HOUSES OF PRAYER:
GREEK AESTHETICS AND THE ACROPOLIS
by Dr. Deborah Vess
Associate Professor of History and Director of Interdisciplinary Studies
Georgia College & State University
contents:
QUOTATIONS ON THE GREEK VIEW OF ART AND ARTISTS:
From Plato:
Beauty is "effectiveness for some good purpose. ...[the] "Virtue and Beauty and Rightness of every manufactured article, living creature, and action is assessed only in relation to the purpose for which it was made or naturally produced." Hippias Major
"Every cause for a thing passing from not being to being is poiesis, so that manufacturing activities in all branches of industry are forms of poiesis and all artisans and craftsmen are poietai (poets)." The Republic
From Aristotle:
Techne is "a capacity to do or make something with a correct understanding of the principle involved."
Greek Aesthetics
For the Greeks, art was primarily social in function. Poetry was sung
at gatherings, and drama performed under state auspices at national religious
festivals. Look at this arial view of the Acropolis. The Acropolis was
the seat of government and religious ritual; it was surrounded by a theater
and the agora, where such great thinkers as Plato taught.
Art had a function in Greek society, and the Greeks valued works of art by the nature of the influence they had on people and on society. In Plato's Hippias Major, beauty is defined as "effectiveness for some good purpose." In the Republic, Plato argued that the " virtue and beauty and rightness of every manufactured article, living creature, and action is assessed only in relation to the purpose for which it was made or naturally produced."
The Greek valued a work of art based on whether it was effective for the purpose for which it was created and whether that purpose a good one. Because art was valued for its function, the Greeks argued that a competent artisan must know the "good" which is the end of his craft. Each artisan is a specialist in the "good" of his particular craft.
Art was defined as techne, which denoted a skill or craft. According to Aristotle, techne was "a capacity to do or make something with a correct understanding of the principle involved." As a branch of knowledge, techne was a form of practical science. It came after science, mathematics, and philosophy in the Greek scheme of knowledge. It represented a practical wisdom, which is always directed to some end and not pursued for its own sake. Science, on the other hand, represented the love of pure knowledge for its own sake.
For Plato, the social value of the ends or purposes and goals of the artisans' crafts were not clear to him and neither was their specialization. Plato saw all artisans as poets, who described anything and everything, having no real knowledge of anything: "Every cause for a thing passing from not being to being is poiesis, so that manufacturing activities in all branches of industry are forms of poiesis and all artisans and craftsmen are poietai (poets)." A cobbler makes real shoes, but a painter produces a semblance of reality. The usefulness of a painted shoe less than real shoe and, for Plato, making images was a "kind of game lacking in seriousness." For the Greeks, therefore, an artist was a craftsman whose stature was less than that of a cobbler, and whose kind of knowledge was esteemed less highly than that of science, mathematics, and philosophy..
Questions to consider on your discussion board:
*Give examples of professions or trades today that are not highly valued by society, or the prestige of that occupation is not great. *Does modern society value the arts more or less than the Greeks? *What would the possible ends or purposes of art be? List some useful purposes which art might fulfill in today's society.
Problems with the Greek idea of art as techne:
Plato himself pointed out some difficulties with the Greek idea of art as techne which fulfills an end or purpose. In the Hippias Major, he argued that if a work of art's suitability to or fulfillment of a purpose is the best judge of excellence, then a wooden spoon is better than a golden one. Why? In other words, a thing may be beautiful with reference to one purpose and ugly with reference to another. Are these the ways in which we ordinarily use the words beautiful and ugly? What do you mean when you use these words?
Go into your discussion area and list some things that could be considered highly functional in terms of fulfilling the purpose for which they were made. Then add some thoughts as to whether these objects are beautiful or not.
The Acropolis
Origins of the Acropolis
The mythological hero Theseus was said to have united several Greek city
states; Athens was primus inter pares (first among equals). The
original fortification wall of Athens was the basis for the Acropolis,
which is the highest point in the city. Theseus's palace became the center
of worship for the goddess of vegetation, fruits, birth, and fertility.
She was known as Athena Polias, and her plant was the olive tree. The
seat of the government was later transferred to the lower city, as aristocrats
feared the power of the Acropolis center.
Theseus's palace fell into ruins and a temple to Athena was erected. According to legend, a wooden statue of Athena which fell from heaven was kept here; this statue was actually believed to be more sacred than the later statue of Phidias, which was made for the Parthenon. This temple was the residence of Erectheus, prehistoric king of Athens. The temple was the home of a sacred snake, Erichthonios, guardian of the Acropolis, as well as the tomb of Cecrops, a mythical king of Athens.
Two deities were worshipped in this temple: Athena and Poseidon. Athena and Poseidon had a contest over who would be the patron saint of the city. Athena gave the city the sacred olive tree, which was venerated by the Athenians; Poseidon struck a rock with a trident, revealing the sea, and one can still see a spring on the Acropolis. The Greeks chose Athena as patroness, and the olive tree became the most important source of economic livelihood for the Athenians. Both deities were originally worshiped together on the Acropolis.
Let's take a visual tour of the Acropolis:
As we walk through the Acropolis, you will notice many examples of the three orders of Greek architecture. Let's explore some of those now by clicking on the links below.
An example of the Corinthian Order
Once you have explored the three orders through the links above, continue on our virtual tour of the Acropolis by clicking on the links below, which will take you to a discussion of the each of the major structures on the Acropolis.
To the right of the Propylaea is the Temple of Athena Nike.
As one comes through the Propylaea, one sees the Erectheon to the left and The Parthenon to the right.
I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour of the Acropolis.
Here are some other resources to explore on Greek culture:
An excellent resource for pursuing Greek myth, literature, philosophy, architecture, art and history
Mythmedia - Mythology in Western Art
The Greek Geographical Mind: an ancient world view
several photographs of the Acropolis and surrounding area
a really neat VR animated fly through of the Acropolis
The Ancient City of Athens: The Acropolis
several photos of the Acropolis and surrounding region
copyright © Dr. Deborah Vess 1998-2001, Georgia College & State University and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. All rights reserved. Rights to chapters authored by contributing faculty members reserved to Georgia College & State University, to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at GC&SU, and to the individual faculty authors.