A lecture on ancient Greek painting was lately delivered by Professor
C.T. Newton, C.B., at University College, London. The lecturer began by
reminding his audience of the course of lectures on Greek sculpture,
from the earliest times to the Roman period, which he completed this
year. The main epochs in the history of ancient sculpture had an
intimate connection with the general history of the Greeks, with their
intellectual, political, and social development. We could not profitably
study the history of ancient sculpture except as part of the collateral
study of ancient life as a whole, nor could we get a clear idea of the
history of ancient sculpture without tracing out, so far as our
imperfect knowledge permits, the characteristics and successive stages
of ancient painting. Between these twin sister arts there had been in
all times, and especially in Greek antiquity, a close sympathy and a
reciprocal influence. The method in dealing with the history of Greek
painting in this course would be similar to that adopted in the course
on sculpture. The evidence of ancient authors as to the works and
characteristics of Greek painters would be first examined, then the
extant monuments which illustrate the history of this branch of art
would be described. In the case of painting, the extant monuments were
few and far between, but we might learn much by the careful study of the
mural paintings from the buried Campanian cities, Pompeii, Herculaneum,
and those found in the tombs near Rome and Etruria. The paintings on
Greek vases would enable us to trace the history of what is called
ceramographic art from B.C. 600 for nearly five centuries onward.
After noticing the traditions preserved by Pliny and others as to the
earliest painters, the lecturer passed on to the period after the
Persian war. Polygnotos of Thasos was the earliest Greek painter of
celebrity. He flourished B.C. 480-460. At Athens he decorated with
paintings the portico called the Stoa Poikile, the Temple of the
Dioscuri, the Temple of Theseus, and the Pinakotheke on the Akropolis.
At Delphi he painted on the walls of the building called Lesche two
celebrated pictures, the taking of Troy and the descent of Ulysses into
Hades. All these were mural paintings; the subjects were partly
mythical, partly historical. Thus in the Stoa Poikile were represented
the taking of Troy, the battle of Theseus with the Amazons, the battle
of Marathon. In the Temple of Theseus came the battle of the Lapiths and
Centaurs and the battle of the Amazons again. In the other two Athenian
temples he treated mythological subjects. These great public works were
executed during the administration of Kimon, to whom Polygnotos stood in
the same relation us Phidias did to Perikles, the successor of Kimon.
The paintings in the Stoa Poikile were executed by Polygnotos
gratuitously, for which service the Athenians rewarded him with the
freedom of their city. His greatest and probably his earliest works were
the two pictures in the Lesche at Delphi. Of these there was a very full
description in Pausanias. The building called Lesche was thought to have
been of elliptical form, with a colonnade on either side, separated by a
wall in the middle, and to have been about 90 ft in length. The figures
were probably life size.
According to the list given by Pausanias, there were upward of seventy
in each of the two pictures. In that representing the taking of Troy
Polygnotos had brought together many incidents described in the Cyclic
epics: Menelaos Agamemnon, Ulysses, Nestor, Neoptolemos, Antenor, Helen,
Andromache, Kassandra, and many other figures, with which the Homeric
poems have made us familiar, all appeared united in one skillful
composition, arranged in groups. The other picture, the descent of
Ulysses into Hades to interrogate Teiresias, might be called a pictorial
epic of Hades. On one side was the entrance, indicated by Charon's boat
crossing: the Acheron, and the evocation of Teiresias by Ulysses,
besides the punishment of Tityos and other wicked men; on the other side
were Tantalos and Sisyphos. Between these scenes, on the flanks, were
various groups of heroes and heroines from the Trojan and other legends.
From the remarks of ancient critics, it might be inferred that the
genius of Polygnotos, like that of Giotto, was far in advance of his
technical skill. Aristotle called him the most ethical of painters, and
recommended the young artist to study his works in preference to those
of his contemporary Pauson, who was ignobly realistic, or those of
Zeuxis, who had great technical merit, but was deficient in spiritual
conception. The course will comprise four more lectures, as
follows--November 17, "Greek Painters from B.C. 460 to Accession of
Alexander the Great B.C. 336--Apollodoros, Zeuxis, Parrhasios,
Pamphilos, Aristides;" November 24, "Greek Painters from Age of
Alexander to Augustan Age--Apelles, Protogenes, Theon;" December 1,
"Pictures on Greek Fictile Vases;" December 15, "Mural Paintings from
Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other Ancient sites."
* * * * *
The new Iowa State Capitol has thus far cost $2,000,000,
and it will require $500,000 to finish it. It is 365 feet long
fron north to south, and measures 274 feet from the sidewalk
to the top of the central dome.
* * * * *
[LONGMAN'S MAGAZINE.]