Art hellenistic

The art of the hellenistic time was a long time the victim of the relative scorn attached to the period. “ Cessavit deinde ars ” (“then art disappeared”) summarizes Pline Old the in its Natural history (XXXIV, 52), after having described the sculpture of the traditional time. However, number of the most known works of Greek art belong to this period: the Laocoon of the the Vatican, the Venus de Milo or the Victoire de Samothrace.

The renewal of the historiographic approach as well as recent discoveries, like that of the tombs of Vergina, made it possible to better apprehend the artistic richness of this time.

Structure

One of the characteristics of the hellenistic time is the division of the empire of Alexandre Large the in small personal empires founded by the Diadoque S, generals of the conqueror: Lagides in Egypt, Séleucides in Syria, Attalides with Pergame, etc Each one of these dynasties practices a royal patronage which differs from that of the quoted . In the architectural field, that results in vast town-plannings and great complexes whose cities lost the practice since fifth century BC This town planning is enough innovator for the Greek world, since instead of forcing the place and to correct his defects, it emphasizes nature and adapts to it. One notes the appearance of many pleasure grounds, in particular a multiplication of the theaters and places of walk. Hellenistic monarchies are favoured here because they often have vast spaces where to create new cities: thus of Antioche, Pergame or Séleucie of the Tiger.

Pergame in particular constitutes an example characteristic of hellenistic architecture. Starting from a simple fortress located on the acropolis, the various kings attalides set up a colossal architectural complex. The buildings are deployed in range around the acropolis to take account of the nature of the ground. The Agora, located at the south, on the lowest terrace, is bordered of galleries with colonnades or stoai . It is the starting point of a street which crosses all the acropolis: it separates on the one hand the administrative buildings, policies and soldiers, in the east and the top of the rock; in addition sanctuaries in the west, middle height. Among the latter, most important is that which shelters the large furnace bridge monumental, known as “of the twelve gods” or “the gods and the giants”, constitutes one of the masterpieces of the Greek sculpture. A gigantic theater, being able to contain close to 10 000 spectators, deploys its steps on the hillsides.

It is the time of gigantism: thus of the second temple of Apollo to Didymes, located at a score of kilometers of Millet, in Ionie. It is conceived at the end of the {{IVe}} century by Daphnis de Milet and Paionios d' Éphèse but work, ever completed, will continue until the {{IIe}} century a. J. - C. the sanctuary one of largest is ever built in the Mediterranean zone: inside a vast court (21 meters 70 on 53 meters 60), the concealed is surrounded by a double colonnade of 108 ionic columns high of almost 20 meters, whose bases and capitals are richly carved.

Sculpture

The hellenistic sculpture takes again the innovations of the second classicism: perfect Sculpture in the round, allowing to admire the statue from every angle; study of draped and effects of transparency of clothing; flexibility of the attitudes. Thus, the Venus de Milo, while copying a traditional type, is characterized by torsion from its hips. One seeks before all the expressivity and the atmosphere. This research is particularly obvious in the portraits: more than the exactitude of the features represented, the artist wants to return the character of his model. In the large statuary, the artist explores topics like the suffering, the sleep or old age. Thus the Faune Barberini of Munich represents a Satyre deadened, with the slackened installation and the anxious face, perhaps the prey with the nightmares. The drunk Woman , also in Munich, shows without turning an old woman, thin, hagarde, tightening against it its wine earthenware jar. Laocoon, choked by the snakes, hopelessly tries to loosen their pressure without granting a glance to its dying sons.

