Ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece: names

Ancient Greece was one of the greatest states in the world. During its existence and on its territory the foundations of European art were laid. The preserved monuments of culture of that period testify to the highest achievements of the Greeks in the field of architecture, philosophical thought, poetry and, of course, sculpture. There are not enough original ones: time does not spare even the most unique creations. About the skill that the ancient sculptors of ancient Greece were famous for, we know in many respects thanks to written sources and later Roman copies. However, this information is enough to realize the importance of the contribution of the inhabitants of the Peloponnese to the world culture.

Periods

Sculptors of ancient Greece were not always great creators. The era of the flowering of their mastery was preceded by the period of archaic (VII-VI centuries BC). The surviving sculptures of the time are symmetrical and static. They do not have that vitality and hidden inner movement, which makes the statues look like dead people. All the beauty of these early works is expressed through the face. It is not so static as the body: the smile radiates a sense of joy and serenity, giving a special sound to the whole sculpture.

After the completion of the Archaic, the most fruitful time, in which the ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece created their most famous works, follows. It is divided into several periods:

• Early classics - the beginning of the V century. BC. E.
• High classics - V in. BC. E.
• Late classics - IV century. BC. E.
• Hellenism - the end of the IV. BC. E. - I c. N. E.

Transitional time

The early classics are the period when the sculptors of Ancient Greece begin to move away from static in the position of the body, to seek new ways of expressing their designs. Proportions are filled with natural beauty, postures become more dynamic, and faces - expressive.

The sculptor of Ancient Greece Myron created exactly in this period. In written sources, he is characterized as a master of the transfer of anatomically correct body structure, capable of accurately capturing reality. Miron's contemporaries also pointed to his shortcomings: in their opinion, the sculptor was not able to give beauty and liveliness to the faces of his creations.

Statues of the master embody heroes, gods and animals. However, the greatest preference for the sculptor of Ancient Greece, Miron gave the image of athletes during their accomplishments in competitions. The famous "Discobol" is his creation. The sculpture has not survived to this day in the original, but there are several copies of it. "Discobolus" depicts an athlete, who is ready to start his shell. The body of the athlete is perfectly executed: the tensed muscles testify to the heaviness of the disc, the twisted body resembles a spring ready to turn around. It seems, another second, and the athlete will throw a shell.

The statues of Athena and Marcia, which also survived only in the form of later copies, are considered to be perfectly executed by Miron.

Flowering

Outstanding sculptors of ancient Greece created throughout the period of high classics. At this time, the masters of creating reliefs and statues comprehend as ways of conveying the movement, and the basis of harmony and proportions. High classics - the period of the formation of those foundations of Greek sculpture, which later became the standard for many generations of masters, including those of the Renaissance.

At this time worked the sculptor of Ancient Greece Poliklet and ingenious Phidias. Both of them forced to admire themselves during their lifetime and were not forgotten in the centuries.

Peace and harmony

Poliklet created in the second half of the 5th century. BC. E. He is known as a master of creating sculptures depicting athletes in a state of rest. Unlike Mikron's Discoball, his athletes are not tense, but relaxed, but at the same time the viewer has no doubts about their power and capabilities.

Poliklet was the first to apply a special position of the body: his heroes often leaned on the pedestal with only one foot. This pose created a feeling of natural relaxation, typical of a resting person.

Canon

The most famous sculpture of Polyclett is "Dorifor", or "Spearman". The work is also called the canon of the master, because it embodies some of the provisions of Pythagoreanism and is an example of a special way of staging a figure, a counterpost. At the heart of the composition is the principle of cross-sectional uneven movement of the body: the left side (the hand holding the spear and the backward leg) is relaxed, but simultaneously in motion as opposed to the strained and static right (support leg and straightened arm along the body).

Poliklet used this method in many of his works. Its main principles are set forth in the treatise on aesthetics, which was not reached before us, written by the sculptor and named by him "Canon". Policklet allocated a rather large place in it to the principle of the golden section, which he also successfully applied in his works, when this principle did not contradict the natural parameters of the body.

