Category: 9:30 AM Class

Blog Post Humanism

 

To me humanism is the emphasis on how extraordinary, and unique the human race is. By highlighting the best physical, emotional and spiritual qualities of humans, humanism creates the argument that humans should not only be celebrated, but even goes as far to suggest that humans should be revered as a deity of some sort.

Some ancient societies however had slightly different definitions from one another of what humanism was. Therefore, their ways of portraying it, more specifically  in their art had slightly different emphasis on different things. To illustrate this point we will com pare the art work Ancient Greece nd Rome to that of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, starting first with the latter.

Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt art channeled their view of humanism through exalting their gods and the after life. Often times we see paintings and sculptures we can observe that the Pharaohs and kings are being praised as gods. Their exotic head dresses, their upright posture upon the throne they are sealed on, along with their powerful case into what the view are all defining characteristics of this type of art. As if to say ” this being who happens to have the body form of a man, dare not be perceived as an ordinary human being; but rather kn9ow it is a god who has taken up a human form to serve and be relatable to you. The second part of humanism that we find in Mesopotamian and Egyptian art is the foglight of the after life.we see in paintings ( Such as the one with the scribe)  that everyman in his life time strives to live a balanced life. this way when they die they will be found worthy to obtain eternal life with the gods. so we see through his channel that the emphasis on humanism again isn’t necessarily the humans them selves, bu the humans strive to be a man- like god.

Unlike Mesopotamian and Egyptian art ancient Greece and Rome take the focus off the gods and place it solely on humans, when channeling their perception of humanism through art. In the statues that we viewed in class we couldn’t help that notice that the male figures were almost always nude. As we discussed, to other societies being nude would be a sign of shame. But to the romans nudity was a sign of pride, especially for a young male warrior or athlete. it displayed humanism as ” being proud of the skin you’re in and showing of EVERY ACCOMPLISHMENT you have achieved” Humanism through art in Ancient Greece and Rome didn’t look to deity’s for confirmation of how amazing and unique humans are, but rather looked to themselves.

Blog Post: Humanism

Thus far the Ancient Worlds that we have learned about in class tended to create works of art that were more naturalistic instead of humanistic. Examples of Ancient Worlds that focused on naturalistic art were Mesopotamia and Egypt, where there was more of a focus on the Gods and that everything else was surrounded by the Gods. In contrast, Greek and Roman art focused on humanism. Humanism focused and emphasized humans as the “main object” of the world and that instead of Gods, humans were, in  a way, at the center of the universe. Humanism focuses on human values, beliefs, and individuality; and that humans have  the capability to be good. In terms of Greco-Roman art, humanism meant putting an emphasis on the human potential, as well as the human body.

For example, in the Ancient Egyptian sculpture, Seated statue of Pharaoh Seti (*picture would not upload), humanism is not portrayed. In this sculpture, the human body is not emphasized and instead his rank his emphasized. For this piece of artwork, the eyes are instantly drawn to the Pharaoh’s headpiece, the object in hand, and his feet that are on top of an object in order for them to not touch the ground. All of these observances can instantly make the viewer come to the conclusion that this person was in fact a Pharaoh and therefore of very high rank. In addition to that, the Pharaoh’s body is not emphasized, and instead the viewer can see the outlining of the garments that the Pharaoh wears, once again demonstrating social class and power.

In contrast, in this Greek sculpture, Discobolus, humanism is very evident. Most noticeable is that the naked human body is on display, clearly showing human emphasis. The Greeks saw the display of the human body as something natural and something “show off” and take pride in. Their bodies showed their strength and exuded their power. The Greeks did many things in the nude, as it was considered the norm, even the Olympics were done in the nude. This sculpture does not put an emphasis on rank or social class, it is ambiguous and is left for the viewer to assume.

