculpture can be given by geometrically simplified bronze images of gods found during excavations of a temple in Dreros on Crete, built in the 8th century. BC. the Dorians, who had already settled on this island long before.

Only some terracotta figurines from Boeotia dating back to the 8th century have features of a more lively relationship to the real world, such as, for example, a figurine depicting a peasant with a rogue; Despite the naivety of the solution, this group is comparatively more truthful in its motive of movement and less bound by the stillness and conventionality of the art of the Homeric period. In this kind of images one can see some parallel to the epic of Hesiod created at the same time, glorifying peasant labor, although here art looks very far behind the literature.

By the 8th century, and perhaps also by the 9th century. BC, also include the oldest remains of monuments of early Greek architecture (the temple of Artemis Orthia in Sparta, the temple in Thermos in Aetolia, the mentioned temple in Dreros in Crete). They used some traditions of Mycenaean architecture, mainly the megaron-like general plan; the hearth-altar was placed inside the temple; On the facade, as in the megaron, two columns were placed. The most ancient of these structures had walls made of mud brick and a wooden frame, placed on a stone plinth. The remains of the ceramic cladding of the upper parts of the temple have been preserved. In general, the architecture of Greece in the Homeric period was at the initial stage of its development.

Buildings and sculptures, poems and thoughts of great philosophers - all these are components of the “Greek miracle”, as scientists call it today.

If you are interested in culture, you can briefly familiarize yourself with it in this article. So, what has fascinated even the most inexperienced person in art for four thousand years? Let's take a closer look.

General information

The ancient period, which is characterized by the rise and prosperity of Hellas (as the ancient Greeks called their country), is the most interesting for most art historians. And for good reason! Indeed, at this time the origin and formation of the principles and forms of almost all genres of modern creativity took place.

In total, scientists divide the history of the development of this country into five periods. Let's take a look at the typology and talk about the formation of some types of art.

Aegean era

This period is most clearly represented by two monuments - the Mycenaean and Knossos palaces. The latter is better known today as the Labyrinth from the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. After archaeological excavations, scientists confirmed the veracity of this legend. Only the first floor has survived, but there are more than three hundred rooms in it!

In addition to palaces, the Cretan-Mycenaean period is known for the masks of Achaean leaders and small Cretan sculptures. The figurines found in the palace's hiding places amaze with their filigree. Women with snakes look very realistic and graceful.

Thus, the culture of Ancient Greece, a brief summary of which is presented in the article, arose from the symbiosis of the ancient island civilization of Crete and the arriving Achaean and Dorian tribes who settled on the Balkan Peninsula.

Homeric period

This era is significantly different in material terms from the previous one. From the 11th to the 9th centuries BC, many important events took place.

First of all, the previous civilization died. Scientists suggest that due to a volcanic eruption. Then there was a return from statehood to a communal structure. In fact, society was being formed anew.

The important point is that against the backdrop of material decline, spiritual culture was fully preserved and continued to develop. We can see this in the works of Homer, which reflect precisely this turning point.

Refers to the end of the Minoan period, and the writer himself lived at the beginning of the archaic era. That is, the Iliad and the Odyssey are the only evidence about this period, because apart from them and archaeological finds, nothing is known about it today.

Archaic culture

At this time there is rapid growth and formation of state-polises. Coins begin to be minted, the alphabet is formed and writing is formed.

In the archaic era they appear Olympic Games, a cult of a healthy and athletic body is formed.

Classical period

Everything that the culture of Ancient Greece fascinates us with today (a summary is in the article) happened precisely in this era.

Philosophy and science, painting and sculpture, and poetry - all these genres are experiencing a rise and unique development. The apogee of creative self-expression was the Athens architectural ensemble, which still amazes viewers with its harmony and elegance of forms.

Hellenism

The last period of development of Greek culture is interesting precisely because of its ambiguity.

On the one hand, there is a unification of Greek and Eastern traditions due to the conquests of Alexander the Great. On the other hand, Rome captures Greece, but the latter conquers it with its culture.

Architecture

The Parthenon is probably one of the most famous monuments of the ancient world. And Doric or Ionian elements, such as columns, are found in some later architectural styles.