Pergame is not distinguished only for its architecture: it is also the seat of a school of sculpture brilliant, known as of the “baroque pergaménien”. The sculptors, while quoting the previous centuries, put in scene painful moments that they make expressive by tridimentionnelles compositions, often in “V” , and an anatomical hyper-realism. Attale I {{er}} (269 ‑ 197 av. J. - C.), to commemorate with its victory of the Caïque (237 av. J. - C.) against the Gallic - called “Gallates” by the Greeks -, makes carve two series of votive groups: the first, devoted on the acropolis of Pergame, includes/understands famous the dying Gaulois and Gaulois committing suicide with his wife , whose original is lost (the best copy is with the Palais Massimo ale Terme of Rome); the second group, offered to Athens, is made up small bronzes S of Greeks, of Amazones, gods and of Géants, Perse S and the Gallic one. The Artémis Rospigliosi of the Louvre is probably a copy of the one of them; as for the copies of “Gallic wounded”, they are very numerous at the time Roman. The expression of the feelings, the force of the details - here, broussailleuses chevelures and moustache - and the violence of the movements are the characteristics of the style pergaménien.

These characteristics will be pushed with their paroxysm in the planks of the Grand Furnace bridge of Pergame, decorated on the order of Eumène II (197 ‑ 159 av. J. - C.) of a Gigantomachie which is spread out over 110 meters length, illustrating in the stone an especially made up poem for the court. The Olympiens triumph there, each one on their side, Giants whose majority are transformed into wild beasts: snakes, birds of prey, lions or bulls. Their mother Gaïa, come with their assistance, can nothing make and must look at them twisting pain under the blows of the gods.

Another phenomenon appears in the hellenistic sculpture: the privatization, which leads to the resumption of old public diagrams in the sculpture of decoration. This type of retrospective style also exists in the ceramic . The portraits as for them tint naturalism, under the influence of the Roman art.

Painting and mosaic

Few examples of Greek mural crossed the centuries. A long time, it was necessary to be satisfied to study the heritages hellenistic in the Roman frescos, for example those of Pompéi or Herculanum. Certain mosaics however make it possible to have an good idea of the “great painting” of the time: they are copies of frescos. Thus of famous “the mosaic of Alexandre”, showing the confrontation of the young conqueror and Large King Darius III with the Battle of Issos, mosaic which decorates the walls of the House of Fauna with Pompéi. It copies a work described by Pline Old the (XXXV, 110) like having been painted by Philoxénos d' Érétrie for Cassandre of Macedonia at the end of the 4th century. The mosaic enables us to admire the choice of the colors, the composition of the whole moving revolving and the expressivity of the faces.

Recently, of the archaeological discoveries carried out in particular with the cemetery of Pagases (current Volos), at the edge of the golge Pagasétique, or Verghina (1987), in old the Kingdom of Macedonia, allowed to put at the day of original works. Thus, from Philippe II fall to it known as delivered a large plank representing a hunting to the lion royal, remarkable by its composition, the staging of the characters in the space and his realistic representation of nature.

The hellenistic time is also the period of the development of the mosaic , in particular with the achievements of Sôsos de Pergame, credit at second century BC and only artist mosaïste quoted by Pline (XXXVI, 184). Its taste for the Trompe-l'oeil and the effects of matter is found in the few achievements which are allotted to him like the Sol not swept of the museum of the Vatican, where are represented the reliefs of a meal (fish-bones, bone, empty shells, etc) and the Bassin with the doves of the museum of Capitole, known by a reproduction discovered in the Villa Adriana. Certain specialists, like Michael Donderer, even think that it is about the original. One sees there four doves perched on the edge of a basin filled with water. One of it is watered there while the others seem to rest, which creates effects of reflections and shade in water perfectly studied by the artist.

Ceramics

The hellenistic time is that of the decline for painting on vase. The most widespread vases black and are linked, with an aspect shining which approaches the varnished, decorated with simple reasons of flowers or festoons. It is also the time when the vases in relief appear, undoubtedly in imitation of the noble metal vases: volutes in relief are applied to the body of the vase, or this one receives veins or gadroons. One also finds reliefs more complex, containing animals or of mythological monsters. The shapes of vase are also inspired by the tradition of metal: thus Lagynos, typical wine earthenware jar of the time.