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism is a system of thought and beliefs that emphasized the value of humans and what they can do. Humanism in Art of Ancient Greece and Rome emphasized epistemology and created a central focus on human experience. Through various Greek and Roman art, you are able to see the aesthetics and natural beauty shown through sculptures of humans. In contrast, humanism in Mesopotamian art and Egyptian art can be a little different. Although you may see similar features in humanlike sculptures, the subject matter of Mesopotamian and Egyptian art was centralized around an appreciation for kings and gods. Art in Ancient Greece and Rome would depict ideal figures of men and glorify athleticism and sports whereas in Mesopotamian art and Egyptian art, the focus was more around the church and kingship.

In the sculpture of Doryphoros, you are able to see an emphasis on a natural standing pose called contrapposto. This naturalistic representation of the human body shows the focus on human experience and appreciation of the human body. The sculpture being nude also reveals a cultural pride whereas in Mesopotamian and Egyptian art, nudity is rarely seen as a sign of strength. The tilt in the Doryphoros’ arm is supposed to be holding a spear which can symbolize the strength in military and war. In contrast to art of Ancient Greece and Rome, the Assyrian Palace Reliefs show many differences when compared to the sculpture of Doryphoros. The Relief of King Ashur-nasir-pal ll and a Winged Genie reveals the king and a winged genie performed some sort of ritual. Although they are shown as muscular, both the king and the genie are clothed from head to toe in garments whereas the sculpture of Doryphoros is nude. Art of Ancient Greece and Rome clearly emphasizes the human experience whereas art in Mesopotamia and Egypt focused more on worshipping gods and kings.

Humanism

Humanism is defined as a philosophy based on the importance and dignity of each human. Humanism started in Italy, due to their innovative way of life; the increase of trade stemmed new ideas. People who practice Humanism are called humanists. Humanists essentially believe that humans have control over their lives and have the ability to question everything around them. Humanists usually study classical art, government, architecture, language, history and poetry. Humanism in art refers to the change a person could bring to art. In Greek and Roman art, the primary focus is man, while in Egyptian and Mesopotamian art articulates around the art of a higher power.

This Greek sculpture of Discobolus depicts an image of a man. Compared to Ancient Egyptian art, this image compares to an image of a human being while Egyptian art makes little resemblance to a actual human. Also the techniques of the sculpture differ from Ancient Egyptian sculptures since they are from different time periods the different techniques display different images. This Greek art shows a masculine warrior, which most Greek sculptures portray. This sculpture illustrates an image of a strong and powerful man, the way the sculpture is presented shows the slight feminine touch of the sculpture.

Humanism and Art

The study of humanism is to understand the quality of human life. It’s a system of thought used constantly throughout the artistic culture where its main focus is on humans and their values, capacities, and worth. Humanism can be used in literature, art, and even in civilization, however, the Greek and Romans have made this concept their central focus in art and in life. In the Greek and Roman culture, when it comes to art, may it be the being of a man or woman, the focus is shifted upon the anatomy and pure physicality of that being. Individuality is clearly expressed through each line drawn of chiseled within, as well as, uniqueness. Both, the artist’s individuality is expressed along with the artist’s subject. In comparison, Mesopotamia and Egyptian art focus on the power of the deities, ancient civilization, and God-like representations. The Greek and Romans attention was highly diverted towards the physicality of the human individual.

From Mesopotamia and Egyptian art, comes The Standard of Ur. This is a small trapezoidal box with two sides. Each side is covered with figurative representations and mosaics of ancient life. When looked upon closely, there are three levels that represent life differently. The most lower level portrays the subjects as slaves working for their master, delivering something like a gift for their god. The upper level of The Standard of Ur shows a being larger than the rest of the subjects who breaks the barrier of the upper border. In Egyptian society, a God is commonly represented in art as the largest being visible, which is explains the unusually large figure in this art piece.  This God is presented as the almighty being, while all his subjects are kneeling and sitting before him.

Image result for the standard of ur

Although the tablet allows current society to take a quick look into past civilization and its views on culture, the Greek and Romans had a different belief of what art should depict. They thought that art should be more human-based rather than God-like to express the reality of being human. An example of this would be the statue of Kouros. This is an ancient sculpture representing the nude male youth in an upright stature. In Greek, the name Kouros even means ” youth, boy, especially of noble rank.”  The Kouros statue shows a nude male standing straight on both feet, one foot forward, and one foot backward. Anatomically when standing this way, it is quite uncomfortable, however, this was how the ideal male youth was depicted. It is also portrayed as nude because, in the Greek culture, nudity was deemed as prideful and as showing a sense of unimaginable strength. As noticed before, Kouros is standing up straight, but also has a very stiff and rigid stance to him.

