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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.

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SN: Humanism

Humanism signifies the value of human beings, their needs, and potentials. The art in Greece and Rome illustrate humanism very differently from Mesopotamian or Egyptian art. For Greek/Roman art, humanism emphasizes human experiences in all complexity such as psychological and morally. Their emphasis on physical beauty and athleticism represents a military advantage. For Greek art, the gods take the shape of a human and show the beauties of a human. Humanism in Mesopotamian/Egyptian artwork is mainly found in sculptures and is more of a traditional work of art focused on glorifying gods/kings.

Man with a Helmet is an original Greek sculpture created around 440 BC. In this sculpture, you can see that the man is very fit and muscular and the helmet could be an indication towards involvement with military. The way he is standing, the weight of his body is on his right leg as his left leg is extended. It shows a humanistic figure in a natural position.

The King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and Queen sculpture is an Egyptian sculpture is less humanistic where the King and Queen are in a strict pose with a straight posture and a non-relaxed look. The Queen is holding the arm of the Kings’ with a one foot forward position and a serious face. They were designed to show their power unlike in the Man with a Helmet sculpture.

 

 

Blog Post 8: Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism is the aspect of giving value and importance to humanity over the divine beings (gods). Humanism gives humans value where no other system had before. Greek art illustrates humanism through its sculptures. Greek sculptures are very life-like as can be seen in the “Hermes and the Infant Dionysus” work. The body has shows that there was a lot of attention brought to the muscles and facial features by the artist. The stance that Hermes takes is very human, despite his status as a god. He stands in a pose so humanly that it almost looks as though he were right there in the room with you. In contrast, the “King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and queen” sculpture does not have a humanly stance. They are very rigid and do not look like they could be in the room with you. They look like statues, so they are evidently not life-like. Their facial expressions are not those of a person who you would ever interact with, as opposed to Hermes’ expression that looks like that of a real person. These aspects in the art show humanism by showing that the realism of the human body is of more importance than the actual aestheticism of the sculpture. In fact, even by making Hermes, a god, look like an ordinary human being is very different from most depictions of gods, because gods were not normally even remotely equated to humans.

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.

Extra Credit

You have two ways to earn extra credit in this course.

1. You may attend an art-related event on campus (including the artist talks hosted by the art department), and write a review of the event.

2. You may go to another museum or gallery to see an exhibition.

Reviews should include the who, what where, when and why of the talk, a brief summary of the event, and your review  of what happened. In your review think about what the message was and how was it conveyed. What are the stakes? Why is it important? approx. 300-500 words.

 

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism is an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

Greek Humanism also refers to the Greeks’ emphasis on the human body: on physical beauty and athleticism;  the Greeks see physical beauty as literally “divine”, as godly. For the Greeks, all people can and do communicate with a god or gods; these gods exist very much in the real world, taking on the shape of humans, and even often having sexual relations with humans. This physicality reinforces the belief that human physical qualities are themselves an element of the divine.  If the gods look like us, then we look like the gods; thus, our bodies are godly.

It was in the philosophical, artistic, and political writings of the ancient Romans that they found inspiration for their own move away from traditional religion and otherworldly philosophy in favor of a this-worldly concern for humanity. Rome was practical, not mystical. They were primarily concerned with whatever worked best and whatever helped them achieve their goals. Even in religion, gods and ceremonies which did not serve a practical purpose tended to be neglected and ultimately dropped, which added to the idea of humanism.

Unlike ancient Greek and Roman art, Mesopotamian and Egyptian art were meant to glorify the gods and the king. Greek and Roman art are different from Mesopotamian and Egyptian art as you can see in the pictures below. On the right is a Greek sculpture of a human man. He is shown to be very strong and masculine and shows off his body. On the left is a Mesopotamian carving of a god-like creature. Its a humans head on an animals body with wings. As you can see the two artworks are very different and focus on different ideas.