We can mainly trace the development of this type of art through temples. After all, it was in this type of construction that the most effort, money and skills were invested. Even palaces were valued less than places for sacrifices to the gods.

The beauty of ancient Greek temples lies in the fact that they were not formidable temples of mysterious and cruel celestial beings. In terms of their internal structure, they resembled ordinary houses, only they were more elegantly equipped and richly furnished. How could it be different if the gods themselves were portrayed as similar to people, with the same problems, quarrels and joys?

Subsequently, three orders of columns formed the basis of most styles of European architecture. It was with their help that the culture of Ancient Greece briefly, but very succinctly and lastingly entered the life of modern man.

Vase painting

Works of this type of art are the most numerous and studied to date. At school, children study information about what the culture of Ancient Greece was like (briefly). 5th grade, for example, is a period of acquaintance only with myths and legends.

And the first monuments of this civilization that students see are black-glazed ceramics - very beautiful, copies of which served as souvenirs, decorations and collectibles in all subsequent eras.

Vessel painting went through several stages of development. At first these were simple geometric patterns, known since the times of the Minoan culture. Then spirals, meanders and other details are added to them.

In the process of formation, vase painting acquires the features of painting. Scenes from mythology and Everyday life ancient Greeks, human figures, images of animals and everyday scenes.

It is noteworthy that the artists managed not only to convey movement in their paintings, but also to give personal features to the characters. Thanks to their attributes, individual gods and heroes are easily recognized.

Mythology

The peoples of the ancient world perceived the surrounding reality a little differently than we are used to understanding it. Deities were the main force that was responsible for what happened in a person’s life.

At school they are often asked to do something on the topic “Culture of Ancient Greece” short message, briefly, interestingly and in detail describe the legacy of this amazing civilization. In this case, it is better to start the story with mythology.

The ancient Greek pantheon included many gods, demigods and heroes, but the main ones were the twelve Olympians. The names of some of them were already known during the Cretan-Mycenaean civilization. They are mentioned on clay tablets with Linear writing. What's remarkable is that at this stage they had female and male counterparts of the same character. For example, there was Zeus-on and Zeus-on.

Today we know about the gods of Ancient Greece thanks to monuments of fine art and literature that have remained for centuries. Sculptures, frescoes, figurines, plays and stories - all of this reflected the Hellenic worldview.

Such views have outlived their time. Art culture Ancient Greece, in short, had a primary influence on the formation of many European schools various types arts Renaissance artists resurrected and developed ideas of style, harmony and form that had been known since classical Greece.

Literature

Many centuries separate our society from the society of ancient Hellas, and besides, in fact, only crumbs of what was written have reached us. The Iliad and the Odyssey are probably the most popular works for which the culture of Ancient Greece is known. Summary(about Odysseus and his adventures) can be read in any anthology, and the exploits of this wise man still impress society.

Without his advice there would have been no victory for the Achaeans in the Trojan War. In principle, both poems form the image of the ruler in an ideal light. Critics perceive him as a collective character who contains many positive traits.

Homer's work dates back to the eighth century BC. Later authors, such as Euripides, introduced a completely new spirit into their works. If before them the main thing was the relationship between heroes and gods, as well as the tricks of the celestials and their interference in life ordinary people, then now everything changes. The tragedies of the new generation reflect the inner world of man.

In short, culture in the classical period tries to penetrate deeper and answer most of the eternal questions. This “research” involved such areas as literature, philosophy, and fine arts. Speakers and poets, thinkers and artists - everyone tried to understand the diversity of the world and pass on the received wisdom to their descendants.

Art

The classification of art is based on the elements of vase painting. The Greek (Achaean-Minoan) period is preceded by the Cretan-Mycenaean period, when an advanced civilization existed on the islands, and not on the Balkan Peninsula.

The actual culture of Ancient Greece, short description which we present in the article, formed at the end of the second millennium BC. The most ancient monuments were temples (for example, the temple of Apollo on the island of Thera) and vessel paintings. The latter are characterized by an ornament in the form of the simplest geometric shapes. The main tools of this era were the ruler and compass.

