Pliny's reports define Polygnotus as the father of a painting art. For the first time, he portrayed figures with open mouths, with a grimace, thus giving them expressiveness. According to Aristotle, Polygnotus "perfectly presented the *ethos*" (Boardman, 1964: 192). Its form involves the discovery of perspective. In the period of the Parthenon, this invention was used by Achilles painter depicting vases with doors and buildings in a short perspective, thus giving paintings of three-dimensional space. His leading work was "Descent of Odysseus to Hades," which was originally exhibited in Athens and then deported to Rome.
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Terracotta;red-figure vase:Perseus beheading the sleeping Medusa, King Polypeithes between two women, Author:Pharos License:Public Domain
Reconstruction of the ancient painting "Nekyia" by Polygnotus, Author:Carl Robert License:Public Domain
The son of Nicomedes from Athens, Nicias, was a representative of the school of Athen and has already gained recognition in his contemporaries. (Piszczek, 1990). Engaging in the encaustic technique, he became famous as the creator of beautiful female figures, animalist, master of colour and *chiaroscuro* (Becatti, Nicias).
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In imitating the famous works of Nicias "Perseus and Andromeda" and "Io and Argus", paintings on the walls of Roman houses, one can see attempts to reflect the characters' psyche. (Nowicka, 1985: 107). For example, let it be the myth of Andromeda, where Nicias concentrates on the intimate aspect of the legend and presents the mythical princess when she is released from her ties. The painting explores the mental state of the liberated heroine who, as if surprised and shy, takes the first step to freedom. In addition to easel painting, Nicias dealt with polychrome statues and in this field, he worked closely with Praxiteles.
Perseus and Andromeda, fresco 62-79 AD, from House of the Dioscuri in Pompeii, Author:John R. Clarke License:Public Domain
After the period of the Peloponnesian Wars, new schools of painting flourished in regions other than Athens. One should mention the Ionian school (existing already from the 6th century BC). It was the stage of intellectual reflections on the meaning and role of art. Zeuxis of Heraclea, a V-century painter who at the height of the war was at the height of fame, created a technique based on volumetric manipulation of light, giving the impression of depth. The painter considered art to be the subject of illusion (which Plato criticized as a socially harmful view), and Pliny the Elder (Naturalia Historia) quotes the history of a duel, which brought this illusion into the rank of a psychological problem. Clashes between Zeuxis and Parrasjos led to the fact that the first had to recognize the superiority of the opponent. The story tells of the Zeuxis painting depicting a bunch of grapes in such a realistic way that the birds were pecking at them. Was the motivation of the painter to delude? The perfect play of light and shadow allowed Parrasjos to deceive not so much the birds as his rival. He painted the curtain so realistically that Zeuxis asked him to unveil the picture. Pliny's story is an interesting reflection on human cognition: while animals cling to the surface, appearance, people inspire deeper ideas contained in art.
Zeuxis and Parrhasius. 19th.century. Georg Hiltensperger. German 1806-1890. A panel from the Mural in the Gallery of the History of Ancient Art. Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg. Russia. encaustic technique, Author: siddhesh joshi License:CC BY-SA 3.0
The wide changes that have taken place in the art of Greece and the Middle East, were caused by political changes both in the center, Athens, in particular, the rule of the Macedonian rulers. Figurative and portrait sculpture, architecture and planning, painting are fields of artistic and social activity, on which one notices these changes most clearly. Behind them followed philosophy and spirituality. The relationship of people with deities has evolved and this new perspective was reflected in the art in IV and later centuries.
Hades abducting Persephone, fresco in the small royal tomb at Vergina, Macedonia, Greece, Author: Le Musée absolu License:Public Domain
References
Images: sources linked below
Photo: @highonthehog
Boardman, J.,Sztuka Grecka, Wydawnictwo VIA, Toruń, 1964
Nowicka, M., From the history of Greek and Roman painting, PIW, Warszawa, 1988
Nowicka, M.,Malarstwo antyczne, PAN, Warszawa, 1985
Piszczek, Z. (red.), Mała encyklopedia kultury antycznej, PWN, Warszawa, 1990
Becatti, G., Nikias, in Enciclopedia dell'arte antica classica e orientale, vol. 5, Roma, Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, 1963.
Love it ! Thank you !
I have a bachelor in general art history and archeology, Ive seen some of theses in my courses and this is great glimps to the evolution of art at this period. Thank you for reminding me that part of history as Im concentrating on other geographic places and different periods of time, its always a delight to go throught a little ancient greek art history ♡
Wow, so you had a cool time studying antiquity as well. I#m happy to meet people who share a similar passion. Thanks for your comment :*
Absolutely my studies were fascinating, and Im still amazed by history and art history ! And also I give you the thumbs up for the references part thats very pro and many people in the "hobby" forget to do so. Which is annoying if you truly are interested in going forward in the topic ! Be blessed Ill check your posts and resteem them as they are quality content !
Im working on French middle ages architecture right now and Ill be soon enough posting an article about a mysterious yet amazing Church in Saint-Nectaire, maybe you'll be interested
Greek myths are my favorite childhood tale
mine too, one thing that I really remember from primary school, as u see it evolved. :)
Great article and beautiful formatting as always @highonthehog
That would have been funny to watch :D
Can you please help me to find the connection with the Trevi fountain?
Aha! I could say it's just my artistic expression but it's not only about that..so to cut the story short. I need a thumbnail photo with me on it, since I have already posted quite a lot of articles resembling antiquity, I'm running out of sufficient photos. This is one of the last ones in good resolution :) No mysterious story behind it, sorry :)
Ah I see. And me who was looking for some connection I may be overlooking. Thanks for answering :)
Thanks for sharing this information some of them I did not know :)
I want them Roman Robes ! So classy ! :)
Hehe good one😎