Hon. Art Humanities Section 5: Ancient Greece Supplement/Reference GREEK ARCHITECTURE
Doric Order: The Parthenon Of the three types of columns found in Greece, Doric columns are the simplest. They have a capital (the top, or crown) made of a circle topped by a square. The shaft (the tall part of the column) is plain and has 20 sides. There is no base on Doric columns. Doric is not only a type of column, but an "order.” This means that temples of the Doric order not only have this type of column, but also have a certain structure at the upper levels [see following page]. Doric columns work well with the long rectangular buildings made by the Greeks. The Doric order is very plain, but powerful looking in its design. On the following page, you will find examples of some Doric architectural elements. The area above the column, called the frieze [pronounced "freeze"], has patterns or figures, often carved in relief. Above the columns are the metopes and triglyphs [TRY-­‐glif). The metope [MET-­‐o-­‐pee] is a plain, smooth stone section between triglyphs. The triglyphs are a pattern of 3 vertical lines between the metopes. Sometimes the metopes had carvings of heroes or gods on them. The pediment is the low-­‐pitched triangular gable that sits atop the columns. Perhaps the most famous example of the Doric order is the Parthenon in Athens, which is one of the most famous and most studied buildings on Earth. Artist’s rendering of Parthenon reconstruction 1 Doric Order CAPITAL
SHAFT
Pediment Examples found on The Parthenon Triglyph Reconstruction of the Pediment Metopes Frieze A frieze is a decorative horizontal band, often carved in relief. This frieze on the Parthenon would have originally been painted in color (inset) 2 Ionic Order Ionic columns were taller than Doric ones. This makes the columns look slender. They also had flutes, which are lines carved into them from top to bottom. As in the Doric Order, but a bit less pronounced, the shafts of the columns exhibit a unique characteristic -­‐ Entasis (EN-­‐
tah sis). Entasis refers to a bulge in the columns (see right) making the columns look straight, even at a distance. Because you would see the building from eye level, the columns would appear to get narrower as they rise, so this bulge makes up for that, and it looks straight to your eye. The Doric frieze is plain. These columns have bases, where the Doric ones do not. The bases were large and looked like a set of stacked rings. Ionic capitals consist of scrolls above the shaft. The Ionic style is a little more decorative than the Doric. The Temple of Athena Nike in Athens, shown to the left, is one of the most famous Ionic buildings in the world. It is located on the Acropolis, very close to the Parthenon Entasis is the convex curve given to a column. Entasis is almost universal in classical columns. It grew more and more subtle in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. 3 Corinthian Order The Corinthian order is the most decorative and ornate of the three. It is the “newest” order, and not nearly as common in Greece as the other two styles. Corinthian style columns appear more often in ancient Roman architecture, as the Romans, inspired by the Greeks, adopted columns into their own architecture. The Corinthian capitals flare upward, and have foliage-­‐like carvings (acanthus leaves) at the top below a small scroll. The shaft has flutes and a base like the Ionian Order. Corinthian roofs are flat, rather than peaked as seen in the Doric and Ionic Orders. Ancient Corinth – Greece The three surviving Corinthian columns of a temple built in memory of Octavia, the sister of Emperor Augustus of Rome, when Greece was part of the Roman Empire. 4 The Doric style is the simplest. The three main types of columns used in Greek temples and other public buildings are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The style of various other details and architectural elements that accompanied each is known as an order. The most basic difference among the orders has to do with proportion. Doric columns are thicker and shorter, while Ionic columns are taller and slimmer. The orders may be distinguished most easily by their capitals (the tops of the columns). As you can see from the following examples, the Doric capital has the simplest design; the Ionic has curlicues called volutes, and the Corinthian has a leaf motif. The Corinthian style is more ornate. The Ionic design is famous for its scrolls. 5