Paul Cartledge on Ancient Greek Art, Creativity, and Patronage
In a conversation with Richard Marranca, Dr. Paul Cartledge, the A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge and a Global Distinguished Professor at NYU, explores the ancient Greek perspective on art. He characterizes Plato as an 'oddball' for viewing art as a threat, advocating for a prohibition on Homer's epics due to their perceived immorality, despite his contradictory use of craftsman metaphors. Socrates, in the Phaedrus, outlines four forms of 'divine madness,' one being poetic inspiration. To prevent intoxication during symposia, wine was diluted with water. The arts were overseen by the Muses, and significant terms include tekton, architekton, demiourgos, and poiesis. Notable patronage includes Pericles' support for the Parthenon (447–432 BC) and Alexander the Great's backing of artists like Apelles and Lysippos.
Key facts
- Paul Cartledge is A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge and Hellenic Parliament Global Distinguished Professor at NYU.
- Plato (c. 428–347 BC) viewed art as dangerous and proposed banning Homer's epics for immorality.
- Plato's Phaedrus identifies four types of godsent madness: prophetic, ritualistic, erotic, and poetic.
- Wine was drunk mixed with water (typically 3:1) at symposia; neat wine was believed to cause madness.
- The Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, inspired all creative arts; mousikē meant music and any art divinely inspired.
- The Parthenon was built 447–432 BC, funded by the Athenian demos, with architects Callicrates and Ictinus and sculptor Pheidias.
- Ptolemy II founded the Mouseion and Library of Alexandria, preserving works of Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Hippocrates, and others.
- Alexander the Great patronized Apelles (painter), Lysippos (sculptor), and Pyrgoteles (gem-cutter) for propaganda.
- Alexander brought a troop of artists on his Asiatic campaign to control his image.
- Alexander adored Homer's Iliad, kept Aristotle's annotated text in a jewel-box, and modeled himself on Achilles.
- Plutarch's biography of Alexander (c. AD 100) contrasts his divine aspirations with human needs for sleep and sex.
Entities
Artists
- Paul Cartledge
- Richard Marranca
- Plato
- Socrates
- Homer
- Hesiod
- Pindar
- Euripides
- Aeschylus
- Hippocrates
- Callicrates
- Ictinus
- Pheidias
- Apelles
- Lysippos
- Pyrgoteles
- Philoxenus
- Anaxarchus
- Callisthenes
- Nearchus
- Aristoboulos
- Onesicritus
- Anaximenes
- Plutarch
- Julius Caesar
- Alexander the Great
- Pericles
- Demosthenes
- Ptolemy I
- Ptolemy II
- Aristotle
- Achilles
- Odysseus
- Dionysus
- Zeus
- Mnemosyne
- Athena
- Archelaos
- Demodocus
- Alcinous
- Arete
- Agave
- Pentheus
- Eubulus
Institutions
- University of Cambridge
- New York University
- Hellenic Parliament
- The Acropolis Museum
- Louvre
- Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- National Archaeological Museum of Naples
- UNESCO
- The Collector
Locations
- Greece
- Athens
- Sparta
- Mount Olympus
- Mount Helicon
- Boeotia
- Thebes
- Pella
- Macedonia
- Alexandria
- Egypt
- Spain
- Afghanistan
- Pakistan
- Sicyon
- Peloponnese
- Colophon
- Asia Minor
- Olynthus
- Crete
- Chalcidice
- Astypalaea
- Lampsacus
- Eretria
- Abdera
- Chaeronea
- Phaeacia
- Ilium
- Troy
- Pompeii
- Italy
- Vienna
- Paris
- New York
- Boston