Greek Art

This program studies cultural transformations that began in the 5th century BC as Greek art discarded religious functions and moved toward human-centered concerns. Views of Cycladic sculpture and Kouros statues demonstrate an evolving realism, leading to stunning examples of the idealized human figure: the Kritios boy, the Temple of Zeus pediments, Praxiteles’ Hermes, and others.

Is Ancient Greek art just a collection of elegant works of marble, framed by a love of democracy and enlightened reasoning? Far from it. Art critic and journalist Alastair Sooke demonstrates it is in fact far more diverse and surprising—a multi-cultural mix of styles, techniques and materials that left no subject matter unexplored. Considered, thoughtful and enthralling, this series offers a fresh understanding and new perspective on an incredible period of art.

Jenkins explores Greek notions of ideal beauty in both nude and draped images of the male and female human bodies. He contrasts the moral aesthetic of sound mind in sound body with other representations to show how the human form served as a bearer of many meanings. Anthropomorphic gods, larger than life heroes, part-human part-animal monsters of myth are all considered as a visual language. His talk concludes with the legacy of the Greek experience in the Roman era and its transmission to the present day.