This was believed to be the way of humanism in Greek and Roman culture as opposed to Egyptian culture that pertains to a constant higher power or worshiping.

Humanism in Greek & Roman Art

Humanism is used in Greek & Roman art and it glorifies man by emphasizing the body of a human. Humanism in different art sculptures tends to evolve as it puts more detailing on the body structures and face. Egyptian & Mesopotamian art focused more on deities & gods to honor them & put them at the center. On the other hand, Greek & Roman art focuses on humans and how they’re the the center of events. They put more of a focus on humans rather than gods and goddesses. In Greek & Roman art, they emphasize the body of man by making them have certain poses and different face expressions. In one of the best known Greek sculptures known as Doryphoros by Polykleitos (image on the right), the focus is shifted from gods to humans. This art piece depicts a built, muscular man standing in a confident pose in nudity. He is standing while being nude to depict equality & to represent that the physical structure of humans were the same regardless of their social hierarchy. The artwork below (image on the left) is a depiction of Anubis, who was the Egyptian god. In Mesopotamian & Egyptian art, gods were the focus in the art pieces showing superiority over human beings.  This is seen in the artwork below because Anubis is not portrayed as a human being. His head is instead, the figure has the body of a human but the head of an animal, a jackal. This shows that the gods were special because they were portrayed in a different kind of appearance compared to humans and were the focus in Mesopotamian & Egyptian art.  

                                                         

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism was a flourishing theme in Ancient Greek and Roman times. The Greeks and Romans focused on humanism and most of their artworks (sculptures, paintings, etc) represent it. In definition, humanism is a specific type of perspective that places humans at the center of everything rather that focusing on divine beings such as Gods and Goddesses. This was a main theme portrayed in a multitude of Ancient Greek paintings and sculptures. Unlike ancient Greek and Roman art and literature, Mesopotamian and ancient Egyptian art does not solely focus on humanism. Instead, the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians placed their respective Gods and other divine deities at the top of the social hierarchy.

For example, in this post, I will be comparing two popular artworks done by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians: The standard of Ur (ancient Mesopotamia), the Standing Male Worshipper (also ancient Mesopotamia), and the Doryphoros by Polykleitos (Ancient Greek). One critical comparison can be made between ancient Egyptian artwork and Ancient Greek and that is the view of nudity. The ancient Egyptians frowned upon nudity and thought it was embarrassing to showcase a nude male or female. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks portrayed a lot of their artwork with nude males and females via a humanistic approach. Speaking about humanism, in the Standard of Ur and the Standing Male Worshipper, both artworks show a lack of humanism and leans towards divinity. In the standing male worshipper, the male is seen to be in a praying position and has huge eyes indicating the notion that he is openly praying to his God. This doesn’t show humanism, but rather shows how in ancient Mesopotamia, religion is important and God is in the center. Also, the in the Standard of Ur, there are multiple levels/ranks of hierarchy shown. The artwork shows all men kneeling towards one person, the King. The King, unlike the rest of the other men, is shown sitting on a throne and is physically larger in size than the rest of the men. This also shows a lack of humanism and leans towards the notion that divinity is the center of mankind. In the Doryphoros by Polykleitos, the sculpture is life-sized and shows a lot more fine details that the Standing Male Worshipper and the Standard of Ur. The Doryphoros portrays a nude male in a bent position and can be thought of as humanistic because it represents the ideal strong male in Ancient Greek society.

