Tag: Blog #8: Humanism in Greek Art

Blog Post #8: Humanism in Ancient Arts

In the times of the Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian, it was believed that everything on Earth should be based around God. Whatever you do in life, God should be your influence from what job you should have to what tree you should plant. As time passed by this ideology was tossed over for the idea of humanism. The idea that the world revolves around the man. No longer should your doings be based by gods but you decide what you do. This gave man more value and more independence from a higher power.

From the perspective of art, Mesopotamia’s human sculptures usually depicted an ordinary man with a normal physique. But due to the Greeks love of sports and athletes all of their human sculptures are men with god-like attributes, a nearly inhuman physique due to their humanism.

The gods of Mesopotamia were deities who were never compared to human and don’t live among humans. As well only priests were allowed to serve them directly and others would have to come to a place of gathering to ask things from them. Unlike the Mesopotamian, the Greeks saw gods as human-like featured creatures with extraordinary abilities. There are stories that these gods would assimilate with the humans even become animals, also they have human emotions and desires like every other human. Any Greek could pray to the gods from any place. Through the Greek’s adaption of humanism, they were able to focus on the world versus the deities they worshiped.

Greek Humanism Blog #8

Humanism in art is all about having the human body as the central focus. Humanism can be represented in whatever painting, sculpture, or work of literature. This concept focuses more on realistic artwork rather than focusing on the opposite. During ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, the art was filled with gods and supernatural creatures and it represented a lot of what the people at that time were focused on. Image result for lamassuWe can always refer to the Lammasu that came from ancient Sumeria. The Lammasu was known as a protective deity, and it consisted of a combination between a human and animal. This deity had a human head with a lion body and the wings of a bird. People would put this symbol of protection outside their homes. 

Image result for hunefer papyrus

Hunefer “Book of the Dead” papyrus scroll can all be looked at to show how supernatural was heavily shown in ancient Egyptian. This scroll depicts Hunefer, who was a royal scribe, in the afterlife going through a process to see if he is fit to live in the underworld. We first see him in front of these deities with some type of ritual words or prayers underneath, as if he needed to perform these to them to pass. Later on, we see him with Anubis, God of the underworld, who is looking at these scales that determine whether Hunefer has lived a good moral life. In between the scales we this monster, Ammitt, who would devour Hunefer if he did not live a good life. We also see Toth who was in charge of recording everything. When the scales showed that Hunefer lived an ethical life, he was introduced to Osiris, Horus (Osiris‘s son), Isis (Osiris‘s wife), and Nephthys (sister). In essence, we can obviously see just how animated and how divine art was for Egyptians as well as Sumerians. 

Image result for kouros 600 bce

In contrast we see humanism start to arise in ancient Greece. We first start to see it in the sculpture of Kouros, 600 BCE. Kouros slightly resembled Egyptian statues, like the statues of Menkaure and Queen. But he contradicted them by being a bit more realistic in the body and in the details. Kouros was the representation of manhood and perfection at the time. He was also different in his pose and in the way he was created. He is positioned with one foot in front of the other and the only thing holding him up is his two feet which differ from Egyptian sculptures that would have something behind them holding them up. This statue had transcendence and it was made to trespass lifetimes. 

Image result for polykleitos doryphoros

Fast forwarding to 450-440 BCE, we see a completely revolutionized type of statue in Polykleitos Doryphoros. This statue, in particular, had such a focus on the human body. He had details that just were not seen in the past statues. We see more details in his abdomen, his pose, and in his arms that even show detail of veins. With his pose we even see movement (contrapasto), this figure has some kind of fragileness that was just not seen in the rest of the statues before him. It is much more precise in representing humans. 

Overall, we see how much art has evolved during the centuries. It went through different stages and this classical past was very much emphasized on humanism. It was a such a significant thing that we even saw it present in their myths of gods. The Greek gods and their stories sounded a lot like human problems. These deities had human features and human woes. It’s very interesting seeing just how much impact humanism had on artwork. 

Humanism In Greek Art

 

Humanism refers to Greek art and literature, it was important in the Renaissance period. In the most part, art had brought color, perspective, and realism.  Greeks were not interested in the surrounding reality, in social and political life, they rather represent their world through the vision and imagination of the artist and the aesthetic standards of the time, responding to represent their surrounding environment and the image of the man in a particular way.

One of the ancient Greek art was named kore or korai refers to statues depicting female figures, always of a young age, which was created during the Archaic period (600 – 480 BCE)   Kore statues were almost always standing, in a forward pose with the leg extended slightly forward (rarely with feet together), and with one hand pulling their dress as if not to step on it. The free hand was holding an offering to the god or goddess they served

Humanism in Greek

Humanism can be best defined as a shift of focus and placement of importance on Man in regard to who is the center of the universe. Previous to this belief, people placed a heavy emphasis on the gods and divine/supernatural matters when concerning anything and everything. However, with humanism, Man is now the center of the cosmological order. He is the prime agent for change, and it is Man’s duty to help himself and make things happen. Man is the agent of cause and effect, not any of the gods or divine nature from the past or present.

