Phidias , in Greek old Φειδίας / Pheidias (Athens, v.  490 - Olympie, ap.  430), is a Sculpteur first Greek classicism.

Biography

One has few details on the life Phidias. Born in Athens shortly after the Battle from Marathon, he is the pupil of Hêgias and learns the technique from bronze at the school of Argos, at the same time as Myron and Polyclète. It truly seems to have begun its activity in 464.

Its first philosopher's stone is colossal a Athéna Promachos, for the Acropole, in 460. It is then chosen by Périclès to carry out statues for the Parthenon, but also to supervise the whole of work of sculpture. It carries out itself the statue chryséléphantine, i.e. made of gold and ivory, Athéna Parthénos, dedicated in 438, and produces models for the two pediments, the 92 Métope S and the plank. It narrowly supervises their execution by his workshop, before leaving in 437 to Élis and Olympie, where it carries out its Zeus chryséléphantin, one the seven wonders of the world.

When it returns to Athens in 433, it is victim of an operation intended to discredit, through him, its Périclès guard. It is initially shown to have stolen part of the gold of Athéna Parthénos. After clearbeing cleared by a weighing of the gold elements, he again is shown, this time of impiété: he indeed represented himself, with Périclès, with the right in the middle of the amazonomachie, on the shield of the goddess. Thrown in prison, it, in 430, is then exiled in Olympie where it dies there.

Work

The style of Phidias, best representing first classicism, is characterized by a realistic representation of the human anatomy, but idealistic by its ideal of majesty and serenity. According to the expression of Edmond Levy, it thus carries out “a subtle synthesis of the antiquated power and traditional harmony” .il also has creates a statue of ivory pride gold athéna of of the Parthenon

Its low-reliefs are remarkable by the rigor of their composition, and their preoccupation with a rate/rhythm: being detached from the offset from the large Eastern planks, Phidias introduced into the scenes of the counterpoints (turned over characters, with counter-current) and plays on the curved, divergent and convergent lines. It succeeds with well detaching and staging its characters, giving the impression of a multitude of individuals and not of a not very discernible cluster. Meticulousness of the representations (one sees the projecting veins of the horse of Séléné on the Eastern pediment, representing the birth of Athéna) done each subject of true sculptures.