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Phidias

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Australian artist who used the pseudonym "Phidias" in radio talks, seeJeffrey Smart.
For Greek myth figure, seePheidas (mythology).
Phidias Showing theFriezeof theParthenonto his Friends(1868) bySir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

PhidiasorPheidias(/ˈfɪdiəs/;Ancient Greek:Φειδίας,Pheidias;c. 480– c. 430 BC) was anAncient Greek sculptor,painter, and architect, active in the 5th century BC. HisStatue of Zeus at Olympiawas one of theSeven Wonders of the Ancient World.Phidias also designed the statues of the goddessAthenaon theAthenian Acropolis,namely theAthena Parthenosinside theParthenon,and theAthena Promachos,a colossal bronze which stood between it and thePropylaea,[1]a monumental gateway that served as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. Phidias was the son of Charmides of Athens.[2]The ancients believed that his masters wereHegias[3]andAgeladas.[4][better source needed]

Plutarchdiscusses Phidias' friendship with the Greek statesmanPericles,recording that enemies of Pericles tried to attack him through Phidias – who was accused of stealing gold intended for the Parthenon's statue of Athena, and of impiously portraying himself and Pericles on the shield of the statue. The historical value of this account, as well as the legend about accusations against the 'Periclean circle', is debatable, butAristophanesmentions an incident with Phidias around that time.[citation needed]

Phidias is often credited as the main instigator of theClassical Greeksculptural design. Today, most critics and historians consider him one of the greatest of all ancient Greek sculptors.[5][6]

In this painting by artistPaul Delaroche,Phidias is depicted enthroned on the right.

Life and work[edit]

TheVarvakeion Athena,a Roman-era statue of Athena Parthenos considered to be the most faithful reproduction of the chryselephantine statue made by Phidias and his assistants, as displayed in theNational Archaeological Museum, Athens

Of Phidias' life, little is known apart from his works. Although no original works exist that can be attributed to him with certainty, numerous Roman copies of varying degrees of fidelity are known to exist.

The earliest of Phidias' works were dedications in memory ofMarathon,celebrating the Greek victory. His first commission was a group of national heroes withMiltiadesas a central figure. AtDelphihe created a great group in bronze including the figures ofGreek godsApolloandAthena,severalAtticheroes, and GeneralMiltiades the Younger.On the Acropolis of Athens, Phidias constructed a colossal bronze statue of Athena, theAthena Promachos,which was visible far out at sea. Athena was thegoddessof wisdom and warriors and the protector of Athens. AtPelleneinAchaea,and atPlataea,Phidias made two other statues of Athena, as well as a statue of the goddessAphroditein ivory and gold for the people of Elis.

Inantiquity,Phidias was celebrated for his statues in bronze and hischryselephantineworks (statues made of gold and ivory). In theHippias Major,Plato claims that Phidias seldom, if ever, executed works inmarbleunlike many sculptors of his time.Plutarchwrites that he superintended the great works ordered by Greek statesmanPericleson theAcropolis.[7]Ancient critics take a very high view of the merits of Phidias. They especially praise theethosor permanent moral level of his works as compared with those of the later so called "pathetic" school. BothPausaniasand Plutarch mention works of his depicting the warlikeAthena Areia.Demetriuscalls his statues sublime, and at the same time precise.[citation needed]

In 447 BC, Pericles commissioned several sculptures for Athens from Phidias to celebrate the Greek victory against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon during theGreco-Persian Wars(490 BC). Pericles used some of the money from the maritimeLeague of Delos,[8]to rebuild and decorate Athens to celebrate this victory. Inscriptions prove that the marble blocks intended for the pedimental statues of theParthenonwere not brought to Athens until 434BC.[citation needed]It is therefore possible that most of sculptural decoration of the Parthenon was the work of Phidias' workshop including pupils of Phidias, such asAlcamenesandAgoracritus.[citation needed]

According to Pausanias (1.28.2), the original bronzeAthena Lemniawas created by Phidias (c.450–440BC) for Athenians living onLemnos.He described it as "the best of all Pheidias's works to see".Adolf Furtwänglersuggested that he found a copy of theAthena Lemniain a statue of which the head is located inBolognaand the body is atDresden.Some 5th-centuryBC torsos of Athena have been found at Athens. The torso of Athena in theÉcole des Beaux-Artsat Paris, which has lost its head, gives some idea of what the original statue may have looked like.[citation needed]

A reconstruction of Phidias'Statue of Zeus at Olympiain anengravingmade byPhilippe Gallein 1572, from a drawing byMaarten van Heemskerck

For the ancient Greeks, two works of Phidias far outshone all others: the colossalchryselephantineStatue of Zeus(c.432BC), which was erected in theTemple of ZeusatOlympia,and theAthena Parthenos(lit. "Athena the Virgin" ), a sculpture of the virgin goddess Athena, which was housed in theParthenonin Athens. Both sculptures belong to about the middle of the 5th century BC. A number of replicas and works inspired by it, both ancient and modern, have been made. Upon completing theAthena Parthenos,Phidias was accused of embezzlement.[9]Specifically, he was charged with shortchanging the amount of gold that was supposed to be used for the statue and keeping the extra for himself. It seems that the charge was politically motivated – a result of his friendship with Pericles, who had many enemies in Athens.[10]

Phidias supposedly weighed the gold robe of theAthena Parthenosto prove his innocence, but was then accused of impiously portraying himself and Pericles on the shield of the statue, which was apparently true.[11]

Plutarch records that Phidias was imprisoned and died in jail.[12][a]