When considering Greek and Roman art in relations to Mesopotamian or Egyptian Art, humanism is difficult to push to the side because it practically is the difference. Taking a closer look at Mesopotamia and Egypt there is a repeated pattern of divine worship within their artwork. Greek and Roman art embody humanism within their work, and the Greek especially emphasized naturalism, anatomy, movement. They really honed in on what man can do. Even when there are depictions of divine Greek gods and goddesses, they oftentimes possess human qualities such as a greed and vanity, all of which work to further affirm that human beings are now viewed with value.

In taking a look at The King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and Queen sculpture in comparison to the statue of Polykleitos, Doryphoros, these differences are highlighted. Egypt’s statue of the King Menkaure and Queen are stiff, straight bodied, with very rigid figures. There is a lot of verticality seen as well and if you were to cut their figures right down the middle they would be symmetrical. They’re also clothed, or there’s at least the illusion of clothing. This is highly important to the Egyptians, as nudity was seen as an embarrassment. When looking at Polykleitos, Dorpyphoros the details of the work are crisper, and there’s an emphasis of physicality and freshness of the human body. Unlike The King Menkaure and Queen, we actually see a facial expression in Polykleitos, Doryphoros. There’s even a little personality seen within not just his facial expression but his stance as well, both working together to make him seem very passé. He’s not only anatomically correct but also shows a naturalism in his movement. He can move in almost any direction, there is potential energy. This frames him in a gentle S curve, that differs from the rigid and symmetrical ways of the Egyptian statue, a figure who seems fully alive.

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism is an ideology that believes values and needs are more important then religious beliefs. Humans are suppose to ignore their needs and desires and work on creating their own set of ethics. Humanism emphasized on what the human was capable of. Humanism in Greek and Roman art were portrayed through creating a central focus on human art. Throughout Greek and Roman art work the ideologies of the Renaissance were portrayed in every aspect. The Renaissance was a period where there was emphasize on classical learning, human potential , and achievements. When looking at Greek and Roman art they seem to be stuck in a moment. This means that there is so much detail in the art of the Greek and Roman that it seems like they or on pause and you can figure out exactly what their purpose is and motive is. Greek and Roman art was usually portrayed in nudity which showed the confidence they had with their bodies. In contrast, humanism in Mesopotamian art and Egyptian art were used for the worship of kings and gods. Although they would have human like features their would be emphasis on the bulging eyes to let the kings and gods know that how devoted they were to them. Their art work was usually covered in clothing and loins to glorify their modesty, since nudity was frowned upon. While art in Ancient Greek and Rome was used to glorify the athleticism and sports whereas in Mesopotamian art and Egyptian art were used to devote their attention to religion.

Kroisos from Anavysos is an art piece that is very detail orientated. Although it is a statue of a man you can clearly see the details that portray the elements of  humanism.  While looking at this statue you can see the toes, fingers, hair, eyes , nose, expression and posture. This statue seems to be in a completely natural state Where it shows that this statue was not for a religious purpose it was just an actual person who was more than likely modeling for the artist.

Anubis an art piece from Egyptian art that has a head of of a jackal and the body of a man and is the god of the dead. Anubis weighs your heart to a feather. This is to see if your sins weigh more or less than a feather. The whole aspect of sinning comes from religion. That we please god by NOT sinning. Mesopotamian and Egyptian Art also show the hierarchy and the social status with the pharaoh shown to be the biggest and on the top while accompanied by his followers who are of similar or smaller size and the slaves which are the smallest and the lowest.

 

Humanism Blog Post

Humanism is perspective of which an era of time valued the body’s capabilities. Most prevalent in the Ancient Greek Art era, the various sculptures carved had defining features only found within Ancient Greece. The idea that Man’s most valuable properties was their body’s structure and abilities became the main common feature among the large stone sculptures recovered from the area.

Ancient Greek and Egyptian Art share and differ in various ways. Among both groups of statues, both share similar human qualities like body structure and some forms of poses. They also differ in the way the body structure was modelled. In Egyptian Art, human figures were often sculpted and picture in a sideways view with some third dimension properties. This portrayed the figures to have their left foot in front of their right forming this semi-stable but uncomfortable position. In Ancient Greek Sculptures, male figures were sculpted in a form that they counter-balanced their weight with their limbs in different positions. This portrayal signifies the idea that humanism was highly valued. The body language of the male sculptures developed the form described as Contrapposto.

