AR-335

November 15, 2016

Western Aesthetic- Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is a civilization that lasted from around 900 BC to

approximately 600 AD. They contributed to many things today such as politics and

culture. But, the most important contribution was arguably the development of

western aesthetic. It is a fact that the Greek aesthetic became the western aesthetic

and it is evident in the aesthetics of the Parthenon, the evolution of Greek sculpture,

and the changing aesthetic from idealism to realism.

To begin with, the Parthenon is a Greek temple that was built from 447 BC

until 438 BC and is considered to be one of the most important buildings still around

from the period of classical Greece. It was originally dedicated to the goddess

Athena, but it has now become the image of Greek aesthetic. For example, the

Parthenon actually has only a few parallel lines in order to make it more

aesthetically pleasing and to enhance its characteristics of harmony. This is an

incredible form of engineering and especially for the time it was created. Harmony,

balance, and perfection were very important and can be seen in other aspects of the

Parthenon. It is also considered to be the most balanced Doric buildings in history.

Its columns exhibit a bit of a swelling, but it was built intentionally because it allows

the columns to be seen as straight from a distance, which is very advanced for the

time it was built in.

 Furthermore, Greek sculpture was influenced by the likes of Egyptian

sculptures from around 800 BC to 300 BC. A prime example of this is the Kouros

type of sculpture. This type of sculpture is from the Archaic period in Greece and is

the perfect representation of Egyptian culture. The sculpture represents a nude

male, standing vertically with one foot in front of the

other and with the hands to the sides. This is very similar

to the sculptures of the Egyptians in its form and

positioning of the body. Then slowly, the ancient Greeks

began to develop these sculptures to their own

understanding of beauty. The hair and muscles of the

later sculptures began to be more defined and slowly they

began to have some sort of facial expression. This is

evidence of the Greeks pursuit for classical perfection,

which they arguably attained in sculptures such as the

Myron, Polyclitus, and Kretios. These works of perfection

seemed to be frozen in action and exhibit facial expressions unlike the sculptures

that were influenced by the Egyptians.

 Lastly, the Greeks also went through a period of change in sculpture as they

progressed from the idea of idealism to the concept of realism. Idealism was the idea

of making something more aesthetically pleasing rather than how it really is. It

focused on what they waned to see and because of that, it was rather more god-like.

The sculptures really defined the beauty and imperfection of the human body even if

it was not entirely true. Around 300 BC during the Hellenistic period, Greek

sculptors began to transition more towards realism. Realism art depicts the way it

actually is and is accurate to the actual human body. During this time period,

sculptors no longer felt required to convey the body with physical perfection rather

than how they actually are. This transition was welcomed as they did depict more

energy and feeling. An example of this is the sculpture “Loacoon and his Sons”. In

this sculpture, serpents attacked Loacoon and his sons, but only his two sons are

killed. The expression on the face of the father and two sons are mind blowing. It is
incredibly realistic and the expression of fear is striking. This conveys realism

because of its accurate depiction of the human body and facial expressions.

In conclusion, Ancient Greece is one of the most important civilizations in

history when it comes to the development of western culture. The politics and

aesthetics are some of the most vital contributions to our culture than any other

society in history. The geometry and visual illusions of the Parthenon are just

unique as it perfectly blends math with harmony and balance. The transition from

the Egyptian influenced sculptures to those of the Greek standard was very

important in developing the Greek aesthetic that would later be the aesthetic of

western culture. Finally, the progression from idealism to realism was one of

significance as it showed glimpses of modern thought mixed in with the beauty of

art.
 Bibliography

- Sakoulas, Thomas. "The Parthenon." Parthenon. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

- @ahencyclopedia. "Greek Sculpture." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient

History Encyclopedia, 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

- Meisner, Gary. "The Parthenon and Phi, the Golden Ratio." Goldennumber.net.

N.p., 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.