   

Humanism in Art

When looking at art of the ancient Egyptian or Mesopotamian world, the art we are looking at is usually different paintings or sculptures of gods and leaders. The purpose of these art pieces were to show how much the ancient civilizations revered and feared their leaders and gods. Contrarily, Greek and Roman art incorporates humanism. Humanism’s main focus is on mankind, rather than divine or godlike matters. When looking at Greek and Roman art, we see human sculptures. The two art pieces I will be comparing are Hermes of Praxiteles and The Standard of Ur.

Hermes of Praxiteles which was sculpted out of Parian marble. It measures 2.10 meters tall. The face, stomach, and legs of this sculpture are polished, glowing, and realistic, making it almost human. The sculpture also has tousled curls on its head, characteristic ofGreek/Roman culture. The sculpture is standing on an angle, as if in motion making the figure seem alive. Lastly, the marble child, little Dionysus, on the side portrays feelings and emotions.

One example of Mesopotamian art is The Standard of Ur. This mosaic looking piece is made out of shell, red limestone, lapis lazuli, and bitumen. The first obvious difference between the two art pieces is their size. Mesopotamian art is mostly small pieces that you can carry, whereas Greek/Roman art is mostly lifesize big sculptures. This piece, The Standard of Ur, depicts all the different people in Mesopotamian society, but focuses on the king, as opposed to Greek art where one art piece consisted of one person. In this painting, different people art doing different things, shows how civilization was split up into different levels. We can also see how clothing portrayed social class. The king wore something more elaborate and greater than the citizens on the lowest level of society. He also sits on a big throne while the other people in the painting are standing or working. The king is much taller than everyone else- he’s even breaking the roof. Mainly, this piece shows how highly society thought of their king, because he is portrayed in a way that makes him stick out. This differs from Greek art because their purposes and size were different. Greek art humanized its art while Mesopotamian art elevated its art pieces to a godly status.

 

Humanism

The Greeks were the first to formulate the idea of Humanism, which is the belief that people play a central role in their society. This way of thinking majorly contrasts the Egyptian culture where everything was directed and governed by G-ds. The entire purpose of an Egyptian was praying to the G-ds or preparing for the afterlife. People were almost a nuisance and insignificant to the higher powers.

The Greeks emphasized the value of human beings and encouraged the idea of achieving greatness through philosophical thinking. Allowing some of the greatest philosophical giants to immerse, such as Plato. Another example of Humanism that the Greeks demonstrated were the Olympics. The very idea of humans achieving perfection and greatness. This drastic change in thinking is clear when analyzing Greek art and comparing it to Egyptian art. Below you can see the marble statue of the kouros (Egyptian) which hones in on displaying a sense physical human perfection showing how the Greeks viewed humans and their desire to attain this idealistic view of humans. As opposed to the Egyptian art beside it which show how G-ds played a great deal of importance throughout all stages of life. This particular image shows Hu-Nefer who was a scholar and is being judged by the G-ds measuring his heart. Notice how the Egyptian Gd all have animal character traits. They believed their G-ds had the attributes of animals showing power beyond humans, while the Greek G-ds were portrayed without any animal features and posed as the ideal human body.

Brooklyn Museum Part 1

The front panel of the Great Lyre sound box is an example of Sumerian art from the Ancient Near East. The panel is divided into four different registers. These registers contain four scenes with figures (mostly animals) involved in various activities. Despite the rather rigid compartmentalization of the four sound box scenes, the overall effect of the front panel of the Great Lyre sound box is one of energy and dynamism. Such energy can be seen in the color of the figures and in curvy compositional lines.

The sound box is comprised of two different colors, a dark black and a light tan.  These colors are caused by the medium of the panel. Dark black is the color of bitumen, which is used for the background of the panel and lines. Light tan is the color of the inlaid shell that is used for the bodies of the figures and objects. The stark contrast of light tan against a dark background adds a sense of dynamism to the figures. The figures seem to glow and hum with life. Furthermore, these lightly-colored figures are pushed closer toward the viewer, away from the black background, which gives the figures a sense of presence and energy.

The front panel of the Great Lyre sound box embodies energy in many ways. This energy can be seen not only because of the colors of the panel, but also through several compositional devices and lines. Such visual interest in energy is fitting for this piece, given that this sound box originally hummed with musical vibrations and the energy created by sound.