Humanism

Humanism is a system of thought attaching importance to humans rather than divine or supernatural matters. It stresses the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasizing common human needs. Art of Greece and Rome. This is depicted in the behavior and personality of the Greek gods. The Greek gods, felt jealousy, anger, happiness, among other human emotions. This is different from many modern day religions in which the highest figure must be one dripped in perfection, non-human like in many ways. It allowed for believers to better resonate with the gods.

The art of Greece and Rome were more realistic and a better representation of an actual human. They made their works of art to show human rawness by incorporating facial expressions, body movement (or body in motion), and fine detail. Kroisos from Anavysos which was simply a human statue of a man. However, the detail included in the sculpture employs the elements of humanism. There was less focus on any divine or religious connection, and more emphasis on human features. Body parts such as fingers, toes, and muscles, as well as posture and expression all showed that this was an actual person who was most likely modeling for the artist. Nonetheless, humanism in this sculpture shows the difference in societal ideals the Greeks and Roman’s had in comparison to the Egyptians and Mesopotamians.

In comparison, Mesopotamian or Egyptian views art nude depictions of individuals as a taboo. Being nude was frowned upon and often used as a form of embarrassment. The ancient Egyptian statues often lacked movement, stood straight, and featured animal figures, usually the head, on the human body. Being part animal demonstrated that they were seen as divine and as superior to humans. An example of this would be Anubis, which has the head of a jackal and the body of a man and is the god of the dead. Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead

Blog 8 – Humanism in Greek & Roman Art

Humanism is an overall shift to the idea of what humans are capable of and can produce, rather than relying and basing argument on divine or supernatural factors. This was a shift in mindset, practices, and certainly artwork. A major factor in developing the humanistic ideology was the Greek gods and goddesses. Greeks identified that their gods had flaws and faced issues that mortal beings faced. As a result, it allowed the individuals to resonate more with the gods, but also rely less on gods and more on their own capabilities. Greek and Roman artwork greatly illustrates humanism when compared with ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian artwork. To begin with, Greek and Roman artwork are much more detailed than Egyptian and Mesopotamian. Greek and Roman sculptures had a more realistic appearance and looked like an actual person one could recognize. There was more emphasis on the face with distinct facial features and expressions, but also details in places one wouldn’t pay attention to right away such as fingers, feet, muscles, and posture.

To illustrate the difference, an example of Egyptian art is Anubis and mummification. Anubis was the jackal-headed god of embalming that watched over the dead. This is a good example in comparison to Greek and Roman artwork because it’s 2 dimensional, so there is less room for detail as opposed to a sculpture. However, what the art represents is also a representation of Egyptian culture. The Egyptians were very focused on gods and religion and they would base their thinking on divine or supernatural power. By presenting art with a half-human half-jackal being who helps individual be closer their god, the art is employing divine features rather than humanistic.

An example of Greek art is Kroisos from Anavysos which was simply a human statue of a man. However, the detail included in the sculpture employs the elements of humanism. There was less focus on any divine or religious connection, and more emphasis on human features. Body parts such as fingers, toes, and muscles, as well as posture and expression all showed that this was an actual person who was most likely modeling for the artist. Nonetheless, humanism in this sculpture shows the differing ideals that the Greeks and Roman’s had compared to the Egyptians and Mesopotamians.

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 art

Humanism is a concept that emphasizes “attaching prime importance to human(s) rather than divine or supernatural matters”, it is the study of human beings. In art, Humanism manifested through paying more attention to Human detail to make them look more human, through highlighting and detailing humanistic traits such as giving hair more detail- making it more realistic, making bodies more big and detailed (highlighting things such as stance, genitals, muscles etc). This was very important in the ancient times because it was a large switch from encompassing life and its meaning to supernatural and divine figures. Humanism presented more realism in the people’s lives. Humanism helped not only improve the quality of art and sculptures; however, it also helped show the evolution of art and how it was done before and how it developed.

 

Greek and Roman art, portray Gods as more human;

(Statue of Kouros)

whereas, Egyptian and Mesopotamian Gods are portrayed in a more dehumanized way having animal heads etc, however only because they were seen as divine and not as equivalent to humans, but superior. Egyptian art had more of a mystical feel to it rather than a realistic one.

(Painting of Anubis, a God with a jackal head)

Here is a juxtaposition of Greek and Egyptian art:

 (Marble statue of Kouros vs. King Menkaure and Queen statue)

Clearly the inclusion of Humanism was revolutionary because “it valued humanity in that it began to place human beings @ center of moral and social concerns and gave more valoration to things such as the human body”.

Blog #8: Humanism in Greek Art

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.