During the Archaic period, which began around the seventh century BC, art became more developed and bold. Corinthian black-glazed ceramics appeared, and the poses of people depicted on vessels and bas-reliefs were borrowed from Egypt. A so-called archaic smile appears in sculptures that become more and more natural.

In the classical era there was a “lightening” of architecture. The Doric style gives way to Ionic and Corinthian. Marble is being used instead of limestone, and buildings and sculptures are becoming more airy. This civilizational phenomenon ends with Hellenism, the heyday of the empire of Alexander the Great.

Today, many institutions study the culture of Ancient Greece - briefly for children, more fully for teenagers and in depth for researchers. But even with all our desire, we do not fully cover the material left to us by the representatives of this solar people.

Philosophy

Even the origin of this term is Greek. The Hellenes were distinguished by a strong love of wisdom. It is not for nothing that throughout the ancient world they were considered the most highly educated people.

Today we do not remember any of the scientists of Mesopotamia or Egypt, we know a few Roman researchers, but the names of Greek thinkers are well known to everyone. Democritus and Protagoras, and Pythagoras, Socrates and Plato, Epicurus and Heraclitus - they all made a huge contribution to world culture, enriched civilization with the results of their experiments so much that we still benefit from their achievements.

The Pythagoreans, for example, absolutized the role of numbers in our world. They believed that with their help they could not only describe everything, but even predict the future. The sophists mainly focused on inner world person. They defined good as something that is pleasant, and evil as a thing or event that causes suffering.

Democritus and Epicurus developed the doctrine of atomism, that is, that the world consists of tiny elementary particles, the existence of which was proven only after the invention of the microscope.

Socrates turned the attention of thinkers from cosmology to the study of man, and Plato idealized the world of ideas, considering it the only real one.

Thus, we see that the cultural features of Ancient Greece, in short, were reflected through the prism of a philosophical worldview on modern life person.

Theater

Those who have visited Greece will remember for a long time the amazing feeling that a person experiences while in the amphitheater. Its magical acoustics, which even today seem like a miracle, have been captivating hearts for thousands of years. This is a structure with more than a dozen rows, the stage is located under open air, and the viewer sitting in the farthest place can hear a coin falling on the stage. Isn't this a miracle of engineering?

Thus, we see that the culture of Ancient Greece, briefly described above, formed the foundations contemporary art, philosophy, science and social institutions. If it were not for the ancient Hellenes, it is unknown what the modern way of life would be like.

The oldest initial period in the development of Greek art is called Homeric (12th - 8th centuries BC). This time was reflected in the epic poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, the author of which the ancient Greeks considered the legendary poet Homer. Although Homer's poems took shape in their final form later (in the 8th - 7th centuries BC), they tell about more ancient social relations characteristic of the time of the decomposition of the primitive communal system and the emergence of a slave society.

12th - 8th centuries BC. were the era of the formation of Greek mythology. During this period, the mythological character of the consciousness of the ancient Greeks received its most complete and consistent expression in epic poetry. Large cycles of epic songs reflected the people's ideas about their life in the past and present, about gods and heroes, about the origin of earth and sky, as well as people's ideals of valor and nobility. Later, already in the archaic period, these oral songs were compiled into large, artistically completed poems.

The fine arts and architecture of Homeric Greece, with all their directly popular origins, did not reach either the breadth of social life or the artistic perfection of epic poetry.

112. Dipylon amphora. 9-8 centuries BC e. Athens. National Museum.

The earliest works of art (that have come down to us) are “geometric style” vases, decorated with geometric designs painted with brown paint on a pale yellowish background of a clay vessel. The ornament usually covered the vase in its upper part with a series of ring belts, sometimes filling its entire surface. The most complete picture of the “geometric style” is given by the so-called Dipylon vases dating back to the 9th - 8th centuries. BC. and found by archaeologists in an ancient cemetery near the Dipylon Gate in Athens. These very large vessels, sometimes almost as tall as a person, had a funerary and cult purpose, repeating in shape the clay vessels used to store large quantities of grain or vegetable oil. On Dipylon amphorae the ornamentation is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular meander braiding (the meander ornament was preserved as an ornamental motif throughout the development of Greek art). In addition to geometric patterns, schematized plant and animal patterns were widely used. Animal figures (birds, animals, such as deer, etc.) are repeated many times throughout individual stripes of the ornament, giving the image a clear, albeit monotonous, rhythmic structure.

