Preview

The Golden Ratio in Zeus

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
690 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Golden Ratio in Zeus
PHEIDIAS (fl. c. 490-430 BC), Athenian sculptor, the artistic director of the construction of the Parthenon, who created its most important religious images and supervised and probably designed its overall sculptural decoration. It is said of Phidias that he alone had seen the exact image of the gods and that he revealed it to man. He established forever general conceptions of Zeus and Athena.

Little is known about Phidias' life. When Pericles rose to power in 449, he initiated a great building program in Athens and placed Phidias in charge of all artistic undertakings. Among works for which Phidias is famous are three monuments to Athena on the Athenian Acropolis (the Athena Promachos, the Lemnian Athena, and the colossal Athena Parthenos for the Parthenon) and the colossal seated Zeus for the Temple of Zeus at Olympia; none of these survives in the original.

The first of Phidias' monuments to Athena, the bronze Athena Promachos, was one of his earliest works. It was placed on the Athenian Acropolis in about 456. According to the preserved inscription, it measured about 30 feet (9 m) high. At the time, it was the largest statue yet erected in Athens.

The so-called Lemnian Athena was dedicated as an offering by Athenian colonists who were sent to Lemnos between 451 and 448. A head of Athena in Bologna and two statues of Athena in Dresden are thought to be copies, in marble, of Phidias' original work in bronze.

The colossal statue of the Athena Parthenos, which Phidias made for the Parthenon, was completed and dedicated in 438. The original work was made of gold and ivory and stood some 38 feet (12 m) high. The goddess stood erect, wearing a tunic, aegis, and helmet and holding a Nike (goddess of victory) in her extended right hand and a spear in her left. A decorated shield and a serpent were by her side. Several copies have been identified from this description; among them are the Varakion, a Roman copy of about AD 130 (now in the National
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Lansdowne Bust Of Athena Essay
    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lansdowne Bust Of Athena Essay

    “Lansdowne Bust of Athena of Velletri, 2nd century A.D. Roman copy after a Greek original”…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    intro art
    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages

    intro art

    Chapter 5 Greek Art (1) Name:___________________________ Matching a. main chamber of a temple holding a cult statue b. fifth century Athenian statesman c. half man half horse d. god of wine e. grooved member of Doric Frieze alternating with metopes f. black figure vase painter g. triangular space formed by roof and cornice h. warrior goddess, protectress of Athens i. slight convex curve of a column j. lowest division of the entablature of a temple k. architects of the Parthenon l. entrance gateway m. sculptor of the Discobolos n. female figure used as column o. storage jar with and egg shaped body p. sculptor of Hermes and Dionysus q. ornament from Ionic capital resembling a rolled scroll r. painting method using melted wax 1. ______ triglyph 2. ______ Polykleitos 3.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Pericles Influence Athens
    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages

    How Did Pericles Influence Athens

    Most of the Acropolis had been destroyed or was in ruins after war with the Persians. Since this was around the time of Pericles coming to power most people looked to him for hope of rebuilding their city. Pericles began the reconstruction of the Acropolis around 460 and hired the best sculptors and architects to work on this project. The people who were put in charge of rebuilding the Acropolis were Phidias, Ictinus, and Callicrates. Ictinus and Callicrates were well known architects in Athens and would construct one of the most well known structures of all time the Parthenon. Pericles was in the process of reconstructing the long walls at this time therefore he had to leave this project to his two trusted architects. The Parthenon was built in the place of the Temple to Athena and would at one point be used as the treasury for the Delian League. In 437 the Propylaea, or the gates to the Acropolois, were being built by Mnesicles. These gates had columns made of Pentelic Marble which were built in place of the old gates which somewhat remained. Behind the gates a structure made by the great sculptor Phidias called the Promachos Athena stood at enormous heights. This was a gigantic bronze statue of Athena that was created in the time from 450-448 The last major structure that was being built during the time that Pericles ruled Athens was the Temple of Athena…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Visual Analysis Assignment Hope Athena
    • 561 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Visual Analysis Assignment Hope Athena