In parallel remains a tradition of illustrated painting polychrome: the artists seek a larger variety of colors than in the past. However, these new colors are more delicate and do not support fire. One thus paints after cooking, contrary to the usual use. The brittleness of the Pigment S prohibiting a frequent use of these vases, they are reserved for a funerary use. The specimens most representative of this style come from Centuripe, in Sicily, where a workshop is active with the {{IIIe}} century. These vases are characterized by a bottom painted pink. The characters, often female, are represented vêtus coloured clothes: chiton blue-purple, yellow himation, white veil. The style points out that of Pompéi and is much more on the side of the great contemporary painting that heritage of the red figure.

Minor arts

Art of metal

Progress in the casting of the Bronze makes it possible to the Greeks to carry out large parts, the such famous Colossus of Rhodes, high of 32 meters. This one breaks in a Earthquake: like him, much of large bronzes were lost - the majority melted for recovery of material. There thus remain nothing any more but the small objects. Fortunately, at the time hellenistic, the raw material abounds following the Eastern conquests.

The work of the metal vases becomes new extensive: the artists compete of virtuosity. With Panagyurishte (current Bulgaria), one thus found skilfully carved vases in Or: on a Amphora, two Centaure S pulled up have the appearance of handles. To Derveni, not far from Salonique, a tomb delivered large a crater to bronze volutes going back to 320 av. J. - C. approximately and heavy 40 kilos. It is decorated with a high plank with figures in 32 centimetres relief, representative Dionysos surrounded by ARIANE and sound Thiase. The collar is decorated with decorative reasons while four satyrs in sculpture in the round négligemment sat on the shoulder of the vase (cf Cratère of Derveni). The evolution is similar in the art of the jewel. The jewellers of the time excel treating the details and the filigrees: thus, the funeral wreathes present imitations of sheets of tree or very realistic corn ears. It is at that time that the incrustations in invaluable stones are spread.

The figurines are also with the mode. They represent divinities as much as subjects of the everyday life. Thus the topic of the “négrillon emerges”, particularly in Egypt lagide: these statuettes of black teenagers will be success until the Roman epoch. Sometimes, one restricts oneself to take again a type of the great sculpture: one thus finds many counterparts in miniature of the Tyché (“Good fortune”) of Antioche, whose original dates from the beginning of the 3rd century.

Terra cotta figurines

Previously confined with a religious use, the figurine out of terra cotta is more frequently employed, at the time hellenistic, with a funerary use, even decorative. The refinement of the technique of the moulding makes it possible to obtain true miniature statues, reaching an high degree of detail.

With TANAGRA, in Béotie, the figurines, painted bright colors, generally represent elegant women in scenes full with charm. With Smyrna, in minor Asia, two great styles cohabit. It is initially the reproduction of the chiefs of work the great sculpture: one thus finds Hercules Farnèse out of gilded terra cotta. In a kind completely different, they are also the “grotesque ones”, which contrasts violently with the guns of the “Greek beauty”: the coroplaste represents here deformed bodies in tortured installations - Bossu S, epileptics, hydrocéphale S, women obese, etc One thus could wonder whether they were not medical models, the town of Smyrna being famous for its school of medicine. It could more simply be a question of Caricature S intended to make laugh. The grotesque ones are also widespread with Tarse and Alexandria.

Art of glass and glyptic

It is at the time hellenistic that the Greeks, who knew hitherto only the Verre moulded, discover the blowing, thus allowing new forms. The art of glass develops especially in Italy. Moulded glass remains, in particular for the creation of jewels in Intaille.

Engraving on Gemme hardly progresses, being confined with works of great production, without originality. On the other hand, the Camée makes its appearance: it is a question of cutting in relief in a stone made up of several coloured layers, in order to emphasize the relief by effects of color. It is then assembled into pendentive or ring. The hellenistic time produces some masterpieces like the Gonzague cameo, preserved at the Musée of the Hermitage.

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