The Humanistic Tradition 7th Edition by Gloria K. Fiero – Test Bank

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Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

Chapter 05

The Classical Style

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A theoretical set of unifying rules of proportion that the ancient Greeks searched for was

called

A. string theory.

B. dogma.

C. a canon.

D. a module.

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Learning Objective: Identify examples of Vitruvius’ principles in classical art and architecture.

Topic: classical style

2. The Greek philosopher ________ tried to demonstrate the order of nature by observing

geometric and numeric proportion.

A. Socrates

B. Agamemnon

C. Euripides

D. Pythagoras

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Topic: History

Topic: classical style

3. The person responsible for “Hellenizing” North Africa and Central Asia was

A. Agamemnon.

B. Socrates.

C. Alexander the Great.

D. Darius the Great.

Topic: History

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

4.

Which of the following is NOT identified in the text as hallmarks of Greek art?

A.

Humanism

B.

Idealism

C.

Romanticism

D.

Realism

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Learning Objective: Interpret the synthesis of humanism, realism, and idealism in the arts.

Topic: classical style

5. The main source of our information regarding Greek painting during the Golden Age has

come down from

A. murals sealed within tombs.

B. decorated vases.

C. murals within Greek homes.

D. the writings of Polycleitus.

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Topic: Art and Architecture

Topic: History

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

6.

The outstanding architectural achievement of the Golden Age in Athens is the

A. Pantheon.

B. Parthenon.

C. Acropolis.

D. weight-bearing column.

Learning Objective: Explain how the Parthenon is an example of High Classical culture.

Topic: Art and Architecture

Topic: History

Topic: classical style

7. The great temple of Athena in Athens uses which of the following orders?

A. Ionic

B. Doric

C. Corinthian

D. Post and Beam

Learning Objective: Explain how the Parthenon is an example of High Classical culture.

Topic: Art and Architecture

8. Which of the following is cited as the greatest of the Athenian lyric poets?

A. Lesbos

B. Aristotle

C. Antigone

D. Sappho

Topic: History

Topic: Literature

Topic: classical style

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

9. Greek lyrical poems of praise were called

A. testimonies.

B. odes.

C. orations.

D. decorations.

Learning Objective: Relate Greek poetry to music.

Topic: Literature

10. The “music of the spheres” referred to by Pythagoras was a harmony produced by

A. multiple lines of Grecian melody.

B. the Grecian Doric mode.

C. the revolution of the planets around the sun.

D. the revolution of the planets around the earth.

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Topic: Music and Dance

Topic: Philosophy and Religion

Topic: classical style

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

11. Which of the following peoples finally conquered the Greeks in 338 B.C.E.?

A.

the Etruscans

B.

the Romans

C.

the Macedonians

D.

the Persians

Topic: Hellenistic Age

Topic: History

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

12.

During the Hellenistic period, which of the following replaced Athens as the cultural center of the Western world?

A. Alexandria

B. Rome

C. Thebes

D. Syracuse

Learning Objective: Differentiate Hellenic and Hellenistic culture.

Topic: Hellenistic Age

Topic: History

13. The ________ held that spiritual satisfaction was only possible if one renounced societal

values, conventions, and material wealth.

A. Epicureans

B. Cynics

C. Sophists

D. Stoics

Learning Objective: Interpret the synthesis of humanism, realism, and idealism in the arts.

Topic: Hellenistic Age

Topic: History

Topic: Philosophy and Religion

14. The ________ held that happiness depended on avoiding all forms of physical excess;

they valued plain living and the perfect union of body and mind.

A. Epicureans

B. Cynics

C. Sophists

D. Stoics

Learning Objective: Interpret the synthesis of humanism, realism, and idealism in the arts.

Topic: Hellenistic Age

Topic: Philosophy and Religion

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

15. In terms of sculpture, the work which sums up the Hellenistic aesthetic is

A.

the Altar of Zeus.

B. Apollo Belvedere.

C. Nike of Samothrace.

D. Laocoön and His Sons.

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Topic: Art and Architecture

Topic: Greek sculpture

Topic: Hellenistic Age

Essay Questions

16. Define the term “Classical style” and how it was expressed by the ancient Greeks.

The quest for harmonious proportion was the driving force behind the evolution of the Classical style. This quest spurred

ancient Greek artists and architects, to search for a canon, or set of rules, for determining physical proportion. To establish a

canon, the artist fixed on a module, or standard of measurement, that governed the relationships between all parts of the work

of art and the whole. The module was not absolute, but varied according to the subject matter. In the human body, for

instance, the distance from the chin to the top of the forehead, representing one-tenth of the whole body height, constituted a

module by which body measurements might be calculated. The Greek canon made active use of that principle of proportion

known as symmetry, that is, correspondence of opposite parts in size, shape, or position, as is evident in the human body.

Portraying the nude human figure was a major part of the Classical style, as it reflects the Hellenic regard for the human body

as nature’s perfect creation. By the early fifth century B.C.E.,Greek sculptors had arrived at the natural positioning of the

human figure that would characterize the Classical style. The sensuously modeled torso turns on the axis of the spine, and the

weight of the body shifts from equal distribution on both legs to greater weight on the left leg—a kind of balanced opposition

that is at once natural and graceful. (This counterpositioning would be called contrapposto by Italian Renaissance artists.)

Male figures were portrayed in highly idealized forms, almost godlike, with proportions in the physique in the direction of

geometric clarity. The female figure evolved from being fully clothed to nude in the fourth century B.C.E. Female statues

also depicted the ideal female form: tall and poised, with small breasts and broad hips.

Learning Objective: Explain the meaning(s) of the term “classical”.

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Topic: classical style

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

17. What are the basic characteristics of the Classical style in Grecian painting, sculpture, and

architecture?

Above all, arts in the Classical Style emphasized harmonious proportion and symmetry.

In painting (mostly gleaned from decorated vases), artists refined their efforts to position figures and objects to complement

the shape of the vessel and posed figures naturally. Over time, painters, by selecting and combining the most beautiful details

of many different models, achieved an ideal form, free of incidental detail, meant to improve upon or perfect sensory reality.

Sculpture centered around the human figure, which also followed strict rules of proportion. To establish a canon, the artist

fixed on a module, or standard of measurement, that governed the relationships between all parts of the work of art and the

whole. The module was not absolute, but varied according to the subject matter. In the human body, for instance, the distance

from the chin to the top of the forehead, representing one-tenth of the whole body height, constituted a module by which

body measurements might be calculated. The Greek canon made active use of that principle of proportion known as

symmetry, that is, correspondence of opposite parts in size, shape, or position, as is evident in the human body. Both male and

female figures were portrayed in idealized form, reflecting the Hellenic regard for the human body as nature’s perfect

creation.

In ancient Greek architecture we also see the tenets of the Classical style. The construction of the Parthenon, for example,

was governed by a module. It is likely that this module was both geometric and numerical, adhering to a specific ratio: the

famous “Golden Section.” This ratio, which governs the proportions of the ground plan of the Parthenon and the relationship

between its structural parts, represents an aesthetic ideal found in nature and in the human anatomy.

Learning Objective: Identify classical characteristics in Greek painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Topic: Art and Architecture

Topic: Greek sculpture

Topic: classical style

5-9

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

18. Discuss the Parthenon as an example of High Classical culture in the ancient world.

The outstanding architectural achievement of Golden Age Athens is the Parthenon. Built in glittering Pentelic marble upon

the ruins of an earlier temple burned during the Persian Wars, and housing a colossal statue of Athena (which no longer

exists), the Parthenon is a testament to the ancient Greek Classical style.

The ideal system of proportional design governed the architecture of the Parthenon. Most architectural historians agree that a

module governed the entire project. It is likely that this module was both geometric and numerical, adhering to a specific

ratio: the famous “Golden Section.” The system of proportion known as the “Golden Section” or “Golden Ratio” is expressed

numerically by the ratio 1.618:1, or approximately 8:5. This ratio, which governs the proportions of the ground plan of the

Parthenon and the relationship between its structural parts, represents an aesthetic ideal found in nature and in the human

anatomy, both Classical style aesthetics.

