ILLUSTRATION C
Polygnotus
the Sack of Troy- Pausanias describes 2 of his paintings at Delphi: the Iliupersis (“Sack of Troy”) and the Nekyia (“Ulysses Visiting Hades”). Idealized figures approximately life-size were freely distributed within the composition-an innovation breaking the Greek convention of arranging figures on a single base line. He replaced the horizontal base lines by irregular mounting or descending terrain lines. Comparable representations occur in contemporary vase paintings probably under his influence. He paints no unifying perspective, each individual figure remained the focus of interest even when grouped together. Stateliness was paired with subtlety of detail: delicate headdresses of women, transparent garments, mouths with parted lips uncovering the teeth. He employed sharp foreshortening & 4 colours: black, white, red & ochre. The “ethos” which he created reflects a concept of character as an innate disposition, governing the actions & manifest in a person’s outward bearing.
Ravenna mosaic
The Lunette of Christ as Good Shepherd, over the north entrance Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna (Italy), first half 5th century AD; representative of Christian art late antiquity. Christ is depicted as more regal than earlier portrayals as a good shepherd; rather than carrying a lamb over his shoulder, Jesus sits amongst his flock, haloed, robed in gold & purple. The mosaic represents a transition period between the naturalistic depictions of the classical period and the stylized representations of the medieval period. The forms still have three-dimensional bulk, but the shading such as in the folds of the robes is less refined than in the past, and figures are not very grounded. Elements of realism have been sacrificed for a focus on the spiritual elements.
