Compare Contrast Greek and Roman Art Essay

Greek culture is the source from which many of the characteristic elements of Western culture derive. Their explorations and innovations in art have both fascinated and inspired other civilizations for centuries. For this assignment I chose two Greek sculptures viewed at the Getty Museum. The first is Kouros circa 530 B.C. made of Dolomitic marble from Thasos and is approximately 200 cm (80 in) in height. The second is Cult Statue of a Goddess, (most likely Aphrodite) South Italy, 425 - 400 B.C. made of Limestone and marble. It stands at a height of 220 cm (86 5/8 in). There is some dispute to the authenticity of the Getty Kouros

Dedicated to the goddess Athena, the warrior maiden, the Parthenon is a Doric style temple (Gilbert 368). It took about 15 years to complete this strucutre (Gilbert 370). A lot like the Roman Pantheon, it had many columns surrounding the interior and exterior of this structure. This place was decorated with many sculptures along the inner roof top. It was painted in vivid colors, such as red and blue (Gilbert 370). Refered to as the cella its inner chamber housed the monumental statue of the Goddess Athena. Pheidias' hisself created this thirty foot high statue of Athena Parthenos, consisting of a frame made of wood, metal, clay, and plaster.

The Parthenon is created as an optical illusion. It appears to consist of straight lines but in fact, almost every surface is built to lean and curved from its columns to its foundations. It gives a unique insight into the best that ancient Greek sculptors could produce at the best period of Greek art. The Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple; it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps, and a colonnade of Doric columns. The three main types of columns used in Greek temples and other public buildings are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Many of the sculpture

As the saying goes, great art is mad with its own loveliness. Over the decades, Greek-inspired architecture has been seen all over the world. Ideas are often borrowed while constructing buildings, monuments, and even houses. Greeks mostly used wood, limestone, unbaked bricks, terracotta and metal for construction. Most architecture were inspired by religion, politics, and form of recreation. Of all designs from Greek architecture three of them have withstood the test of time and their application can be seen today. They include Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian order. However, each order is distinct from the other and one cannot differentiate unless trained. This paper will look at Doric and Corinthian orders while comparing and contrasting them. It will also trace their prevalence and popularity throughout history.

The Parthenon is an Ancient Greek building sitting on the acropolis of Athens. To compare it to the Pantheon is quite a feat, but they don’t have as many similarities as one would imagine. The Parthenon of Ancient Greece serves as a temple, but it also had another purpose. The Pantheon served as a monument and temple, to dedicate not only to the emperor of Rome but the gods and the Christian god later on.

Architecturally, societally and religiously, the Parthenon of Athens and the Pantheon of Rome share many similarities and some important differences. Fortunately, these wonders of the ancient world have survived to give us some idea of their construction and use.

It is hard to think of the ancient world without looking at the Greek and Roman empires. Although similar, the Greek and Roman empires are two different cultures. They existed from 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E. (Fiero, 2006). One constant in both cultures was their pursuit of perfection in their art and architecture. This paper will examine this pursuit of perfection in both cultures and how their impact is felt in the modern age.

Columns, as noted, were a prominent feature of Roman architecture, which was drawn from the Greeks. Although Rome did not copy Greek columns exactly, “Greek influence is evident in the use of columns,”18 nevertheless, which is to be expected since Romans greatly admired Greek columns.19 Rome also adopted the Greek's mortar and ashlars.20 Additionally, since Greeks believed “that beauty lies in mathematical harmony,” Greek influence is seen in Imperial temples which contained set, mathematical ratios of design. As noted, when Rome began producing sculpture, they began producing Hellenistic-influenced idealistic sculptures.21 The reversion to older Greek forms is not a surprise if one considers Rome's admiration for Greek sculpture. Such admiration of Greek sculpture is evidenced by Rome's copying of Greek sculptures, such as the Venus di Milo.22

Introduction The Greek and Roman Parthenon and Pantheon are two of the most well-known buildings in the ancient world. They are also two of the most confused buildings from the ancient world. Not that anyone asked but I think it has to first do with the names they sound similar and that is always confusing to the human mind. Second, the architectural style of the buildings is very similar to each other which can be rather confusing. Both buildings are also timeless testaments to their cultures.