Greek Humanism in relation to art

 

Menkaure and Queen

Statue of Gudea

Kouros

Kroisos

Polykleitos, Doryphoros

Greek humanism is to desire explanation for events in the nature world and to open up new possibilities for speculation. It mainly valued humanity and placed human experience as the center of events. Greek and Roman art illustrates this in the way the human form is presented. One if the first evidence of it starting is in the Kouros figure made in 600 BCE. It is an idealized body of a man, but it is also very clearly a human. It stands on its own two feet giving it more of a up close and human quality compared to statues carved from walls, or with a block of stone supporting its back. Some of these statues are the Menkaure and Queen statue from 2450 BCE and the statue of Gudea from 2150 BCE.

    The the Menkaure and Queen statue is clearly 2 people standing next to each other, but it was built to last for as long as it could. It was the depiction of a godly Pharaoh so it could be considered a monument too. You can see this looking at the large block of stone it’s connected to to add stability and longevity. The statue of Gudea is the same concept. It is the depiction of a ruler sitting and praying to his god. The chair is a block of stone making it a thick and solid piece of stone. It was meant to last. Both these statues are however lacking in human qualities compared to Greek and Roman art. Both of these statues exude a more otherworldly presence.

    The Kouros figure is more human than the statues I mention above as it stands on it’s on 2 legs, but it was also built to last. It was very blocky, thick and large. The next statue down the line is Kroisos form 530 BCE. It was also blocky and large in a sense, but the shape and detail increases compared to Kouros. The arm are also more separate from the body. And one of the most strongest examples of humanity being the main focus is Polykleitos, Doryphoros form 450-440 BCE. It loses the stiffness and rigidity of the earlier statues. It has a very naturalistic pose. It is sculpted to imitate an actual human being. It’s skin looks soft and the face has emotion. This represents a shift from the the worship of Gods due to their power to a heightened responsibility for humanity to take care of their own problems.

   

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

The suffix in the word humanism is “ism” which means a movement or a system or a way of thinking. The word human is a being that has articulate speech, mental development, and upright stance. Humanism is the system or movement of human beings. In terms of art, humanism shifts the focus in where man becomes the agent for change. It emphasizes the value and individuality of humans. In Greek and Roman art, humanism is very common as it is the main focus in majority of the pieces of art. In Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, they focus more on a higher power that is greater than mankind where as in Greek and Roman art, they focus more on the human itself.

On the left we have the Sumerian art of the Standing male worshipper and on the right we have the Greek art of the Kouros of Kroisos from Anavysos. In the Sumerian art piece, it represents a religious standpoint.  The figure is a sign or a symbol of a higher power. The figure is covered and has detailed lines below (almost like a dress or a robe). In Mesopotamia, nudity was a sign of humility which is why the figure below isn’t nude. The eyes in the male worshipper piece are wide and distinct and is one of the first things that draws your eyes. In the Greek art piece of the Kouros of Kroisos from Anavysos, the figure has more features of a human than of a higher power. It has one foot in front of the other and is completely nude. For Greek, nudity was a sign of culture and pride. The men and boys that were sculpted all appeared nude as it was a way to show strength and power. The eyes in the pieces aren’t as distinctive as the male worshipper.  In both art pieces, they have very intricate waves and beads/braids to represent the bread on the Standing male worshipper and the hair on both the Kouros of Kroisos from Anavysos and the male worshipper. Both pieces are also proportionate in symmetry and are stiff.

       78c2d64f140edc9543495c35f7c8a77e

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism can be defined as being materialistic. It values free inquiry as well as humanity. Humanism focuses on humans and their values, practices, etc. It emphasized human potential is art. It can be looked at as an epistemological shift from ancient art to more “humanistic” art.

I will be comparing the statue of King Menkaure and queen with the statue of Kouros. They are both similar in their pose as they are both rigid and have straight bodies. The Egyptian statue of the king and queen are clothed which shows and focuses on their rank and status. The Kouros statue is nude which gave focus to humanity, beauty, and individuality. Nudity allowed the focus to be on the individual rather than their rank/status. Nudity in Egyptian art showed “shame.” The body on the king and queen was more smooth and idealized whereas Kouros had a more naturalistic body that showed muscle but was also idealized to show that they are youthful and physically fit. Kouros is more anatomically correct and it had geometric patterns in the hair. The Egyptian statue was made to show unchanging eternity whereas Kouros was made to show heroism and a virtuous life.