Art and Experience in Classical Greece [Paperback]

 

 

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J.J. Pollitt is one of the most respected scholars of ancient Greek art, and with good reason. His analyses are clear, well-written, cautious, and highly logical. Art and Experience is a classic (!) work of Pollitt's early career. It is an authoritative and engaging introduction to the history of art in ancient Greece, focusing on the Classical period (fifth and fourth centuries BC). The book assumes a general familiarity with some ancient history, philosophy, and literature, so it might be most useful for students or enthusiasts of classical culture who feel that their understanding of classical art is lacking. Nonetheless, the text is introductory enough that even a reader with no background in classics could find the book interesting and informative.
What makes this book a particularly valuable introduction to Greek art is that it aims to explain the motives and ideas behind the art rather than to provide the reader with a list of works and names of styles. Pollitt answers the question of why Classical Greek art looks like it does, and he thus gives his reader a framework for understanding individual works.
I can level only two criticisms at the book, and they are both relatively picky. The first is that, because of the brevity of the book and its intended non-specialist audience, some of Pollitt's conclusions seem to me like logical leaps, and some of his arguments seem too summary to be fully convincing. I would have preferred a more comprehensive treatment with fuller explanations--something along the lines of Paul Zanker's Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. As an introduction, however, the extent of the arguments in Art and Experience is sufficient. My second criticism is that Pollitt at times reveals more personal value judgements regarding the art of ancient Greece than I thought were necessary or appropriate. This is no doubt in part the product of the period in which the book was written, when value judgement still played some role in the teaching of art history (it has since largely been abandoned). It also may relate to the intended audience: I am sure that some readers will be interested to hear what traditional considerations have made art historians consider certain works to be "great." At the same time, readers should be wary of Pollitt's negative statements about some of the art (e.g., Hellenistic sculptures of children). The value of such art has recently been reevaluated by many art historians, including Pollitt himself, and the works do not deserve the dismissive tone apparent in Art and Experience.
On a final note, readers should keep in mind that this book is intended to cover only a brief (though significant) period in the history of ancient Greek art. Because of its scope, this book does not provide a "grand tour" of all famous Greek art--works like the Nike (or Winged Victory) of Samothrace are not covered. While Art and Experience is a great way to begin an exploration of the art and culture of ancient Greece, for a full picture one must consult additional sources. I highly recommend following Art and Experience with Pollitt's masterful (and more scholarly, though still quite accessible) Art in the Hellenistic Age.

Knowing little of Greek art, I happened upon this book in my shelves (an old college textbook belonging to my husband). I was pleased and impressed with this overview of Classical Greek art. Pollitt covers the main strands of development in architecture, sculpture, and painting and places the works firmly in the context of the historical events and cultural atmosphere of their times. As a result, I came away with an increased appreciation and understanding of the quality and value of Classical Greek art and of the interconnection between art and larger society in ancient Greece.

[let this man speak for himself...]
A thoughtful observer of these events, like
Aeschylus, could not but have felt uneasiness.
Were the Greek cities and the factions within
them being drawn, through their quest for power
even at the expenses of principle, into the
cycle of *hybris*, *ate*, and *nemesis* which
they themselves had seen in the undoing of the
Persians? In a world where Zeus punished
*hybris*, where men reaped the fruits of their
own actions, were they sowing the seeds of
their own downfall?
"...be mindful, men of Greece and Athens,
lest one among you, disdaining in his
mind the fortune of the present, and
lusting after more, waste the great
blessings he has..."
the ghost of Darius had said in the *Persians.*
These fears, and with them the vivid memory
of what destruction actually means (particularly
in Athens,which had been sacked and ruined by
the Persians) must have been strong motivating
forces in the creation of the serious and
meditative character of so much Early Classical
art. The "Aspasia," the Charioteer of Delphi,
and even the very early "Blond Boy" from the
Athenian acropolis all seem to be attempts to
embody the ideals of thoughtful restraint and
responsibility which the Greeks were so frequently
prone to forget. (pp. 26-27)
* * *
The fallen warrior [sculpture] from the east
pediment [of the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina] is
another matter. As life ebbs away and he sinks
toward the earth, he tries futilely, sword (now
missing) in hand, to raise himself. His eyes
narrow as his consciousness fades; his mouth is
slightly open as his breathing grows difficult;
he stares at the earth. His enfeebled movements
contrast poignantly with his massive physical
frame in which, for practically the first time,
the individual details of the musculature are
fused and unified by a softening of the lines
of division between them, and by increasingly
subtle modulation of the surface from which one
senses the presence of a unified physical force
emanating from within the body. The sculptor
who conceived the figure had obviously thought
carefully about exactly what it meant. He must
have asked himself what it must really be like
when a powerful warrior is wounded and falls.
What does he feel? How should we feel? And
what meaning is there in our feeling? (pp.19-20)
* * * * * * * * *
There are irritations in this work...amidst the
riches. Pollitt seems to find no inspiration in
the *Diskobolos* statue by Myron at all...devotes
little space to it except to mention its "rhythmos,"
but, incredibly, nothing about its beauty and the
idealization of the harmonic development of the
musculature of the male body by an athlete.
And Pollitt has the bias of "reason" and
"rationality" as the supposed prime virtues of
Greek thought and art...over the mystical.
Yet, if divine inspiration of poets and
artists is not a mystical experience, then
what is? And the Greeks certainly seem to
have subscribed to that belief early on.
* * * * * * * * *

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5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book and a classic in its own right
Pollitt's book is one of those rare pieces of writing that rewards you with fresh insight each and every time you pick it up. Read more

Published on July 12 1998

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