    Walking through LACMA there was a section that caught my eye and found it to be of interest to me. That section was the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Art which was located on the Ahmanson Building, Level 3. There were various unique pieces such as vases, jewelry and sculptures. I chose the sculpture of Hope Athena to do my visual analysis because I found it to be beautiful. Athena was a Greek goddess of wisdom and war. The sculpture at LACMA is a Roman, 2nd century copy after a Greek original of the late 5th century BC School of Pheidias. The sculpture was made out of marble with neutral colors. In parts the color was dull with hues of ivory and golden brown. The shape of the body was rectangular with broad shoulders. The sculpture had her arms missing. Her head was round with hair coming down in vertical waves. She was wearing a warrior helmet from my view point I could not tell what the helmet had on it. The helmet gave her a powerful look. Her facial expression seemed reflective with facial features being symmetrical and smooth. The eye sockets were hollow and dark. Her nose was chipped and her upper and lower lips were thin. One of the focal points for me was how her robe or drapery had such detail throughout the sculpture. It wrapped around her body with great detail with vertical creases and folds giving the sculpture a realistic look. The vertical lines toward the bottom of robe had great detail and were distributed equally and her feet and toes…

    • 561 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare Classical Greek Parthenon
    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare Classical Greek Parthenon

    * The original construction of the Parthenon was built in 448-432 BCE. The Parthenon was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, she was known as the virgin patron from here people in Greece. Parthenon was built for the purpose to store the chryselephantine statue of Athena. The sculptor of Parthenon was Pheidias, it was designed by Iktinos and Kallikrates, the two men were architects for the project.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Parthenon Vs Pantheon Research Paper
    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Parthenon Vs Pantheon Research Paper

    Its façade is in accord with the golden ratio, able to be divided into golden rectangles. It is a Doric temple, which means that it is rectangular in style, with steps on each side, and a row of columns, or a colonnade, around the entire perimiter of the building. Inside there are two rooms. The larger room, called the naos, once held a statue of Athena. The smaller room, the opisthodomos, was once used as a treasury. The metopes are 92 panels that run along the outside of the building. The metopes on each side have a different subject: the final stages of the battle between the Greek gods and the giants, the Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs, the invasion of the Amazons, and the Trojan War. The frieze is the most notable feature of the Parthenon, in the upper part of the largest room. It is most agreed upon that it depicts a procession from Athens to the Acropolis in celebration of Athena. The pedimens are some of the finest examples of classical Greek sculpture, narrating the birth of Athena and the competition between her and Poseidon to become the patron of Athens. The sculptures depict figures in natural and graceful movement, with idealized and perfected…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Art 101 Week 1 Assignment
    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Art 101 Week 1 Assignment

    The first art work chosen was a figure by Myron of Athens, Discobolous. The Discobolous, a Discus Thrower, is a Roman marble copy after a bronze original of 450 BCE. A picture of this piece is shown below, figure 1. This piece of art work is simply amazing and exemplifies the Greek sense of harmony and balance (Petronius, 2008). The artist depicted the statutes of that time, a male nude figure, which seems to express freedom of movement and the Greeks idea of beauty. Furthermore, this artwork exemplifies the role of the artist through a representation of human strength and values.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pericles Influence On Greek Culture
    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pericles Influence On Greek Culture

    Phidias is considered the greatest sculptor of the Age of Pericles. He created colossal gold plated marble statues generally face and hands, which were highly celebrated and admired in his own time. Pericles promoted and favored the theatre with a series of practical measures. The wealthiest families were obligated to care for the choruses and actors. Pericles maintained the tradition according to which theater pieces served the moral and intellectual education of the people.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Parthenon In Nashville, Tennessee
    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Parthenon In Nashville, Tennessee

    The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, by the people of Greece. The replica was made to represent the Athens of the South which is Nashville because at the time it was one of the few places in the south with significant growth of culture and education. While the completion of the original was in 432 B.C., Nashville’s replica was completed in 1897 by architect William Crawford Smith. The original Parthenon is thought of to be the most important surviving building of Classical Greek era. The replica Parthenon was originally built of plaster, wood, and brick, for it was not intended to be permanent.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Athenian Acropolis
    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Athenian Acropolis

