Abstract
For the purpose of this paper, I will be discussing the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, as well as a terracotta bell-krater attributed to the Methyse Painter, and comparing both works in terms of their composition, formal elements, and cultural context. The selection of these works allows for two central activities of the Greeks to be compared, especially ones represented by their own divine figures. The east pediment and the Dionysian vase feature two distinct sides of Greek culture – the former showcasing Greek’s love of justice, and the latter the Greek’s love of wine and revelry – and shows how the divine figures central to those concepts are treated. While Zeus is placed centrally within his tableau, facing outward and larger than life, Dionysus is simply equally positioned amongst his followers and fellow revelers. Dionysus’ downcast expression indicates he is somewhat melancholy despite the drunken happiness of those that surround him; this places him in a much more contemplative position than Zeus in his work. I hope to argue that both of these works showcase the Greek attitudes toward their respective concepts, showing a small dark side to both the concepts of justice and revelry through subtle inclusion of characters and expression.
The east pediment on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia contains the myth of Pelops and Oenomaus. Oenomaus is the king of Pisa and Elis; he is also the son of Ares, who was the Greek god of war. Ares’ daughtern Hippodameian is beautiful, highly sought after, and treasured by her father. In the myth there is a prophecy that claims Oenomaus will die at the hands of Hippodameia’s husband. To that end, Zeus decides to hold a chariot race, forcing each potential suitor of his daughter to participate. The result of the chariot race would end the life of one of the two competitors, but if Pelops defeated Oenomaus, he would receive his kingdom and the ability to marry Hippodameia.
The temple pediment is a triangular formation that is created from the two roof plains and the horizontal plain at the top of the structures columns or walls. This creation of space is often used in ancient Greek architecture to display scenes of myth through art. The eastern pediment itself is constructed from a set of sculptures that are placed symmetrically inside the triangular layout, with Zeus being the central figure. To Zeus’s left are the figures of Pelops, Hippodameia, a servant and Pelops’ chariot team. Directly on the other side are Oenomaus, his wife and a kneeling Myrtilus with the king’s horses. When examining how the figures are laid out, Zeus, who is central, stands the tallest and is the most powerful figure in the scene. He is a god and his physical attributes show the viewer that he is of high stature and importance. Zeus stands straight up in a powerful pose, hands at his sides, and shoulders back with a slight head turn. This pose signifies that Zeus is powerful and that through his thoughts and will he is able to influence others in the scene with little effort.
Moving on to Pelops and Oenomaus, both figures are shorter than Zeus and their posture is slightly more relaxed. Both figures have armor, or holes bored into the sculpture where bronze armor would have been placed. This differentiates the two men from Zeus, as they are mortal and need armor, unlike the invulnerable god between them. Their bodies are also more animated in composition, which shows that they have to exert more effort to achieve their desired will.
The use of diagonal line in the work itself follows along with the pediment’s goal to venerate Zeus as the ultimate arbiter of justice and settler of this conflict between the two figures. As for the individual figures, the curves of the horse, the texture and musculature on Zeus, Pelops and Oenomaus, and more provide a sense of luxury and contrast to the harder overall lines their configuration makes. The work itself is extremely balanced, given the triangular composition – the horses provide bookends as they stand in profile facing each other, with the human figures in various stages of repose or standing. The five standing figures in the middle provide a sense of power through their vertical lines, which contrast with the horizontal lines the horses make in their positioning. The figures are somewhat static, with very little dynamism – Zeus and his company are arranged in this configuration for maximum ornamentation, rather than seeming like an organic, candid scene taking place. The standing figures gaze out at the audience, asking them to take in the glory of Zeus, while the kneeling figures and horses work in profile to further draw the eye to Zeus.
The use of a sculpted pediment for this story is effective, as it helps to sell the largeness of Zeus and the authority of his accomplishments. As a piece of embellishment on an existing piece of architecture already named after the work’s central figure, it works well to sell the concept of Zeus; however, it does lack that sense of dynamism to make it feel as though the scene is actively taking place before the viewer’s eyes. This is a common disadvantage of the pediment as an artistic medium, as it is more decorative than narrative in nature.
