Question 3

How significant is Greek mythology in more modern art?

In Greek mythology, a reccurring theme was frivolity, fun and mischief. The Gods worried about nothing except enjoying themselves, and playing tricks on the humans they ruled. They liked parties and wine and good food, and they got what they thought was the best out of life while ignoring the consequence. This idea has great similarities to the Rococo period of art history. The Rococo period went from 1725 - 1775, and was a reaction to the Baroque period in which all the art work was symmetrical and ordered. The main theme was frivolity, as was the way of living around that time in history. The painters used bright colours to accent the busy and fun atmosphere of the paintings, and to bring out the happy, bubbly characters portrayed in them.

A well known painter who followed along the lines of the Rococo period was Edgar Degas, and most of his paintings are about dancing, singing or playing music. Good examples of his festive works are 'The Rehearsal' and 'The Orchestra'. Depicted in 'The Rehearsal' is a group of ballet dancers stretching and rehearsing a dance. There is a sense of light and calm in this painting, and the girls are relaxed and content, in learning a new art and getting happiness out of it. 'The Orchestra' features musicians playing music for a ballet performance, and again the players look calm, content and concentrated on their work. Both these paintings suggest a similarity to the ancient Greek paintings and sculptures, especially of the Gods and their carefree way of life.

Degas also painted of hard work or scenes of normal things, both of which show contentment with life. This can be seen in his two paintings, 'Cotton Market, New Orleans' and 'Girls combing their hair'. 'The Cotton Market, New Orleans' reflects a feeling of hard work and earning rewards, which has a strong connection to the less powerful characters of Greek mythology, that had to earn their happiness from hard work. Hercules, for example, had to complete the 12 labours set to him by Eurystheus. In 'Girls combing their hair' there is an almost nymph-like quality to the girls. Particularly one myth, which quotes "They live near streams and spend their days singing beautiful songs while combing their luxurious hair."

Degas once said "No art is less spontaneous than mine. What I do is a result of reflection and the study of the great masters." He could well have been referring to the ancient Greeks, and his study of their paintings. Or his masters could be his teachers, who studied Greek mythology themselves. The main themes of the ancient Greek mythology and art are carefree frivolity, and less fortunate people working hard to gain rewards. These themes have cropped up throughout art history, and are even represented in modern art of the past twenty years. This shows that Greek mythology has an important and significant place in modern art.

Question 2

How was symbology used in ancient Greek art and has it affected later artworks?

Symbology was used extensively in ancient Greek art, mostly to set the Gods aside from normal people, and to make it easier to distinguish between them. It gave them more power, or more wisdom, or beauty, depending on how they were painted. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, being the three most powerful Gods, had symbols of strength and authority. Zeus had a lightening bolt for power and an eagle for cunning and regalement. Poseidon had a trident for his power and authority. He was also sometimes painted with a fish tail, to symbolize his kingdom, and wild hair and beard, to show the freedom and untamability of the sea and all it represents. Hades was depicted on a throne and with a laurel wreath in his hair to symbolize his regalement. These three powerful Gods were all depicted with beards. In ancient Greece men were seen as dominant over woman, and the beard, as a sign of manliness, was then given to the powerful Gods, to show their dominance over others.

In more modern artworks, the same kind of symbology was used. Davids 'The Oath of Horatii', painted in 1784, shows a man facing his three sons and making them swear an oath to fight and kill the Curatii brothers. The father is the dominant man in this painting, and is the the only one with a beard. This compares to Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the dominant Gods, who also all have beards. Also, the father is wearing a long red cloak, which again symbolises strength and passion, and the caption quotes "Red - the colour of passion - becomes the colour of the revolution."

Another example of symbology in later artworks can be seen in another of Davids works, 'Lictors bringing back to Brutus the bodies of his sons'. This painting is showing the bodies of Brutus' sons being brought home after Brutus orders their deaths. Brutus is sitting in the dark to the side, and is sitting on a throne, or a lavish chair. Like in the instance of Hades, the throne symbolizes the power Brutus has or had, like the power to order the deaths of his sons.

Symbols are timeless, and have been used in paintings and drawings for as long art has been around. It gets across a message that [something] alone cannot, and strengthens the personality of the characters depicted. Whether it's the trident of Poseidon, that sets him apart from the other Greek Gods, the [something about mythological creature], or the adding flourish to a renaissance piece of art, symbology has been hand-in-hand with art since the day of its creation.

Question 1

How were the Gods portrayed in ancient Greek art and how has that changed over time?

In Ancient Greek mythology the Gods were seen as the founders of life and everything in it. They were the reason behind all unexplained phenomenon and the justification of why people acted as they did. The Greeks found many ways to portray them, and the easiest to see is in their artwork. The ancient Greek people painted mostly on vases and pots, and these are some of the first known paintings of the Greek Gods.

The Gods portrayed on the pots are easy to recognize because they have distinctive features and stances that set them apart. For instance, Zeus was always depicted with a beard and a lightening bolt. These all symbolize strength, cunning and wisdom, and have been carried throughout art history along with Zeus.

Although our view of art has changed, Zeus and how he is depicted has not. He is a figure of strength and authority, and artists associate that with manliness, symbolised with a beard, no matter what time they lived in. This statement is strengthened by the painting 'Zeus and Thetis' by Anton Losenko. It was painted in 1769, hundreds of years after the original pot paintings, and depicts Zeus wearing nothing but a red cloth. This differs from the ancient pot paintings by the absence of either the lightening bolt or the eagle, and instead has a red cloth, the colour of strength and power. The main similarity in both pictures of Zeus is his beard. This also applies to Poseidon. He was a powerful God, and was also depicted with a beard in all paintings of him. This can be seen in the painting 'Neptune and Amymone', with Neptune being the Roman equivilent of Poseidon.

Hades image, however, as changed dramatically. In ancient Greek mythology Hades was the God of the underworld. But over time people have changed him into the Devil, and the underworld into hell. Hades was depicted, in ancient paintings, with a laurel wreath around his head, and is usually painted on a throne. This gave him a feeling of royalty and power. In modern art the devil, or the new Hades, is shown holding a forked trident, and sometimes has horns and a forked tail. This can be seen in the painting 'Saint Michael Vanquishing the Devil', painted in 1530 by Bonifacio Veronese, picturing a saint defeating a devil with wings and small horn coming out of his head. This changed his image and his personality by making him seem more vindictive and evil.

As the world has grown and evolved, so too has art and the ideas behind it. As new techniques were discovered, the ways of portraying the Gods of ancient mythology has evolved as well, sometimes subtly, in the case of Zeus and Poseidon, and sometimes hugely, like Hades and the underworld. But nothing has remained completely the same from the ancient Greek pot paintings.