HST 301
April 24, 2001
"And we compel men
to exercise their bodies not only for the games, so that they can win the
prizes-for very few of them go to them-but to gain a greater good from it for
the whole city, and for the men themselves" Lucian, Anacharsis, ca. AD 170
The
Human form has always been a popular artistic subject. Artwork during this time
expressed pain, suffering, anguish, ecstasy and all the rest of the emotions.
Athletic youths were a favorite subject as were the acts of those ever-popular
Greek mythological figures. The main characteristic of the painting,
architecture and sculpture of Hellenistic Greece was exaggeration and athletic
art was no exception. During ancient times, subjects were often depicted during
athletic contests, as this was seen as the epitome of the body in motion. Our
modern society holds athletes in very high regard. This reverence and admiration
of athletes has its roots in ancient Greek society. The first Greek Olympians
were the original sports heroes. The art of this time reflected the importance
of sport and the high social standing of superior athletes as many of these
figures were immortalized in marble. (Artfocus)
The
variety of artistic directions makes a general statement about the sculpture of
the period rather difficult. The Hellenistic period was, above all, a period of
eclecticism. Art served a couple of important functions. It had religious
meaning, sculpture and painting were used to decorate the homes of the rich and
athletes were glorified for the polis. There was an interest in heroic portraits
and in colossal groups, but also in humbler subjects. The human being was
portrayed in every stage and walk of life; there was even an interest in
caricature. The awareness of space that characterized architecture also began to
emerge in sculpture and painting. As a result landscapes and interiors appeared
for the first time in both reliefs and painted panels. Lysippus returned to the
athletic type of Polyclitus, but his figures are lighter and more slender,
combining manly beauty and strength. He was at the height of his fame in the
time of Alexander the Great, who wanted only Lysippus to portray him. (crystalinks)
Greek art lost much of its simplicity and ideal perfection of form, its serenity and restraint, but it gained intensity of feeling and became more realistic during the Hellenistic period. It is interesting to note the role played by the gymnasium in the Hellenistic city, like the gymnasium of the classical city; it was a combination athletic, social and educational center. In the Hellenistic colonies, it was also something of a test of one's Greekness. Exercising in the nude was considered indecent almost everywhere but Greece; acceptance of this social custom meant rejection of the surrounding non-Greek culture. (Lu)
The way humans are depicted in Greek art is very clear and has multiple meanings. The Greeks idealized humans, showing the strong and youthful depiction of men and women. The topics shown in their vases reflect the importance of strength, athletic competition and battles. Their temples reflected their religious beliefs in the gods.
The emergence of city-states in the Greek world in the 8th century BC was paralleled by an expansion of organized athletic activities. Greeks organized special festivals in order to hold athletic events: these ranged from small-scale contests to nation-wide games. Among the latter, Olympic and Pythian festivals were in the top rank, attracting people from almost all Greek cities. Hostilities were suspended during the Olympic festival, which added glory to the games and ensured its fame throughout the Greek world. Every city-state was ambitious to claim as many Olympic victors as it could. This resulted in the issuance of several laws to encourage athleticism. Above all, the Olympiad was a sacred festival; not simply a series of athletic performances as it is today. To gain victory became a major achievement that gave credit not only to the athlete but to his city as well. Not long after Homer's times, personal achievement could not be envisaged without the contribution and acknowledgment of the athlete's city. Athletic victory became inextricably linked to the victory of his city and the city became the only collective body with rights to assign glory and awards. (lesson)
It was the credit to the personal achievement and the wide recognition of the athlete's physical and moral virtues. "Kartereia”, or the degree of endurance an athlete demonstrated during the long training period and performance, became a major virtue. The athlete's ability to suffer in silence and exhibit patience in training and practicing was one of the most important virtues that an athlete could gain and develop in his athletic years of life. "I won at boxing thrice by my skill and the endurance of my hands" says an ancient boxer in his inscription.(crystalinks). It was the moral reward that made the victory worthy of all efforts and physical pain.(Lu) A statue of a boxer (fig 1) shows the human side of athletic competition. The boxer sits reflecting on a past fight or one yet to come. He is looking skyward, perhaps for divine inspiration or guidance. This man gives everything he has inside of him during each fight and yet he looks so placid. Showing athletes in this manner may have been one way exalting their accomplishments. A common man would be panting, exhausted or out of breath whereas this boxer is at peace with himself and his body. The Olympic victors shared in the divine splendor and imperishable fame of the first mythical heroes. Victory was the highest honor for a mortal to attain. His fame became immortal thanks to the gods who preferred him and helped him to win. The favor of the gods and the wide recognition the victor gained by his city was the highest prize that made the obsessive passion of Greeks for contest ("agon") worthy of all efforts. (Ancient)
High
Classical and Hellenistic art desire to portray healthy and vigorous athletes of
ideal physical proportion and beauty, to represent the vigorous, healthy and
active Greek individuals and citizens. A statue of a discus thrower (circa 460
BC) (fig 2) in motion depicts the serenity of a body in motion. The athlete is
poised ready to throw his discus. His muscles are taught and well defined. His
face is calm and free from expression as if he was born to compete and it comes
as naturally to him as walking. The calmness we see in the discus thrower is an
example of the adoration of athletes. He is preserved in stone because a lesser
being would have to exert themselves much more to do what he is about to do and
still wouldn’t even come close to matching his skill. Sculptures, along with
other art mediums and architecture, hope to elevate Greek victory and to
celebrate the triumph of a Greek democratic and enlightened city-state. The
action-figures are able to reach out beyond their "contained" space
and into the immediate surrounding environment. The figures now seem to impose
themselves forcefully upon the spectator, provoking the viewer's response to the
dramatic situations. This way, the sculptures deliberately attempt to elicit
response from the viewer not only emotionally, but physically as well.
Ancient Greeks' interest in the human physique and their intrinsic belief in its beauty has to the rapid development of the way that the artist represented the human figure in life-like form with great emphasis on vitality and perfection. This in turn led to the idealized form that prevailed throughout the Classical and Hellenistic world. We know that well today, by the many examples on hand and the many writings on the subject of the perfect human body and it’s ideal measurements. The Greek depiction of the human figure was mostly of naked athletic males and the female figure remained of little interest until much later. This ethos was so powerful that even Greek gods have been given the perfect bodies of athletic humans! (Lu)
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Figure
1
Figure 2
Ancient
Greek Art Lesson, http://www.historylink101.com/lessons/art_history_lessons/greek_art.htm
Ancient
Greek Art,
An
old Subject that is always new.
Lu,
Tracy K. The Presence of the Pas.
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/va11/lu.html
Mulder-Slater,
Andrea. Hellenistic Art.
http://arthistory.about.com/arts/arthistory/library/bl101_hellenistic.htm