Recognized genius

All the ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece during the period of high classics left behind admirable creations. However, the most outstanding among them was Phidias, rightly considered the founder of European art. Unfortunately, the work of the master mostly came to our days only as copies or descriptions on pages of tracts of ancient authors.

Phidias worked on the decoration of the Athenian Parthenon. Today the idea of the sculptor's skill can be summed up by the preserved marble relief, 1.6 m long. It contains numerous pilgrims going to the temple of Athena. The other jewels of the Parthenon were lost. The same fate befell the statue of Athena, established here and created by Fidius. The goddess, made of ivory and gold, symbolized the city itself, its power and greatness.

Wonder of the World

Other outstanding sculptors of Ancient Greece, perhaps little inferior to Phidias, but none of them could boast of creating a miracle of the world. The statue of Olympian Zeus was made by the master for the city, where the famous Games were held. The height of the thunderer, who sat on the golden throne, struck (14 meters). Despite such power, the god did not look threatening: Phidias created a calm, majestic and solemn Zeus, somewhat strict, but at the same time good. The statue, until its death for nine centuries, attracted many pilgrims seeking solace.

Late Classic

With the completion of the 5th c. BC. E. The sculptors of Ancient Greece did not run out. The names Skopas, Praxitel and Lysippos are known to everyone who is interested in ancient art. They created in the next period, called late classics. The works of these masters develop and supplement the achievements of the previous era. Each in its own way, they transform the sculpture, enriching it with new plots, ways to work with the material and the options for conveying emotions.

Boiling passions

Scopas can be called an innovator for several reasons. The great sculptors of Ancient Greece who preceded it preferred to use bronze as a material. The skopas created their creations mainly from marble. Instead of the traditional tranquility and harmony, which filled the work of famous sculptors of ancient Greece, the master chose expression. His creations are full of passions and experiences, they are more like real people, rather than unperturbed gods.

The most famous work of Scopas is the frieze of the mausoleum in Halicarnassus. It depicts the Amazonomachy - the struggle of the heroes of Greek myths with warlike Amazons. The main features of the style inherent in the master can be easily seen from the surviving fragments of this creation.

Smoothness

Another sculptor of this period, Praxitel, is considered the best Greek master in terms of transfer of body grace and inner spirituality. One of his outstanding works - Aphrodite of Cnidia - was recognized by the contemporaries of the master as the best creation ever created. The marble statue of the goddess was the first monumental image of a naked female body. The original did not reach us.

The features of the style peculiar to Praxitel are fully seen in the statue of Hermes. By a special statement of the naked body, the smoothness of the lines and the softness of the halftone marbles, the master managed to create a somewhat dreamy mood, literally enveloping the sculpture.

Attention to detail

At the end of the era of the late classics worked another famous Greek sculptor - Lysippos. His creations were distinguished by a special naturalism, careful elaboration of details, some elongation of proportions. Lysippos tried to create statues, full of elegance and elegance. His skill he honed, studying the canon of Policlet. Contemporaries noted that the work of Lysippos, unlike the "Dorifor", was more compact and balanced. According to legend, the master was the favorite creator of Alexander the Great.

The influence of East

A new stage in the development of sculpture begins in the late 4th century. BC. E. The boundary between two periods is the time of conquests of Alexander the Great. With them, in fact, begins the era of Hellenism, which was a combination of the art of ancient Greece and the eastern countries.

The sculptures of this period are based on the achievements of the masters of previous centuries. Hellenistic art gave the world such works as Nika Samothrace and Venus of Milo. At the same time appeared the famous reliefs of the Pergamon altar. In some works of the late Hellenism, reference to everyday plots and details is noticeable. The culture of Ancient Greece of this time had a strong influence on the formation of the art of the Roman Empire.

Finally

The importance of antiquity as a source of spiritual and aesthetic ideals can not be overestimated. Ancient sculptors in ancient Greece laid not only the foundations of their own craft, but also the standards of understanding the beauty of the human body. They were able to solve the problem of the image of motion by changing the posture and transferring the center of gravity. Ancient sculptors of Ancient Greece learned to transmit emotions and emotions with the help of processed stone, to create not just statues, but practically living figures, ready at any moment to move from place to place, to breathe, to smile. All these achievements will form the basis of the flowering of culture in the Renaissance.