1. Athena The deity of Athens and classical Greece was the goddess of knowledge and wisdom

2. IDEALISM Plato believed that perfect truth, beauty and wisdom exist in the world of forms and ideas – and can only be reached through the power of reason and the human mind Plato views art as an imitation or mimesis of true beauty, truth and wisdom. Through the ideal human form, Greek sculptors seek to represent things as they should be – an ideal type whose appearance is governed not by the senses of desire but is ordered, calm, unemotional like a sound mind A sound body = a sound mind

3. RATIONALISM The intellect is the highest human faculty The rational mind can achieve knowledge of truth, wisdom and beauty We have rational minds because beyond the world of appearances or reality the universe if governed by logic and reason When an artists hands are guided by an alert mind, they can uncover universal logic and reason = canon of proportion

4. LATE CLASSICAL: WHY WAS IT CREATED (CA) Time of upheaval and political invasion – Peloponnesian war, re-unification of Greece, followed by Macedonian rule, then Alexander the Great War profoundly impacted the Psyche of the Greeks – WAR IS NOT RATIONAL Brought an end to the serene idealism of the Classical period Greek thought and art began to focus less on the an ideal world of perfect beings and more on the individual, and real world appearances – THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

5. What are the facts? (F) Artist: Praxiteles Patron: City of Knidian Title: Aphrodite of Knidos Date: 350 BCE Period/Style: Late Classical Size: 6’ 8” Location: Temple at Knidos MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Carved Marble SUBJECT MATTER Aphordite – Mythic figure Genre scene - everyday life. She is about to take a Bath. AN INTIMATE SCENE OF HUMANITY

7. How is the subject matter visually represented / presented? (FA) Humanized and completely nude About to step in the bath – can be viewed from every angle - A Goddess to be gazed upon!!! Shocking in its day but not erotic – hand is modestly placed over her pelvis She is sensuous: S-curve of her body – sculpture in the round Her face has a smile that was said to have a “welcoming look” The S-curve of her body highlights the soft flesh of her body WHAT KIND OF LOVE DOES SHE PROMOTE? WHAT CHANGE IN GREEK CULTURE CAUSES THIS SHIFT IN FOCUS?

8. What are the facts? (F) Artist: Praxiteles Patron: NA Title: Hermes and the infant Dionysus Date: 350 BCE Period/Style: Late Classical Size: 7’ 1” Location: Temple of Hera MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Carved Marble SUBJECT MATTER Mythology. Hermes delivering baby Dionysus to be raised in the woods by nymphs AN INTIMATE SCENE OF INTERACTION AND HUMANITY

9. How is the subject matter visually represented / presented? (FA) He leans on a tree trunk, resting S-Curve stance Delicate features Would be holding grapes for Dionysus Gazes dreamily into space Tender and human interaction – Gods have stepped off their pedestal and are demonstrating human experiences WHAT KIND OF LOVE DOES HE PROMOTE? Have we seen this before?

11. What are the facts? (F) Artist: Lysippos Patron: NA Title: Weary Herakles Date: 350 BCE Period/Style: Late Classical Size: 10’ 5” Location: NA MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Carved Marble SUBJECT MATTER Mythology. Herakles – Hero and God. A tragic figure in Late Classical art AN INTIMATE SCENE OF THE HEROES HUMANITY

12. KNOWN FOR: Strength Courage Ingenuity – Often outwitted his enemy Protector of the Gym Very masculine but also a passionate and emotional figure IF HE WERE DEPICTED DURING THE CLASSICAL PERIOD WHICH OF HIS TRAITS WOULD BE THE FOCUS?

13. How is the subject matter visually represented / presented? (FA) Muscular body contrasts with exhausted stance – leans on his club for support The viewer must walk around it – he holds the golden apple behind his back Despite having completed one of his labors he is not serene of joyful – he can think only of his pain and weariness His stance is s rejection of stability and balance that reflects his emotional state Elongated proportions In What way is the portrayal of this subject matter a reflection of historical events in the late classical period?

14. Lets Compare Classical Sculpture can be described as: Rational, idealized, “perfect,” detached, self-contained, unemotional, balanced, unified, ordered and calm, proportional (cannon) Late Classical Sculpture can be described as: Naturalistic, personalized, humanized, relaxed, “soft,” breaking into viewer’s space, elongation of proportions