Art History The Classical

The Classical

Humanism is the belief is that man is the measure of all things and as the centre of everything, we have the power to shape our own destiny. In ancient Greece, the cradle of western civilization, they believed in the 'ideal'. Perfection and beauty is reflected in their art. In most civilizations art is in part a measure of their development. As a civilization gets more advanced, so does their art. In the case of ancient Greece, their art became more realistic and detailed over time, striving for perfection. The ancient Greeks created many great works using a variety of different materials.

Many civilizations, as with ancient Greece, the development of their artwork can be seen a curve. At the bottom, or start, they have basic art and figures. They use simple tools and materials to create artworks that aren't very realistic. This is when the culture is new, the start of the learning curve. As they move towards the high point, they are closer to achieving their ideal and perfect state. The art is realistic and portrays the idea of the ideal form. Eventually, the curve starts to drop down and the art becomes over elaborate and more decorative. Advanced techniques, and the focus on making artworks more accentuated and powerful signifies a downfall of the culture in itself. As one civilisation falls another curve rises up and overlaps the declining one. Sometimes the rising civilisation uses some of the declining culture's technology and style as they rise and move forward.

It is common throughout history for the dominant civilisation of the time to believe itself to be the greatest civilisation of all time and will never be surpassed. This is an appealing thought for any society, and just as death comes to all men, time will see the eventual decline of every culture. As one civilisation falls, a new one will take its place and assume it's dominance. We believe we have the greatest civilisation and a successful system. However, it will not last forever. Much of modern western society was developed from ancient Greece (democracy, philosophy, science, mathematics) and Rome (law, order, infrastructure systems, city planning). The Roman Empire took over from Greece and thought themselves the greatest empire of all. They based their civilisation around power and organisation, but even it collapsed in the end.

At the heart of humanism is the phrase, "man is the measure of all things," and the centre of everything. The most famous image illustrating this concept is Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Vitruvian Man'. The drawing shows the ideal proportions of man combined with geometry (square and circle). The drawing is named after Vitruvius, a Roman architect and engineer who wrote books on architecture.

'The Vitruvian Man' depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and inscribed in a circle and square. It shows the connection between art and science through the importance of proportion. It also relates man to nature.

In the Golden Age of Pericles in Athens the reconstruction of the Acropolis took place. It was considered to be the most perfect structure built. The buildings, including the Parthenon, as well as the sculptures, were a reflection of the culture and how they strived for perfection. Just before the Acropolis was built, the Greeks had created democracy. This was a fairer way for people to chose who would rule, and the laws they would live under. It gave people more power to control their own destiny. However, only certain male citizens (about a fifth of the population) could have a say in matters. The buildings were made to reflect the sophistication of the society and how advanced the civilisation was. We have adopted many things from ancient Greece and the Rome and they can be seen today in modern Western society in many ways.

Humanism places man in the centre of everything. Today we are becoming obsessed with attaining perfection and controlling everything around us. As a society today, I think there is too much obsession with perfection, and trying to achieve it is in itself an monumental task.