    The Athenian Acropolis stands as a engineering and design marvel of the Classical Era of Greek civilization, constructed between 447 and 432 BCE. Contained within the mount, is the complex of temples dedicated to Athena-Nike and Athena-Parthenon, the Parthenon, as it is typically referred to, is the most well known structures in this temple complex. All made of marble, the Doric structure is a masterpiece of construction, created in the wake of the destruction of the previous structures during the Greek city-states war with Persia.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Mediterranean Architecture Essay
    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mediterranean Architecture Essay

    Again, from an architectural standpoint, this monument began construction around 447 BCE and is one of a kind due to its immense size, columns, pediments, and elaborate design. This building contains both doric and ionic columns, meaning that there would be metopes and triglyphs on the doric columns and bases with scrolled capitals on the ionic columns. The roof is very large and sloped on two sides, allowing for pediments on both the east and west sides. The east pediment depicted the birth of Athena, the west pediment showed Athena and Poseidon competing, and at least one of the metopes showed a centaur and Lapith theme known as centauromachy. This building was strategically placed on one of the highest points in the city and was utilized as a place of worship, made out of limestone and marble. Inside would have been a colossal statue of Aphrodite. This building utilized a classical style of architecture and was built by Itkinos and Kallikrates. From a religious standpoint, this building may have held as much importance as the Apostolic Palace does in Rome. The Parthenon is part of a larger Athenian Acropolis, which has four buildings…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Art Paper Outline
    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Art Paper Outline

    It is 85.24 cm long bronze statue. This statue is of a mythological god, Eros. Eros is the Greek god of love and sexual desire. He was also worshiped as a fertility god. This statue depicts Eros as a baby. The figure is in an exhausted and relaxing, reclining poses. The figure has pudgy limbs and curly hair. Unlike the “Seated statue of Gudea”, it has naturalistic detail. Which makes it realistic, and humanized besides the fact of it having wings on its back. According to the descriptions at the Metropolitan Museum, this statue in the Roman period served a purposed of decoration in the villa gardens and fountains. Its function in the Hellenistic period isn’t clear but possibly have been used as dedications within a sanctuary of Aphrodite or possibly erected in a public park or private, even royal,…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Greek And Roman Architecture Essay
    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Greek And Roman Architecture Essay

    Parthenon in Athens, Greece, was built in the fifth century BC as a temple to Athena, goddess of wisdom, and is one of the most famous examples of Greek Doric style. A Doric column is wide with parallel vertical grooves and a plain stone top. The Greeks used the Doric style mainly on the mainland…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Architecture In Ancient Greece
    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Architecture In Ancient Greece

    Very early on the Greeks made the decision that the human form was a significant subject for artistic endeavor. The standing male nude was vital during the Archaic period. Throughout that period, the sculptures were not meant to represent actual humans, they typically depicted what ideal beauty, piety, honor or sacrifice should look like. Next in the Classical period many changes took place. Poses became more relaxed, along with more technical skill of sculptors being greatly involved. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, was made in this period. Finally was the Hellenistic period. All art forms amidst this period became considerably more diverse as new cultures migrated to Greece. The sculptures of this time were further emotional and…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alexander The Great Sculpture Essay
    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alexander The Great Sculpture Essay

    It was discovered in 1996 near the Croatian island of Losini in the northen Adriatic Sea. Both this statue and the Ephesian Apoxyomenos reproduce the same late-fourth-centruy B.C. work, but this replica is better-preserved. On contrary to the small-scaled Alexander the Great sculpture, the athlete sculpture is slightly over life-size by ancient standards. Produced in the first century B.C., it is composed of bronze and copper. The mature, but youthful man stands upright with his weight on the right leg and the left foot set to the side with heel raised with an overly muscular chest and wide shoulders. The smoothly idealized face has wide cheekbones and a rather short chin with copper accentuating the lips and nipples. The most distinct feature of the head is the hair. The rows of smaller and finely chiseled strands surrounding the forehead are swept in different directions, creating a realistically disheveled look of an athlete who has just finished his competition. The most noticeable difference from the Ephesian statue is the position of the head, which is not turned to the left, is inclined further forward, and is somewhat tilted. As a result, the figure’s gaze does not meet the…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics