La arquitectura griega. Características generales

Understanding Greek Architecture: Key Concepts and Characteristics

Overview of Grier Architecture

• Grier architecture is characterized by a post-and-lintel system, relying on vertical supporting elements like walls and columns, with horizontal closures known as lintels or architraves.

• The Greeks preferred this system for its alignment with their ideals of harmony and rational beauty through straight lines.

Materials and Construction Techniques

• Buildings were typically topped with double-pitched roofs supported by wooden frameworks, leading to the creation of pediments.

• Common materials included stone such as sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, and particularly Pentelic marble; these replaced earlier materials like wood and adobe.

Aesthetic Features

• Greek architecture emphasized external volume over internal space, showcasing a sculptural quality through vibrant colors in decorative elements.

• Ceremonial functions in temples revolved around processions and altars outside due to limitations in creating large interior spaces.

Civic Importance

• Major constructions reflected the power of the polis (city-state), highlighting civic pride rather than monumental palaces or tombs.

• New civil building types emerged during ancient Greece including theaters, gymnasiums, and stadiums that catered to public life.

Principles of Design

• Rationality was fundamental; beauty derived from human scale rather than colossal size. Key principles included proportion, balance, clarity, symmetry, order, and proportion.

• Mathematical concepts played a crucial role in achieving ideal beauty through strict proportions based on a defined module.

The Role of Modules in Design

• The module served as the basic unit for calculating all other measurements within a structure. It often corresponded to the diameter of column bases or intercolumniation distances.

Visual Corrections for Aesthetic Perception

• Architects implemented visual corrections using mathematical calculations purely for aesthetic purposes to counteract optical illusions perceived by viewers.

Architectural Orders: Structure and Harmony

• The concept of architectural orders provided rules governing proportions among structural elements ensuring overall harmony within buildings.

Components of Architectural Orders

• Each order consisted of three main parts: the base (crepidoma), the column (including base, shaft/fuste, capital), and the entablature above it composed of an architrave, frieze, and cornice.

Doric Order: Characteristics and Examples

Overview of the Doric Order

• The Doric order is the oldest architectural style, characterized by its unique vocabulary and syntax in construction elements. It has roots in ancient wooden and stone buildings from the geometric period.

Structural Features

• Primarily developed in continental Greece, it is noted for being less slender compared to other classical orders. Its columns lack a base, resting directly on the stylobate.

• The capital features a simple design with a collarino (a thin molding), an equino (a rounded conical mold), and an abaco (a rectangular piece supporting the entablature).

Decorative Elements

• The architrave is smooth, topped with a frieze divided into triglyphs and metopes, reminiscent of ancient wooden temple structures. Triglyphs represent vertical grooves while metopes are square panels often adorned with relief sculptures.

• Below triglyphs are decorative drops; above them are mutulos—small decorated slabs. The overall appearance conveys robustness due to thick columns that taper significantly at their bases.

Evolution of Design

• In classical times, proportions became more refined with taller columns and reduced size differences between shaft and capital. Notable examples include temples from the period of Athenian splendor post-Persian Wars.

Key Examples of Doric Architecture

Propylaea and Parthenon

• Two significant examples from Athens' golden age are the Propylaea and Parthenon, built under Pericles after defeating Persia.

• The Propylaea features two porticos with six Doric columns each, designed for ceremonial access to the Acropolis.

Architectural Details of Parthenon

• Designed by architects Ictinus and Callicrates around 447 BC under Phidias's supervision, it housed a statue of Athena Parthenos. Its design incorporates mathematical precision for aesthetic beauty.

Interior Layout

• Inside includes a complex layout featuring a main cella divided into two levels supported by columns, housing Phidias's famous Panathenaic procession frieze.

Ionic Order: Characteristics

Origins and Features

• Originating from Asia Minor in the 6th century BC, Ionic architecture is known for its more slender proportions compared to Doric styles.

Column Design

• Ionic columns typically rest on bases composed of two torus moldings separated by a concave scotia. They feature fluted shafts with shallow channels.

Capital Decoration

• Capitals are elaborately decorated with volutes (spiral scroll-like ornaments). The entablature consists of an unbroken frieze often embellished with relief work.

Notable Structures

Complex Temple Dedicated to Multiple Deities

Historical Significance and Structure

• The temple features a complex layout dedicated to various deities, utilizing the irregular terrain of its location.

• It is traditionally believed to be the site of the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for control over Attica.

• The temple includes sanctuaries for significant figures such as Athena, Poseidon, Hephaestus, and mythological kings like Cecrops, Erechtheus, and Butes.

Sacred Relics and Architectural Features

• The temple housed some of Athens' most sacred relics, including Poseidon's trident mark and Athena's sacred olive tree.

• Athena's sanctuary contained the most revered statue of the goddess and featured a hexastyle portico with slender columns.

• Other sanctuaries are arranged perpendicularly to this main structure; notably, the Caryatids' portico leads to Cecrops' tomb sanctuary.

Corinthian Order Characteristics

• The Corinthian order is noted as the most ornate architectural style from this period in Greek culture.

• It is essentially a variant of the Ionic order but distinguished by taller proportions and elongated column shafts.