An important feature of the later Dipylon vases (8th century BC) is the introduction into the pattern of primitive plot images with schematized figures of people reduced almost to a geometric sign. These plot motifs are very diverse (the ritual of mourning the deceased, a chariot race, sailing ships, etc.). Despite their sketchiness and primitiveness, the figures of people and especially animals have a certain expressiveness in conveying the general nature of the movement and the clarity of the story. If, in comparison with the paintings of Cretan-Mycenaean vases, the images on the Dipylonian vases are more crude and primitive, then in relation to the art of pre-class society they certainly mark a step forward.

113 a. Horse. Hercules and the centaur. Bronze figurines from Olympia. 8th century BC e. NY. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The monumental sculpture of Homeric Greece has not reached our time. Its character can be judged from the descriptions of ancient authors. The main type of this sculpture were the so-called xoans - idols made of wood or stone and apparently representing a roughly processed tree trunk or block of stone, completed with a barely outlined image of the head and facial features. Some idea of this sculpture can be given by geometrically simplified bronze images of gods found during excavations of a temple in Dreros on Crete, built in the 8th century. BC. the Dorians, who had already settled on this island long before.

113 6. Plowman. Terracotta from Boeotia. 8th century BC e. Paris. Louvre.

Only some terracotta figurines from Boeotia dating back to the 8th century have features of a more lively relationship to the real world, such as, for example, a figurine depicting a peasant with a rogue; Despite the naivety of the solution, this group is comparatively more truthful in its motive of movement and less bound by the stillness and conventionality of the art of the Homeric period. In this kind of images one can see some parallel to the epic of Hesiod, created at the same time, glorifying peasant labor, although here too the visual arts look very far behind literature.

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About the book
“General History of Art” Volume I Academy of Arts of the USSR Institute of Theor

From the editorial board
B.V. Weimarn, B.R. Vipper, A.A. Guber, M.V. Dobroklonsky, Yu.D. Kolpinsky, V.F. Levenson-Lessing, K.A. Sitnik, A.N. Tikhomirov, A.D. Chegodaev “General History of Art” prepared by the Institute of Theo

General history of art. Volume 1
Art of the Ancient World: primitive art, art of Western Asia, Ancient Egypt, Aegean art, ancient Greek art, Hellenistic art, art Ancient Rome, Northern

Origin of art
N. Dmitriev Art as a special field human activity, with its own independent tasks, special qualities, served by professional artists, it became possible

The main stages in the development of primitive art
V. Shleev Primitive art, that is, the art of the era of the primitive communal system, developed over a very long time, and in some parts of the world - in Australia and Oceania, in

Aegean art
N. Britova Aegean culture played a major role in the development of the culture of the peoples living near the Mediterranean Sea. It developed on the islands and shores of the Aegean Sea, in the eastern part of the Mediterranean

General characteristics of the culture and art of Ancient Greece
The art of Ancient Greece, which played a vital role in the development of culture and art of mankind, was determined by social and historical development Greece, deeply different from the development of countries and

Greek Archaic Art
During the Archaic period (7th - 6th centuries BC), Greek art moved far from the primitive art forms of the Homeric period. It has become incomparably more complex and, most importantly, has taken the path of realism.

Hellenistic Art
At the end of the 4th century. BC. slave states of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East entered into new period its historical and cultural development, scientifically called ell

Art of Ancient Rome
From the end of the 1st century. BC. leading role in ancient world acquires Roman art. At this time, Rome became a world power. The crisis of the slave system of the Hellenistic states ended

Etruscan art
The Etruscan country, located on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, extended east to the Apennine mountain range. Northern border of Etruria at the end of the 7th century. BC. reached the Po River, and in the south it captured

Art of the Roman Republic
Foreign policy history of the Roman Republic since the establishment of the republican system at the end of the 6th century. BC. until the beginning of the imperial period at the end of the 1st century. BC. is divided into several stages. Per

Art of the Roman Empire 1st century. n. uh
By the end of the 1st century. BC. The Roman state became the largest slave-holding power. Its vast size necessitated a complex government apparatus to manage the vast economy.

