Art and Experience in Classical Greece

I first read (most of) this book almost thirty years ago as an undergraduate and it caused me to fall in love with the study of ancient Greek and Roman art. Revisiting it now as 46-year-old only reconfirms my initial impression of the excellence of J.J. Pollitt's "Art and Experience in Classical Greece."As a young student with only a budding knowledge of Classical history, I was impressed with how convincingly Pollitt interwove contemporary ancient Greek (and Roman) literary evidence into his analysis of Archaic and Classical Greek sculpture, architecture, and painting. To me this really served to emphasize the "history" in the notion of "art history," and I was thrilled with the way Pollitt proceeded to make these ancient objects come alive and set them in their respective historical contexts.Of course Pollitt is aided in this endeavor by the concurrent dawning of western letters in the 7th-4th century B.C. writings of Homer, Archilochus, Solon, Anaximander, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Demosthenes, Plato, Aristotle, etc., as well as Roman-era writers such as Vitruvius, Pausanias, and Plutarch. Through these contemporary writings we know what was happening in mainland Greece and Ionia when monuments such as the temples of Aphaia on Aegina, Zeus at Olympia, Athena at Athens (Parthenon), Apollo at Bassae, Zeus at Nemea, or Apollo at Didyma were constructed. With the help of these literary sources Pollitt shows how historical circumstances of each age are manifested in ancient Greek art. The groping, rather schematic painted vases and bronze figurines of the Geometric period (900-700 B.C.) show an urge to impose an order of geometric shapes on the natural world as the Greeks emerge from the illiterate Dark Ages. The Kouros (male) and Kore (female) sculptures of the Archaic Greek period (700-500 B.C.) show a concern with monumentality and formalized surface detail that are clearly influenced by Near Eastern and Egyptian antecedents. And the increasing variety of Classical Greek art (500-320 B.C.) corresponds to contemporary historical experience as the Greeks defeat the forces of Oriental absolutism in the Persian Wars (ca. 500-479 B.C.), enjoy a period of imperial tranquility (479-431 B.C.), see this stable world disintegrate in the exhausting Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.), then watch their familiar world of Greek poleis upended as Philip II's and Alexander the Great's conquests bring huge swathes of Asia (and Egypt) into the orbit of Greek culture. The increasing anxiety of this Classical Greek experience is evident in the architecture, sculpture, and painting (usually on vases but also from mosaic and Roman copies or literary descriptions) produced by the Greeks at this time. The benign serenity of the head of Athena from the temple of Zeus at Olympia, 462-457 B.C., (pg. 53) contrasts with the painful emotionality of the head of Priam from temple of Asklepios at Epidauros, ca. 380 B.C., (pg. 145), but all-the-while these objects are executed with an artistic and technical virtuosity so distinctive of the Classical Greeks.Throughout "Art and Experience in Classical Greece," J.J. Pollitt shows an easy mastery of primary and secondary Classical scholarship (though there must be a significant amount of research that has been done since the book's publication in 1972), writes in clear and intelligent prose, and guides the reader on a compact yet highly insightful tour of Classical Greek art. This is a very satisfying book.

My favorite book on the period.Gives a well rounded picture.

Very good

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.

Very good to read it and connect it with the pictures.

Good condition

A must read Greek survey text