This Terracotta bell-krater, attributed to the Methyse Painter, is a black terracotta vase with red-figure markings of a group of five people traveling along the side of the vase, and a group of four other revelers on the other side. These figures represent the god of wine, Dionysus, and his followers, maenads and satyrs. One small satyr has his hands wrapped around Dionysus, while the maenads surrounding them walk alongside in varying stages of drunkenness. The maenad in front is the methyse (Greek for “drunk”), playing a lyre as the other individuals actively move around the downcast, more sedate Dionysus. On the other side of the vase, the four figures themselves seem more spirited, standing up straighter and making more active gestures at one another.
Perhaps the most important dominant line in the work is the line created by the rim embellishment along the top of the vase, which matches the straight lines of the ‘floor’ the figures walk on near the bottom. This serves to indicate a sense of direction that the figures are moving in, driving them to keep moving to the viewer’s right at all times. These straight lines, however, contrast with the curves and shapes of the human bodies being displayed, with curved calves, flowing robes and winding beards emphasizing the fluid, human nature of these figures. The combination of curved and straight lines in the composition of many of the objects being held by the figures (the chalices, the lyre) draws the viewer’s eye first, helping to indicate the maenad’s drunken nature. Vertical lines are indicated through one reveler’s staff on the other side of the vase, intercut with the horizontal line of the fennel stalk another woman is holding. The two men on either side of that figure face each other in profile (the woman herself has her back turned to the viewer), the men raise their arms at the elbow toward each other in a gesture of friendship, providing some diagonal lines to break up the composition.
The Methyse Painter combines these attributes of line and spacing to create a deliberately cramped composition around Dionysus, as compared to the looser celebration on the other side. The hugging of Dionysus’ waist by the smaller satyr, along with his downcast expression, shows his unhappiness even when surrounded by the revelry of the maenads. The dominant vertical forms are the five figures, with the lyre and fennel stalks providing some diagonal lines to break up the composition as well. The cramped conditions nonetheless make for a balanced composition that still seems busy and somewhat soft. The sedate nature of these characters’ drunkenness befits this kind of composition, given their aloof faces and celebratory nature as compared to the greater chaos on the other side. It is an intimate scene to behold, and so the characters being relatively close together follows with these ideas.
The vase altogether provides an excellent medium for this particular scene, as it helps to signify the nature of the vase itself (possibly as a receptacle or bowl for wine). By having Dionysus and his maenads softly, sedately reveling, playing lyres and drinking, the artwork of the vase serves to inform the viewer that the bowl is meant to convey that type of festive, relaxed mood. By showing Dionysus on roughly equal footing with everyone (save his satyr, who is holding him up, and the more active revelers on the other side of the vase.
Comparison of Images in Research Context
Comparing the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia to the terracotta vase made by the Methyse Painter, the works have two fairly different approaches to form and style that set them apart from each other. Unlike the one-sided nature of the figures in the Methyse Painter’s vase, in which Dionysus and his followers circle seek to travel along the circumference of the bowl, the east pediment provides a roughly front-facing, balanced and straightforward composition. The triangular composition of the east pediment allows Zeus, its central figure, to be featured prominently as the primary godly subject and focus of the sculpture – all figures, from Pelops to Oinomaos to the horses bookending the sculpture are designed to create diagonal lines to draw the eye to Zeus. These formal elements, in addition to their origins and importance within Greek culture, showcase a distinct prioritization of justice as a very open point of pride for the Greeks, while drinking, wandering and revelry were vices that the Greeks enjoyed and accepted, but did not celebrate as an ideal of their society.
The Methys Painter’s vase, on the other hand, is slightly more chaotic and has much less veneration for its central godly subject, Dionysus. Unlike the majesty of Zeus being telegraphed by the use of line and composition, Dionysus is simply one of the crowd in his work. He is not dramatically taller or shorter than any of the other figures in the vase, save for the satyr who holds him up as he looks downward while drunk. The vase itself features a dramatically higher-energy revelry going on in the other side of the vase, as opposed to Dionysus’ dour expression, stiff body and slumped shoulders. To that end, the work itself seems to pity Dionysus for having less of a fun time than his other revelers, creating a pathetic image that directly contrasts with Zeus’ position as king of the gods.
