Tag: Blog Post: Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

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.

   

Blog Post: Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

       

Humanism is the idea that humans can, and should, achieve all that they possibly can in life. It is a view of life which does not count upon any supernatural phenomenon or life after death. Humanism became more interested in themselves than in God influenced by Greeks and Romans studying philosophy and art. For the ancient Greeks, humanism in its many art forms involved the glorification of man as the most important subject in the universe, which is most evident within their sculptures. The Greeks believed that art served as an expression of perfection. Ancient Greeks captured and encapsulated the ideal image of human figures in sculptures. The male sculptures usually carried a muscular and athletic build.  The Greeks mostly portrayed their mythological gods in sculpture, to articulate the ideal form of beauty, strength, and power. As an example, the statue of Zeus or Poseidon, god of the sky, shows great stride and extends his left arm forward, while throwing the thunderbolt or the trident, which he held in his right hand. The Romans preferred a naturalistic approach. Their sculptors described historical events and individualized people. Roman sculptures departed from the idealism of the Greek era and captured the most realistic humanism of the figures. The Romans only idealized statues for their divine emperors.
In contrast, Egyptians focused on enshrining the dead and decorating the tombs while Mesopotamians created brightly colored figurines and boldly patterned bowls. They also depicted hierarchy in size, for instance, women are smaller than men. Egyptians display pictures of men and women equally. Both depicted animals on decorative columns. 
Egyptian sculptures and paintings followed a rigid formula for representing the human figure which is always depicted with a front view of the eye and shoulders and profile view of head, arms, and legs. In wall paintings, the surface is divided into horizontal bands separated by lines. The leg is turned to the same side as the head, with one foot placed in front of the other. The head is at right angles to the body. Statues are made of hard substances like granite and slate. The pose is always frontal and symmetrical, with arms close to the torso. Every figure whether in paintings or sculptures stands or sits with a formal, rigid posture.

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism is an ancient idea that is still very current today. It is the idea that man is the center and everything revolves around it.  Man is basically the sun.  Humans’ needs are the most important.  This idea is very obvious within Roman and Greek art. Their art is very different than the art of the rest of the world, specifically Egyptian art.

Since Humanism is all about man, their [Greeks and Romans] art was made to honor man.  Egyptian art was made for after life and Deities, they served a purpose for a greater being(s).  One of the major differences between the two types are that the Greeks and Romans honor and love the human form, which means that most, if not all, of their art has people naked. They enjoy the look of the nude body so that’s what their art is; many, many naked people.  The Egyptians are making art for a higher power so they don’t need to show off the body, especially since being naked wasn’t as amazing as it was in Greece and Rome, who literally did everything in the nude.

Egyptians also used a lot of animal figures for higher representation of things, but Romans and Greeks believed that there is nothing higher that a human body.

For example, the Egyptian painting of Anubis.  He is clothed and portrayed with the head of a dog to signify something.  Many times he was painted on the inside of a coffin to protect the soul.  Then the Greeks/Romans had Kroisos, a nude sculpture of a boy.  It was also used for a death, but was shown loud and proud to mark the grave.

 

 

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 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

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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