History of Ancient Greek Art I

This course provides an overview to Aegean art and an introduction Greek painting, sculpture and architecture in the period 1100-480 BC. In the context of a broadly chronological survey, particular attention will be paid to the relationship between Greek art and society. Problems addressed will include: stylistic change and innovation, the role of the state in the development of Greek art, religious ideology and religious iconography, word and image, the social contexts and uses of art.

Objectives

To understand art on the Aegean and Greece, the geometrical and archaic style from the seventh to the early fifth centuries B.C., analyzing and contextualizing an unfamiliar piece of Greek art˙ to interpret the subject matter and narrative˙ how to reconstruct the context for which an object was made. Also students must understand what was Aegean art, Geometric and archaic Greek art, and what were its contexts, aims, achievements, and impact.

Prerequisites

None.

Syllabus

• Introduction • From Geometric to Orientalising: the Dark Ages and Light from the East. • Gods, Aristocrats and the Rise of Monumental Sculpture. • The Origins of the Greek Temple and the Rise of the Orders. • Temples, Tyrants and Architectural Sculpture in Archaic Greece. • Vase-painting: Techniques, Styles, Artists. • Looking at Vase-paintings and the Social History of Art: Iconography, Structural Analysis.