Art of the Roman Empire 2nd century. AD
For the Roman Empire 2nd century. AD was a period of growth of its territory, the rise of culture and art, and at the same time a period of strengthening external and internal contradictions of the Roman slave state

Art of the Roman provinces of the 2nd - 3rd centuries. AD
In the history of art of Ancient Rome, provincial art occupies a significant place, the heyday of which dates back to the 2nd - 3rd centuries. AD

The western provinces - Spain, Gaul and others - were strongly
Art of the Roman Empire 3rd - 4th centuries

In the 3rd century. The crisis of Roman slave society deepened. Already in the first half of the century, during the reign of the Severan dynasty (193 - 235), the process of decomposition of the slave system intensified, expanded
Art of the Northern Black Sea Coast

N. Britova The Northern Black Sea region is a territory stretching from the mouth of the Danube through the Crimea and the shores of the Sea of Azov to the coast of the Caucasus. Pre-revolutionary Russian and Soviet archaeological research
Art of Ancient Transcaucasia V. Shleev The formation of the culture of the tribes and peoples of Transcaucasia, who lived in the mountainous regions and valleys of the rivers Rion, Kura and Araks south of the Greater Caucasus Range, refers to ancient times

3 you
Art of Central Asia M. Dyakonov Central Asia in the Soviet scientific literature

it is customary to call the vast territory bounded from the west by the Caspian Sea, from the south by the Kopet-Dag mountains and the Hindu Kush mountain system, with
Art of Ancient India N. Vinogradova, O. Prokofiev Indian culture is one of ancient cultures

humanity, continuously developing over several millennia. During this time, numerous
Art of Ancient China

N. Vinogradova Research by archaeologists has established that the territory of China has been inhabited since the time of the Lower Paleolithic. It was in China that the oldest remains of fossil humans were found (

12th - 8th centuries BC. were the era of the formation of Greek mythology. During this period, the mythological character of the consciousness of the ancient Greeks received its most complete and consistent expression in epic poetry. Large cycles of epic songs reflected the people's ideas about their life in the past and present, about gods and heroes, about the origin of earth and sky, as well as people's ideals of valor and nobility. Later, already in the archaic period, these oral songs were compiled into large, artistically completed poems.

The fine arts and architecture of Homeric Greece, with all their directly popular origins, did not reach either the breadth of social life or the artistic perfection of epic poetry.

The earliest works of art (that have come down to us) are “geometric style” vases, decorated with geometric designs painted with brown paint on a pale yellowish background of a clay vessel. The ornament usually covered the vase in its upper part with a series of ring belts, sometimes filling its entire surface. The most complete picture of the “geometric style” is given by the so-called Dipylon vases dating back to the 9th - 8th centuries. BC. and found by archaeologists in an ancient cemetery near the Dipylon Gate in Athens (ill. 112). These very large vessels, sometimes almost as tall as a person, had a funerary and cult purpose, repeating in shape the clay vessels used to store large quantities of grain or vegetable oil. On Dipylon amphorae the ornamentation is especially abundant: the pattern most often consists of purely geometric motifs, in particular meander braiding (the meander ornament was preserved as an ornamental motif throughout the development of Greek art). In addition to geometric patterns, schematized plant and animal patterns were widely used. Animal figures (birds, animals, such as deer, etc.) are repeated many times throughout individual stripes of the ornament, giving the image a clear, albeit monotonous, rhythmic structure.

Along with terracotta figurines, there were also bronze ones. “Hercules and the Centaur” and “Horse”, found at Olympia and dating back to the end of the Homeric period (ill. 113 a), give a very clear idea of the naive primitiveness and schematism of this small bronze sculpture, intended for dedications to the gods. The figurine of the so-called “Apollo” from Boeotia (8th century BC) with its elongated proportions and general structure of the figure resembles images of a person in Cretan-Mycenaean art, but differs sharply from them in its frontal rigidity and schematic convention of conveying the face and body.

