Religion in the art of archaic and classical Greece / Tyler Jo Smith.

By:

Smith, Tyler Jo [author]

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, c2021.Description: 451 pages : illustrations ; 26 cmContent type:

text

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

9780812252811

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

709.495

Contents:

1. Why Greek art and religion? -- 2. Gods and goddesses -- 3. Sanctuary, festival, and cult -- 4. Devotion, offerings, and dedications -- 5. Life and afterlife -- 6. The religion of Greek art.

Summary: "Art and religion are both well-attested and much-studied aspects of ancient Greek life, yet their relationship is not perfectly understood. Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece presents an important rethinking of these two categories. The book examines not only how and where religious activity is presented visually at particular moments in certain forms, but also what objects and images can tell us about the experiences and impressions of Greek religion. Through and exploration of portable or relatively small-scale art forms - vases, figurines, gems, plaques - Tyler Jo Smith focuses on the visual and material evidence for religious life and customs in Archaic and Classical Greece (sixth to fourth centuries BC). The book introduces its readers to categories of religious practice (e.g., sacrifices, votive offerings, funerals), to the pertinent artistic evidence for them, and to range of scholarly approaches. Smith combines the study of iconography and the examination of material objects with theoretical perspective on ritual and performance. When given visual form, religion holds much in common with other ancient Greek modes of artistic expression, including dance and drama. Religion is viewed here as a dynamic performative act, as an expression of connectivity, and as a mechanism of communication. While the complexities of Greek religion cannot be discerned through the visual material record alone, Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece frames a more nuanced reading of the artistic evidence than has been previously available. Richly illustrated with 216 halftones and seventeen color plates of mostly small-scale objects, the book is much more than a gathering of images and information in a single place. Taken as a whole, it argues for a visual and material tradition that is intended to express the ritualized practices and shared attitudes of religious life, a story that large public works alone are simply never going to tell." -- Dust jacket.

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 3 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds	Course reserves
Reserve - Overnight loan	CYA Library Reserve	709.495 SMI (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		00000011312		Papathanasopoulou, Nina

Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Why Greek art and religion? -- 2. Gods and goddesses -- 3. Sanctuary, festival, and cult -- 4. Devotion, offerings, and dedications -- 5. Life and afterlife -- 6. The religion of Greek art.

"Art and religion are both well-attested and much-studied aspects of ancient Greek life, yet their relationship is not perfectly understood. Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece presents an important rethinking of these two categories. The book examines not only how and where religious activity is presented visually at particular moments in certain forms, but also what objects and images can tell us about the experiences and impressions of Greek religion. Through and exploration of portable or relatively small-scale art forms - vases, figurines, gems, plaques - Tyler Jo Smith focuses on the visual and material evidence for religious life and customs in Archaic and Classical Greece (sixth to fourth centuries BC).
The book introduces its readers to categories of religious practice (e.g., sacrifices, votive offerings, funerals), to the pertinent artistic evidence for them, and to range of scholarly approaches. Smith combines the study of iconography and the examination of material objects with theoretical perspective on ritual and performance. When given visual form, religion holds much in common with other ancient Greek modes of artistic expression, including dance and drama. Religion is viewed here as a dynamic performative act, as an expression of connectivity, and as a mechanism of communication.
While the complexities of Greek religion cannot be discerned through the visual material record alone, Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece frames a more nuanced reading of the artistic evidence than has been previously available. Richly illustrated with 216 halftones and seventeen color plates of mostly small-scale objects, the book is much more than a gathering of images and information in a single place. Taken as a whole, it argues for a visual and material tradition that is intended to express the ritualized practices and shared attitudes of religious life, a story that large public works alone are simply never going to tell." -- Dust jacket.