The meanings of these respective artworks allow us to intuit a great deal about how Greek society, culture and mythology worked. For instance, the Greeks created artwork about these gods and mythical figures to help exorcise and discuss the various societal and metaphysical questions held by the Greeks at the time. Dionysus, for example, was “the only Olympian god who suffers in his wandering like a mortal” (Montiglio 73). Dionysus, according to myth, was maddened by Hera once he discovered the vine, leaving him to wander the Middle East, getting into adventures and enjoying his wine. Unlike an active god, Dionysus was left to wander from place to place, absorbing different experiences and always being a stranger to others.
Dionysus is a god of fluid identity, as well as revelry, wine and music – as evidenced by his company drinking wine, playing the lyre and generally cavorting around him in the vase work by the Methyse Painter. His company is also of equal importance, particularly the satyr Komos, who is seen holding up Dionysus in the vase (Smith 153). Dionysus, Komos and his revelers in the Methyse Painter vase wander in much the same way as the ancient Greeks had a strong tradition of exile as wandering: “Unlike the Romans, the Greeks did not understand the condition of the exile as a change of place” (Montiglio 30). Wandering is the basis for a lot of adventure tales for the Greeks, lionizing exiles like Cadmus, Alemaeon and Orestes as adventurers known for their wandering (Montiglio 31). To that end, Greeks were naturally drawn to tales of wanderers such as Dionysus, and so would relate to a work such as this demonstrating such aimless, circular movement around the base of the vase.
More directly, however, the use of Dionysus on this particular bell-krater helps to remind the Greeks who might have used it of the Dionysia they likely used it for. Bell-kraters were typically used to store wine and water, mixing them together to make a potable beverage for these kinds of events. Dionysus was the impetus for the Dionysia, a large festival in Athens that would honor him through performing tragic and comic plays , as well as the drinking of wine and reveling (Padilla 151). These kinds of festivals would use these plays explore Athenian society through their themes and “entertained their audiences with performances that imparted lessons on living in Athenian society” (Padilla 151). They were also strongly associated with drinking and wine, making it natural that vessels used for that purpose would so prominently feature both the act of drinking or being drunk and the god that inspired these festivals themselves – Dionysus.
Meanwhile, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia was one of the most important and prominent temples in Greece, its east pediment only being one of many different placements of Zeus throughout the construction of the temple (Hurwit 6). Throughout the Temple of Zeus and its various statues, the theme of justice is centrally placed – the overall impression is that Zeus was the ultimate meter of justice in Greek myth and religion, and so his position in the middle of the east pediment tableau evinces his desire to act justly and adjudicate over the chariot race between the two competitors (Hurwit 6). Zeus, as the central figure of the temple, naturally looms large in the setting described in the east pediment: “The sculptures [of the east pediment] are larger than life not only to the eye but because they depict figures that loom larger than ordinary mortals” (Tyrrell 184). Zeus was, as king of the gods, a uniquely celebrated figure in Greek culture, his many deeds being accredited and celebrated in many ways. Despite Pelops being the central figure of this myth, Zeus still maintains center stage within the composition of the work. Compare this to Dionysus, who is offset within the half of the vase he is found in – rather than the confident stance that Zeus has, facing forward toward the viewer, Dionysus and his followers walk in profile, almost past the audience, not noticing them. By having Zeus effectively address the audience, Zeus showcases a much more centralized role in this work than Dionysus does in the Methyse Painter’s vase.
Greek culture was centrally concerned with justice, and the placement of this particular mythic example of justice on the top of the Temple of Zeus helps to demonstrate this perspective most readily. Even so, one could argue that the presence of the Old Seer in the N position of the pediment, lends a darker undertone to the work’s sense of justice in his sneaky, seated position on the right side of the pediment. The Seer has a much older iconographic tradition, his presence bringing up recollections of the Amphiaraos myth. This has the effect of combining multiple readings of the pediment into one – the sculptor trusting Greek audiences to associate the triumphant nature of the Pelops myth with the darker undertones of Amphiaraos, the oracle who became a healing, psychic god (Hurwit 12). Despite the triumphant nature of the pediment as a whole, this darker undertone lends it an element of tragedy that is more similar in tone to the Dionysian vase. In both works, the potential is there to read an element of tragedy or foreboding to the text of the artwork; the Old Seer’s presence in the ostensible background of the pediment spells the potential for doom, while Dionysus’ downcast glare indicates a feeling of regret or sedateness at his own drunken state and the company he keeps.