Only some terracotta figurines from Boeotia dating back to the 8th century have features of a more lively relationship to the real world, such as, for example, a figurine depicting a peasant with a rogue (ill. 113 6); Despite the naivety of the solution, this group is comparatively more truthful in its motive of movement and less bound by the stillness and conventionality of the art of the Homeric period. In this kind of images one can see some parallel to the epic of Hesiod, created at the same time, glorifying peasant labor, although here too the visual arts look very far behind literature.

Aegean culture played a major role in the development of the culture of the peoples living near the Mediterranean Sea. It developed on the islands and shores of the Aegean Sea, in the eastern Mediterranean, for almost two thousand years, from 3000 to 1200 BC.

Cretan and Mycenaean building art. Mycenaean fortresses, palaces and tombs. Architecture of Ancient Greece. Periods of development of Greek architecture.

Homeric period. Archaic. Classics: early classic, high classic, late classic. Hellenism. The originality of the historical development of Ancient Greece. The formation of medieval art in Byzantium and the countries of the Middle East.

ABSTRACT on Ancient art Orientalizing style vase painting Minsk, 2000 “... Neither deserts, nor steppes. Nothing endless, except the blue, calm sky. The land into which the sea cuts widely here and there. Transparent air and light pouring from above, penetrating and illuminating everything.

Ancient kingdom (30-24 centuries BC). Art of the middle kingdom (21-18 centuries BC). Art of the new kingdom (16-11 centuries BC).

The art of Ancient Greece, which played a crucial role in the development of the culture and art of mankind, was determined by the social and historical development of Greece, which was deeply different from the development of the countries and peoples of the Ancient East.

Stages of development of Greek culture. Mythology of archaic Greece. "Golden Age" of Athens. Masterpieces of ancient Greek literature: Alcaeus, Echilus, Sophocles, Aristophanes. Greek pottery from the Archaic era. The crisis of the Greek polis, its signs. Homer "Iliad", "Odyssey".

During the Archaic period (7th - 6th centuries BC), Greek art moved far from the primitive art forms of the Homeric period. It has become incomparably more complex and, most importantly, has entered the path of realistic development.

The largest number of surviving monuments of Etruscan art dates back to the 6th - early 5th centuries. BC. At this time, Etruria was strongly influenced by Greek culture, and during the same period, Etruscan art experienced its heyday.

Classical Greece is separated from Mycenaean Greece by three and a half or even four centuries of the so-called. "Mycenaean regression" or "dark ages". This period is also called the "geometric style".

The so-called Aegean, or Cretan-Mycenaean art, played a huge role in the formation of the art of the peoples living in the Mediterranean basin. Aegean culture took shape and developed in the 3rd-2nd millennia BC. e.

A clearer picture of the development of art can only be outlined from the time of the formation of class society in Central Asia. This process began in Central Asia in the second quarter of the 1st millennium BC.

During this period of transition from the tribal system to the early slave-owning class society, Greek mythology and epic. The Greeks were pagans. They worshiped many gods, headed by Zeus.

Abstract Topic: The artistic culture of Ancient Greece during the archaic and early classical periods. Student of the 9th "G" class of Secondary School No. 23 in Borisov, Margolin Ilya.

Traces of human activity in the Nile Valley go back to ancient times. Monuments dating back to the 5th millennium BC provide a relatively complete picture of the society that took shape here. They talk about the primitive communal nature of society.

A study of early literary monuments, works created by Homer and Hesiod. Historical information, features literary creativity Homer. The language of Homer's poems, Homer in antiquity, the mystery of Homer's personality. Features of Hesiod's mythology.

Consideration of the time frame of existence, features of wall painting, architecture, religious, philosophical views, monuments of crafts and arts of the ancient civilization of Ancient Greece, Cretan-Mycenaean culture in the period of Homer, archaic, heyday.

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General information

Aegean era

Homeric period

Archaic culture

Classical period

Hellenism

Architecture

Vase painting

Mythology

Literature

Art

Philosophy

Theater

General History of Art

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