Comparison of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece Art and Architecture

Key Points

• Ancient Egypt: 3,000 years of unchanged art style in depiction of the human form.
• Ancient Greece: Rapid evolution in depiction of the human form within a few hundred years.

Greek Art

Factors Influencing Greek Art

1. Depiction of Greek Gods: Greek gods took human forms, unlike Egyptian gods who were often animal or composite forms.
2. Obsession with Athletics: Home of the Olympic Games; high body consciousness due to competitive nature and athletic events conducted in the nude.

Greek Sculpture

• Geometric Greek Sculpture: Early style, marble technique, often used as grave markers.
  • Example: Kuros figure, almost always depicted nude for males and dressed for females.
  • Greek sculptures were originally brightly painted using an encaustic technique (pigment in hot wax).

Evolution of Greek Sculpture

• 600 BCE: Sculptures were rigid, frontal, and highly stylized.
• 530-480 BCE: Continued evolution, female forms dressed.
• 100 years later: Significant changes in the depiction of the human form.

Greek Architecture

Early Structures

• Megaron: Big square room with a fire at the center, foundational to later Greek religious spaces.

Key Architectural Elements

• Pediment: Triangular space at the top, often filled with sculptures.
• Columns: Column capitals indicate the period and influence; important for understanding architectural style.
• Cella: Inner room, typically housed important sculptures.
• Colonnade Structure: Surrounded by columns, creating a defined architectural style.

Evolution of Greek Architecture

• Simple Structures: Early forms with few columns and stairs leading to the central cella.
• Complex Forms: Over time, structures became more elaborate with additional columns and complex designs.
• Tholos Temple: Circular temple structures.

Architectural Orders

• Doric: Mainland Greece, simple and dull columns. Features alternating artistic information in the frieze band (metopes and triglyphs).
• Ionic: Seafaring Greeks, characterized by spiral (volute) capitals. Continuous sculpted frieze band.
• Corinthian: From Corinth, with column capitals depicting acanthus leaves.

Important Details

• Frieze Band: Important for housing sculptures, different styles in Doric (alternating metopes and triglyphs) and Ionic (continuous sculpted band).
• Colonnade: Layers of columns creating a defined structure, with stairs leading to the inner space.

Cultural Influence

• Greek Democracy: Influence on the founding fathers of the United States; however, Greek temples were brightly painted, not pure white as often assumed today.

Important Points to Remember

• Greek sculptures and architecture were originally brightly painted.
• Evolution of Greek art and architecture was rapid and influenced by cultural and religious factors.
• Understanding the orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian) helps identify the period and style of Greek structures.