Name: ______________________________

ART281 Art History

Deadline: Sunday 13th June 2016
Grade: _______/100
Individual Research
Chapters 4 & 5: Art of Ancient Aegean & Greece Do ANY FIVE questions.
Give your best respond.

1. What happened on Cycladic island of Thera c. 1650 1625 BCE? How did this event lead to
the emergence of Greek Civilization around 900 BCE and eventual influence on human history
in the West? Make reference to the Aegean Dark Age c. 1100 900 BCE. (20pts)

Ans: The events that took place on Cycladic Islands of Thera C. 1650 1625 B.C.E, and how it
led to the emergence of Greek civilization around 900 B.C.E and eventually of human history in
the west was the eruption of a huge volcano on the islands of Thera mainly the Cycladic islands.
The Minoan civilization was a thriving one; it was the most dominant culture in the
Mediterranean between 1650 1625 B.C.E. The entire civilization was whipped out by the
eruption, the annihilation of the Minoan civilization and their islands changed the political and
cultural course of the ancient world. After the eruption, there was no other kind of dominant
culture in the Mediterranean until the existence of the Greek empire. Since the Minoan
civilization there was no other culture as dominant until the Greeks. The Greeks took the heart
of the Minoan alphabet system and made it their own. This eventually led to human history in the
west with the Greek empire being the most dominant in regards to buildings, learning techniques
and art form.

2. Compare the plans of the architectural complexes at Knossos and Mycenae. How have the
arrangements of the buildings aided archaeologists in speculating on the way these complexes
were used? Compare and contrast the art and architecture developed by three Aegean Bronze
Age cultures. Evaluate how archaeology has recovered, reconstructed, and interpreted ancient
Aegean material culture despite the lack of written documents. (20pts)

3. What explanations have art historians proposed for the use and cultural significance of the
elegant figures of women that have been excavated in the Cyclades? Select two metal objects
from Chapter 4: Art of the Ancient Aegean and explain how they were made. What aspects of the
processes and details in the objects signal that these Bronze Age artists worked to a high level of
technical sophistication? (20pts)
ART-281: Individual Research

4. Trace the development of Greek Civilization from early Greek Art c. 900 BCE to the
Hellenistic Period 31/30 BCE. Read the article Human Evolution: Of Ice and Man. Explain the
statement if Greece represented the first day in art, then these carved tusks and sculpted
stones mark the dazzling light of its early morning.. (20pts)

Ans: The statement if Greece represented the first day in art, then these carved tusks and
sculpted stones mark the dazzling light of its "early morning". Can mean numerous things,
throughout history the Greeks will always stand above other civilizations. They were the first
civilization to move from cave painting to more elaborate sculptures and structures, well that is
the belief of most people. The statement is basically saying that Greece is looked at as the
architect of art, but this is not true. We know now that we have found figures and statues that
have been dated well before Greece became established. So calling Greece the originators of art
is incorrect. Overall the statement is telling us that history itself is based on a false premise and is
not plausible for art to be created in Greece.

5. Discover the ways Hellenistic sculptors departed from the norms of High Classicism. Also,
discuss the emergence of a characteristically Greek approach to the representation of the male
nude by comparing the Anavysos Kouros (FIG. 5 18) and the Kritios Boy (FIG. 5 23). What has
changed and what remains constant? (20pts)

Ans: Throughout the Archaic period the Greek approached the male nude in a very stiff frontal
perspective similar to Egyptian sculptures. In the Archaic period the Kouros are much less
realistic than the Egyptian statues showing the Greeks were not very interested in natural
anatomy. The artistic style was very geometric and the proportions were not very realistic. As the
Greeks progressed from Archaic period to the Classical period there freestanding kouros became
more and more realistic and relaxed. This concept was even apparent from the Metropolitan
Kouros, dated about 600 BCE, to Anavysos Kouros, dated about 530 BCE. The stiff body
position, hairstyle, and the Archaic smile in Anavysos Kouros reflected early Greek style. The
anatomy became more realistic. Yet, there was an emerging masculinity and strength in the
appearance of his body. The Anavysos Kouros and Kritios Boy are both symbolic of the Greeks
ideal of male youth, which is constant in the Greeks evolving representation in Kouros. Entering
the Classical period, the body shape became much softer, while the facial features became
widespread. The Archaic smile disappeared leaving a calm expression, which gave the sculpture
ART-281: Individual Research

poise. The slight turn of the head causes the viewer to follow his gaze and move around the
figure. His posture and body position is much more relaxed compared to the Archaic kouroi. His
weight is shifted into the left side of his hip, which was very different from the upright stiff pose
of Anavysos Kouros. This pose demonstrated the weight shifting when the figure takes a step
forward was displayed throughout Classical Art, including the Kritian Boy, known as
contrapposto. Egyptian artist did not take the weight shift in account unlike Greeks, which
proved the Greeks used real models. Although the Greeks were aware of the weight shift in the
lower half of the body they ignored the upper half, which continued to reflect earlier kouros with
frontal blocky shoulders.

6. Trace the emergence of a distinctive style and approach to art and architecture during the early
centuries of Greek civilization. Compare and contrast the black-figure and red-figure techniques
of ceramic painting. And assess the differences between the three-order systems used in temple
architecture. (20pts)

Ans: Between the beginning of the sixth and the end of the fourth centuries B.C., black- and redfigure techniques were used in Athens to decorate fine pottery while simpler, undecorated wares
fulfilled everyday household purposes. With both techniques, the potter first shaped the vessel on
a wheel. Most sizeable pots were made in sections; sometimes the neck and body were thrown
separately, and the foot was often attached later. Once these sections had dried to a leather
hardness, the potter assembled them and luted the joints with a slip (clay in a more liquid form).
Lastly, he added the handles. In black-figure vase painting, figural and ornamental motifs were
applied with a slip that turned black during firing, while the background was left the color of the
clay. Vase painters articulated individual forms by incising the slip or by adding white and purple
enhancements (mixtures of pigment and clay). In contrast, the decorative motifs on red-figure
vases remained the color of the clay; the background, filled in with a slip, turned black. Figures
could be articulated with glaze lines or dilute washes of glaze applied with a brush. The redfigure technique was invented around 530 B.C., quite possibly by the potter Andokides and his
workshop. It gradually replaced the black-figure technique as innovators recognized the
possibilities that came with drawing forms, rather than laboriously delineating them with
incisions. The use of a brush in red-figure technique was better suited to the naturalistic
representation of anatomy, garments, and emotions.

ART-281: Individual Research

7. What is the significance of Alexander the Great campaigns. What was his true purpose in
invading Persia? Discuss how his campaign influenced the Western world, the Ancient Near East
and how they affected Bible History? (20pts)

Ans: The significance of Alexander the Great campaigns were very huge because his campaigns
help shape the world as we know it now. The purpose of invading Persia was to gain revenge on
the Persia for burning down the city of Athens. Alexander led a series of campaigns in 334 B.C.E
which resulted in the Macedonian rule throughout Asia with his campaigns Alexander brought
the entire Middle East under his rule. By defeating Persia, the Greek culture spread to all known
parts of the world in that time. His campaigns greatly influenced the known world and the Bible
at that time by translating the Bible from Hebrew to Greek. This came about because in all the
areas that Alexander the Great conquered he brought with him the Greek language teaching it to
the locals, so it was only natural that the most important book The Bible would be translated
into Greek since Greek was the main language being used in that time. So all in all it helped
make the Bible even more popular and readable spreading it all over the world.

ART-281: Individual Research