Another outstanding feature of the Parthenon is the fact that there are virtually no straight lines in the entire building. Its

Doric columns, for instance, swell near the center to counter the optical effect of thinning that occurs when the normal eye

views an uninterrupted set of parallel lines. All columns tilt slightly inward. Corner columns are thicker than the others to

compensate for the attenuating effect produced by the bright light of the sky against which the columns are viewed, and also

to ensure their ability to bear the weight of the terminal segments of the superstructure. The top step of the platform on which

the columns rest is not parallel to the ground, but rises four and a quarter inches at the center, allowing rainwater to run off

the convex surface even as it corrects the optical impression of sagging along the extended length of the platform.

Learning Objective: Explain how the Parthenon is an example of High Classical culture.

Topic: Art and Architecture

Topic: classical style

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

19. What are the main features of Grecian poetry and music?

In Classical Greece, as in other parts of the ancient world, distinctions between individual forms of artistic expression were

neither clear-cut nor definitive. A combination of the arts prevailed in most forms of religious ritual and in public and private

entertainment. The intimate relationship between music and poetry is revealed in the fact that many of the words we use to

describe lyric forms, such as “ode” and “hymn,” are also musical terms. The word lyric, meaning “accompanied by the lyre,”

describes verse that was meant to be sung, not read silently.

As in ancient Egypt, this genre of poetry gave voice to deep emotions. Hellenic culture produced an impressive group of lyric

poets, who used economy of expression and inventive combinations of sense and sound. While lyric poetry conveyed deeply

personal feelings, certain types of lyrics, namely odes, served as public eulogies or songs of praise, often to superlative

athletes.

Music, also, played a major role in Greek life. Pythagoras observed that music was governed by mathematical ratios and

therefore constituted both a science and an art. From earliest times, music was believed to hold magical powers and therefore

exercise great spiritual influence. The modes (scales) had certain spiritual or emotional associations with them; in the

Republic, Plato encourages the use of the Dorian mode, which settles the temper and inspires courage, but he condemns the

Lydian mode, which arouses sensuality. Because of music’s potential for affecting character and mood, both Plato and

Aristotle recommended that the type of music used in the education of young children be regulated by law. Such music

should reflect the Classical features of balance, harmony, and dignity.

Learning Objective: Relate Greek poetry to music.

Topic: Music and Dance

Topic: classical style

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McGraw-Hill Education.Chapter 05 – The Classical Style

20. Explain the differences between Hellenic and Hellenistic culture.

The biggest change from Hellenic culture to Hellenistic culture was one of scale. Hellenistic life emerged after Alexander the

Great’s conquests and culture shifted from localized city-states to that of an empire. The defining features of the Hellenistic

Age were cosmopolitanism, urbanism, and the blending of Greek, African, and Asian cultures. Trade routes linked Arabia,

East Africa, and Central Asia, bringing great wealth to the cities of Alexandria, Antioch, Pergamon, and Rhodes. Alexandria,

which replaced Athens as a cultural center, boasted a population of more than one million people and a library of half a

million books.

The Hellenistic Age also made important advances in geography, astronomy, and mathematics. Euclid produced a textbook of

existing geometric learning that systematized the theorems of plane and solid geometry. His contemporary, the astronomer

Aristarchus of Samos, proposed that the earth and all the planets revolved around the sun, a theory abandoned by his

followers and not confirmed until the seventeenth century.

The Hellenistic world was considerably different from the world of the Greek city-states. In the latter, citizens identified with

their community, which was itself the state; but in Alexander’s vast empire, communal loyalties were unsteady and—

especially in sprawling urban centers—impersonal. The intellectuals of the Hellenistic Age did not formulate rational

methods of investigation in the style of Plato and Aristotle; rather they espoused philosophic schools of thought that guided

everyday existence: Skepticism, Cynicism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism.

Learning Objective: Differentiate Hellenic and Hellenistic culture.

Topic: Hellenistic Age

Topic: classical style

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McGraw-Hill Education.