The design and structure of both the Pantheon and the Parthenon is where we get a lot of differences with few similarities. The Parthenon was built on a rectangle

Initial observations of the Roman Pantheon from the front appear to be similar to the ruins of the Greek Parthenon, but really both structures are somewhat unique in their composition, purpose, design, and fate. Constructed over half of a millennium after the Parthenon was built, the Pantheon, built in 27 B.C., exhibits some of the architectural styles and characteristics of its predecessor. However, the Romans refined Greek building techniques, thereby developing a unique and more advanced architectural style.

The Parthenon or its full name which is the Periclean Parthenon of Athens is a classical Greek structure ordered by the Athenian General at that time, General Pericles, who was responsible for the construction of many important temples. The Parthenon was considered the best temple built by Pericles. It was built as a replacement for a damaged Athenian temple, which was destroyed by the Persian Empire in 480 BCE. The construction of the Parthenon was in the hands of two architects Iktinos and Kallikrates. The cost of the constructions was 469 silver talents. Soon in the middle of the 5th century BCE the construction of the Parthenon had begun. It had costed 469 silver talents for the construction of the Athenian temple. In 432 BCE, the construction of the Athenian temple finished with the same designs like many other Greek temples. The majority of many Greek temples had the same structural design, with lots of supporting columns to hold up the triangular roof. Inside is an interior room where a statue for all who come to worship is located. The interior room was too small to fit all the worshippers inside, so the worshipper had to stay outside to pray, unless they wanted to bring offerings to Athena. Inside the interior room of the Parthenon was a statue of the Greek Goddess of wisdom, Athena. This is because they believed that Athena had helped the Athenians fight against the Persian Empire. They also

The Romans wanted their art and architecture to be useful for many years. The Romans had already planned their cities and built their bridges, public baths, marketplaces, apartment, houses. When a Roman had ordered or made an sculpture for a the public eye, he/she wanted the sculpture to still stand and tell generations of the greatness of Rome. Now the art of ancient Greece is divided into four distinct periods: the Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic period. The greek architecture is a very specific type of design that which was based off of the post and lintel system. The post and lintel system is made up of pillars that are usually large posts with a roof over the top. Roman art did imitate Greek art in many ways. The differences

Agrippa, Augustus’ right-hand man, constructed this building as a temple to all the gods; however, a fire destroyed this temple in 80 CE and so Domitian built the reconstruction. The Pantheon we are familiar with has a significantly different design than the original one, and this is why this specific temple is so dislike to the rest of the Roman temples. Before it was burnt, the Pantheon stood in a podium at the end of a large rectangular court. The surroundings of this temple have changed in order to provide a unique experience to its visitors. For example, the temple has en enormous dome with a 27-foot oculus that opens to the sky. This oculus lets a shaft of light come through creating an emphasis wherever the reflection is. Visitors were driven nowhere but to the light at the center of the dome. This building was built for greeting foreign embassies, adjudicating disputes and hold court (Janson). Moreover, the Pantheon is extraordinary because of the potential and strength of concrete. Some other materials used in the process of building the temple include travertine, tufa, brick, and pumice. These materials varied in order to reduce its weight. The colored marble on the wall symbolized imperial authority. The sphere is though to symbolize eternity and perfection and the bronze panels symbolized a starry night sky.

Throughout history art has consistently reflected the cultural values and social structures of individual civilizations. Ancient art serves as a useful tool to help historians decipher some important aspects of ancient culture. From art we can determine the basic moral and philosophical beliefs of many ancient societies. The differences in arts purpose in Greece and Rome, for example, show us the fundamental differences in each culture's political and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of