The reception of the Greek people to both the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia and the Mehtyse Painter’s vase is highly dependent on the context in which they were used, the commissioning of the work itself, who looked at it, and more. Little is known about the Methyse Painter’s vase’s origins, other than that it is thought to be from Numana, and that it was made during the classical period circa 450 BC (Met Museum, 2014). The Temple of Zeus itself was the product of the architect Libon and built around the same time (approximately 470 and 450 BC), but the pediments themselves (including the east pediment) was made by the Olympia Master and his studio, likely based on the retelling of the myth by Pindar of Thebes (Hurwit 7). The Temple of Zeus, given its size and central location at Olympia, was meant to be a very publicly seen work of sculpture, showcasing a much more public image than the comparatively private, personal nature of the Dionysian bell-krater.
Both of these works demonstrate different aspects of Greek culture through the benefits of their varying media. The Methyse Painter’s vase allows for circular elements to hide aspects of the artwork from each other (making a point about obfuscation and contrast within the painting), while the larger-than life, three-dimensional power of the east pediment’s sculptures helps to demonstrate the sheer authority of Zeus’ allocation of justice, and the sheer bigness and importance of the Pelops chariot race as a myth. The largeness of the east pediment in contrast to the smallness and intimacy of the Dionysian vase showcases the different priorities these individuals had in Greek culture; The activities of each of these works relate heavily to what the viewers of these works might have been doing at the time, and so they might have identified with the works to a large extent.
The east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, along with the terracotta vase the Methyse Painter created, both serve as clear and aesthetically pleasing indicators of the treatment of justice and revelry by Greek society (Cunningham and Reich 33). The east pediment, with its clear diagonal lines, its central focus on Zeus as an arbitrating figure, and the confidence of the characters found in the work, shows an aspect of Greek culture that favored equality in competition (chariot racing) and a desire to see divine justice served through Pelops’ carrying out of Zeus’ wishes. The Methyse Painter’s vase, however, showcases Dionysus as a lonely wanderer among his other revelers, what happiness these people are experiencing happening on the other side of the vase from Dionysus himself (who looks despondent). The listlessness and relaxed nature of the drunken revelers in this vase celebrates the act of drinking wine by featuring Dionysus on the very vessel that would lead people to become drunk; at the same time, the Painter was fully aware of Dionysus’ pain in wandering, even amongst friends.
The public nature of the Temple at Zeus provides a public display of the Greek sense of justice, celebrating one of the culture’s most invigorating myths; that being said, there is room for a more subversive, oppositional reading that spells doom for Pelops, given the presence of the Old Seer from the Amphiaraos myth in this work. While the Dionysian vase evinces a similar sense of tension and dread in Dionysus’ face, it is also tempered by the outward revelry of the maenads surrounding him (just as the Old Seer’s foreboding is masked by the triumphant, large and vertical appearance of Zeus as the mitigating figure of justice on the east pediment). These factors contribute to two distinct works of Greek culture that explore different facets of the culture in different scales and media, but which have somewhat similar approaches to their tone.
Works Cited
Cunningham, Lawrence and John Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities,
Volume I. Cengage Learning, 2009.
Hurwit, J.M. “Narrative Resonance in the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. “The
Art Bulletin 69.1 (March 1987): 6-15.
Marconi. Clemente. Temple Decoration and Cultural Identity in the Archaic Greek World.
Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Methyse Painter. “Terracotta bell-krater.” Terracotta vase; red figure. 19.5 in x 22.25 in. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. < http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/247965?=&imgNo=1&tabName=object-information>.
Montiglio, Silvia. Wandering in Ancient Greek Culture. University of Chicago Press, 2005.
Padilla, Mark William (ed.). Rites of Passage in Ancient Greece: Literature, Religion,
Society. Bucknell University Press, 1999.
Smith, Amy C. "Komos Growing Up among Satyrs and Children." Hesperia.
Supplement (2007): 153-171.
Tersini, Nancy D. "Unifying Themes in the Sculpture of the Temple of Zeus at
Olympia." Classical Antiquity (1987): 139-159.
