L.Barlow A2 Classical Civilisations Friezes
Theme Siphnian Treasury Parthenon
- Limited in variation - Repeats certain scenes without
- Gigantomachy on North frieze, East imitating them to ensure variation
conveys Trojan war, West depicts the - Panathenaic procession
judgement of Paris and the south is - Depiction of human and divine
thought to be the rape of Helen or - Continuous theme allows the viewer
Antiope to become a part of the story
- Enemy and victors hold different - Event that is part of the viewers life,
shields, something that is mirrored on engages them on a personal level as
Narrative both friezes shows limited narrative they intimately celebrate the birth of
- Use of 4 stories from Greek Athena
mythology gives it artistic prevalence - Boardman’s theory is that the 192
- East and West present the theme of men portrayed on the friezes are the
decision making, involving the viewer 192 men that died at Marathon
in the judgement - Passage through time
- Although they are not metopes the - Continuous story with clear finality
story is only told in snapshots and
therefore can be seen as fragmented
- Repetition of style of hair, drapery, - West frieze - spirited horse has
shields and stature of figures intricate and realistic detailing of veins
- Depiction of both human and divine - on its belly
two elements that depict Greek - Drapery on North frieze is responsive
society to the speed of the procession
- North and East Friezes show the - Subtle variations of hair and drapery
same repetition of style of shields - Slightly different strands of hair to
- On the North frieze the gods/ identify the goddesses
goddesses attack in a line with a - Contrast of short chitons worn by men
consecutive row of three overlapping and longer ones worn by the women
convex shields - The way the drapery falls in a way that
- This is contrasted by the row of reveals the body beneath
concave shields held by the giants - Clear depiction of older and younger
- Differentiation of convex and concave men - some are clean shaven with
shields show the two opposing sides short hair and some with shaggy hair
- This technique is used on the East and beards
frieze - the Trojan shields are - Artemis and Aphrodite wear head
Realism concave and the Greek shields are scarves
convex - On East frieze ordinary women are
- Giants and the gods are fighting in depicted for the first time
pairs or triads, interwoven from left - Men are trying to tame their rearing
and right horses - strain in muscles
- Clear limitations of the anatomy of - To keep the top in line the heads of
figures the horses are at the same height as
- The gods are no bigger than the the riders, diminishing the scale of the
giants horses
- North frieze animals are highly - South depicts the beginning of the
stylised sacrifice of the heifer - heifer raises its
- Bodies of the giants turn improbably head in process. The expanse of its
- Dionysus strides towards his foe in a body makes it all the more
natural stance with the weight of his overwhelming
front foot on his toes - Carefully articulated wrinkles on the
heifer’s neck and between its legs
- Rendering of musculature gives the
frieze three-dimensionality
Theme Siphnian Treasury Parthenon
- Limited in variation - Repeats certain scenes without
- Gigantomachy on North frieze, East imitating them to ensure variation
conveys Trojan war, West depicts the - Panathenaic procession
judgement of Paris and the south is - Depiction of human and divine
thought to be the rape of Helen or - Continuous theme allows the viewer
Antiope to become a part of the story
- Enemy and victors hold different - Event that is part of the viewers life,
shields, something that is mirrored on engages them on a personal level as
Narrative both friezes shows limited narrative they intimately celebrate the birth of
- Use of 4 stories from Greek Athena
mythology gives it artistic prevalence - Boardman’s theory is that the 192
- East and West present the theme of men portrayed on the friezes are the
decision making, involving the viewer 192 men that died at Marathon
in the judgement - Passage through time
- Although they are not metopes the - Continuous story with clear finality
story is only told in snapshots and
therefore can be seen as fragmented
- Repetition of style of hair, drapery, - West frieze - spirited horse has
shields and stature of figures intricate and realistic detailing of veins
- Depiction of both human and divine - on its belly
two elements that depict Greek - Drapery on North frieze is responsive
society to the speed of the procession
- North and East Friezes show the - Subtle variations of hair and drapery
same repetition of style of shields - Slightly different strands of hair to
- On the North frieze the gods/ identify the goddesses
goddesses attack in a line with a - Contrast of short chitons worn by men
consecutive row of three overlapping and longer ones worn by the women
convex shields - The way the drapery falls in a way that
- This is contrasted by the row of reveals the body beneath
concave shields held by the giants - Clear depiction of older and younger
- Differentiation of convex and concave men - some are clean shaven with
shields show the two opposing sides short hair and some with shaggy hair
- This technique is used on the East and beards
frieze - the Trojan shields are - Artemis and Aphrodite wear head
Realism concave and the Greek shields are scarves
convex - On East frieze ordinary women are
- Giants and the gods are fighting in depicted for the first time
pairs or triads, interwoven from left - Men are trying to tame their rearing
and right horses - strain in muscles
- Clear limitations of the anatomy of - To keep the top in line the heads of
figures the horses are at the same height as
- The gods are no bigger than the the riders, diminishing the scale of the
giants horses
- North frieze animals are highly - South depicts the beginning of the
stylised sacrifice of the heifer - heifer raises its
- Bodies of the giants turn improbably head in process. The expanse of its
- Dionysus strides towards his foe in a body makes it all the more
natural stance with the weight of his overwhelming
front foot on his toes - Carefully articulated wrinkles on the
heifer’s neck and between its legs
- Rendering of musculature gives the
frieze three-dimensionality