Aristophanes' playPeace(c. 421 BC) mentions an unfortunate incident involving Phidias, but little context is provided.[14]

According toPhilochorus,as quoted by a scholiast on Aristophanes, Phidias was put to death by theEleansafter he completed the Statue of Zeus at Olympia for them.[15][16] From the late 5th century BC, small copies of the statue of Zeus were found on coins from Elis, which give a general notion of the pose and the character of the head. The god was seated on a throne, every part of which was used for sculptural decoration. His body was of ivory, his robe of gold. His head was of a somewhat archaic type; the bust of Zeus found atOtricoli,which used to be regarded as a copy of the head of the Olympian statue, is certainly more than a century later in style.[citation needed]

The workshop of Phidias at Olympia (2005)

Archaeological discovery[edit]

A significant advancement in the knowledge of Phidias' working methodology came during 1954–58 with the excavation of the workshop at Olympia where he created the Statue of Zeus. Tools, terracotta molds and a cup inscribed on the bottom "Φειδίου εἰμί" (Pheidíou eimí) – "I belong to Phidias"; literally: "of Phidias I am", were found here, just where Pausanias said the statue was constructed.[17][18][19]The discovery has enabled archaeologists to re-create the techniques used to make the statue and confirm its date.[citation needed]

Legacy[edit]

By 1910, mathematicianMark Barrbegan using theGreek letterPhi(φ) as asymbolfor thegolden ratioafter Phidias.[20][21]However, Barr later wrote that he thought it unlikely that Phidias actually used the golden ratio.[22]

Gallery[edit]

  • Head of Aphrodite. Phidian style
    Head ofAphrodite.Phidian style
  • Zeus in Olympia, representation on coin
    Zeus in Olympia,representation on coin
  • A copy of a work by Phidias or one of his pupils: head of Athena, found around Pnyx, now in the National Archeological Museum of Athens
    A copy of a work by Phidias or one of his pupils: head of Athena, found aroundPnyx,now in the National Archeological Museum ofAthens
  • Reconstruction of Athena Lemnia, Dresden
    Reconstruction ofAthena Lemnia,Dresden
  • Head of Athena, Roman copy
    Head of Athena,Roman copy
  • Ivory head of Apollo, perhaps carved by Phidias, looted in 1995 by Pietro Casasanta and repatriated to Italy in 2003
    Ivory head of Apollo, perhaps carved by Phidias, looted in 1995 by Pietro Casasanta and repatriated to Italy in 2003

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Footnotes

  1. ^According to Plutarch, Phidias was made an object of attack by the political enemies of Pericles. His workman Menon is said to have been at least partially responsible for his downfall: Plutarch states that Menon sat in the marketplace begging for protection in exchange for bringing charges against Phidias. He was subsequently provided with safety by the state and exempted from public duties. Accordingly, Phidias was imprisoned and died in prison at Athens.[13]

Citations

  1. ^Birte Lundgreen, "A Methodological Enquiry: The Great Bronze Athena by Phidias"The Journal of Hellenic Studies
  2. ^Not theCharmideswho participated in the tyranny at Athens.
  3. ^Not to be confused withHegiasthe neoplatonic philosopher.
  4. ^"Ageladas | Greek sculptor".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved2019-02-24.
  5. ^"Phidias".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-10-16.Retrieved2008-07-27.
  6. ^Cunningham, Lawrence S.; Reich, John J.; Fichner-Rathus, Lois (2016).Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities, Volume I.Cengage Learning. p. 88.ISBN1337514942.
  7. ^Spivey, Nigel (1996).Understanding Greek sculpture: ancient meanings, modern readings.New York: Thames and Hudson. pp.154.ISBN0500278768.OCLC36645523.
  8. ^The Delian team was an association of approximately 150 Greek city-states under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire.
  9. ^Plutarch.Life of Pericles,p. 31.
  10. ^Clayton, Peter A; Price, Martin (2013).The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.Routledge. pp. 62–63.ISBN978-1-136-74810-3.
  11. ^Salomon, Marilyn J. (1974).Great Cities of the World 3: Next Stop... Athens.The Symphonette Press. p. 105.
  12. ^Spivey, Nigel (1996).Understanding Greek sculpture: ancient meanings, modern readings.New York: Thames and Hudson. pp.153-54.ISBN0500278768.OCLC36645523.
  13. ^Plutarch,The Life of Pericles,31.
  14. ^Filonik, Jakub (2013)."Athenian impiety trials: a reappraisal".Dike.16(16): 26–33.doi:10.13130/1128-8221/4290.
  15. ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Pheidias".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  16. ^Spivey, Nigel (1996).Understanding Greek sculpture: ancient meanings, modern readings.New York: Thames and Hudson. p.158.ISBN0500278768.OCLC36645523.
  17. ^"Phidias",Oxford Dictionary of Art,e-Notes
  18. ^K. Kris Hirst, "A Walking Tour of Olympia, Greece,"about
  19. ^"Olympia, Workshop of Pheidias,"Perseus Building Catalog,about
  20. ^Posamentier, Alfred S.;Lehmann, Ingmar (2011).The Glorious Golden Ratio.Prometheus Books.p. 285.ISBN9-781-61614-424-1.
  21. ^Cook, Theodore Andrea(1914).The Curves of Life.London: Constable and Company Ltd. p.420.
  22. ^Barr, Mark (1929). "Parameters of beauty".Architecture(NY).Vol. 60. p. 325.Reprinted:"Parameters of beauty".Think.Vol. 10–11. International Business Machines Corporation. 1944.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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