Ancient Athenian Architecture and Sculpture
The term ‘classical humanism’ refers to the philosophical ideas which emerged within ancient Greek and Roman society around the 5th Century B.C. Classical humanism places its emphasis on the importance of man, who, through his ability to think and reason, is at the center of importance. Humans, according to philosophers such as Protagoras, are the source in establishing values and standards – “Man is the measure of all things” – rather than gods. This interest in values and standards led to a fascination with the idea of perfection – mathematics and geometry were studied almost religiously. As a result, the philosophy of humanism expanded into other areas of society, especially art and architecture (Cline, n.d.).
Ancient Greek buildings constructed around this time reflected mathematical proportions. A rectangle, known as the ‘Golden Section’ and based on mathematical equations was used repeatedly throughout the construction of the Parthenon in Athens (Knott, 2010). It was believed to be perfectly proportioned due to its roots in mathematics, and its use in the Parthenon reflects the humanist search for perfection.
The Parthenon also utilized two of the classical orders – the Doric and the Ionic. These orders refer to the style of the columns in the temple. The majority of the columns in the Parthenon are of the Doric style. Because Doric columns were more simple and thicker than Ionic columns, they were used chiefly as load-bearing columns. This led them to be associated with strength and masculinity, which was much celebrated by Greek humanist society, due to their emphasis on the importance of man (Craven, n.d.), again showing the impact of humanism on ancient architecture.
Humanism influenced sculpture, too, and this is nowhere more evident than in the decoration of the Parthenon. Classical Greek sculpture began to shift in form and ideals to fit in with the philosophy of humanism and the importance of man. Gods were no longer the focus; instead sculptors focused on the celebration of the human form and movement, and sculptures became increasingly realistic in style (“Sculpture and Art in Ancient Greece”, n.d.). The sculptors of the Parthenon reflect not only images from the life of Athena, the goddess the temple was created for, but also scenes of humans, such as battles or religious festivities (“What are the Parthenon Marbles?”, n.d.). It is clear from looking at the statues that the glorification of the human being is paramount in their purpose.
References
Cline, A. n.d. Humanism in Ancient Greece. Retrieved from
http://atheism.about.com/od/abouthumanism/a/ancientgreece.htm
Craven, J. n.d. What is a “Doric Column”? Retrieved from
http://architecture.about.com/od/buildingparts/g/doric-column.htm
Knott, R. (2010). The Parthenon and Greek Architecture. The Golden Section in Architecture.
Retrieved from http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibInArt.html#parthenon
Sculpture and Art in Ancient Greece. n.d. Retrieved from
http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Sculpture/
What are the Parthenon Marbles? n.d. Retrieved from
http://www.uk.digiserve.com/mentor/marbles/pmarb.htm
