Phidias, architect and sculptor

One of the most recurrent names of Greek sculptors is undoubtedly Phidias. He lived in the days of Pericles, Athens’ Golden Age. His best-known masterpieces were completed in the years between 465 and 430 BC.

The first Persian War of 490 BC ended with the Battle of Marathon. The second Persian invasion in 480 and 479 BC led to the fire of Athens and its Acropolis. The Athenians who had sought refuge on the nearby island of Salamis could only watch on. As a result of these wars, Athens had to be rebuilt, and Themistocles’ priority was to protect the city. He erected a protective wall using much of the rubble from the destroyed buildings.

The restoration of the Acropolis happened only some thirty years later. That enterprise was led by the statesman and orator Pericles, who came to power around 461 BC. He had befriended Phidias, who was already a celebrated artist. He put him in charge of rebuilding the Parthenon.

Rebuilding the Parthenon was no small affair. Phidias functioned as a modern general manager and supervisor and had to take care of almost every detail. The new design was meant to boost Greek morale and express the courage of the Greeks who had defeated the Persian invaders.

The modern restoration works at the Parthenon have revealed many subtle construction elements that were hitherto unknown. Isn’t it amazing to find out that the true genius of Phidias surfaces only 2,500 years after his death? Thanks to modern technology, we can genuinely appreciate the complicated arithmetic and geometric correlation in calculating the temple’s proportions. And there is an overall inter-relationship between its height, width, and depth that has never been surpassed. As described in an earlier blog (see: The perfection of a Greek temple), the entire concept of the Parthenon is just perfect. The eye is being tricked, for there is no single straight line in the whole construction!

Many original friezes and reliefs have now been moved to the New Acropolis Museum. The way they are exhibited helps us understand the concept of the entire project as the sequence of the scenes unfolds to the visitor walking past.

Under Pericles, Phidias constructed a giant nine-meter-high statue of Athena Promachos in bronze. It stood between the Propylaea (the actual entrance to the Acropolis) and the Parthenon and could be seen far out at sea. Another statue of Athena was erected inside the Parthenon. This was a chryselephantine statue that stood twelve meters tall. It was covered with ivory and gold. Athena was easily recognizable to all, with the head of Medusa on her shield and her characteristic helmet. As extra references, she carried the image of Nike, the goddess of Victory, in her right hand and held her spear with her left. At her feet, a small pond filled with oil was added to moisturize the fragile ivory, creating a soft reflection of her features at the same time. This Athena was dedicated in 438 BC, i.e., almost ten years after its conception. Please note that this was only 100 years before Alexander the Great was born. He must have seen her in all her glory!

Very soon afterward, Phidias’ started his greatest masterpiece, which became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We are talking about the famous statue of Zeus, conceived especially for the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, completed in 432 BC. It stood in the inner temple and is beyond our imagination. In antiquity, it was described as an acrolith, i.e., made of a wooden frame covered with ivory and gold (see also: The ladies of Morgantina), with inlaid eyes. Zeus was crowned with an olive wreath. In his right hand, he held an elephantine statue of Nike, the goddess of Victory, while in his left hand, he held the divine scepter. Although the father of the gods was seated, the statue stood 12.4 meters high, meaning that his head nearly hit the ceiling. Just like for the Athena inside the Parthenon, the ivory body parts of Zeus were regularly rubbed with oil. A shallow oil reservoir in front of the statue also acted as a reflecting pool (see: Olympia, in the footsteps of Pausanias).

Working from his nearby shop in Olympia, it took Phidias eight years to complete this wondrous statue. His quarters were built primarily to house this work of art. The place has been identified thanks to a small terracotta cup unearthed within its walls carrying the inscription “I belong to Pheidias.” His house must have emanated prestige and elegance fitting a renowned and accomplished artist.

Sadly, no originals of Phidias’ work have survived. All we have are copies usually made by the Romans several centuries later. The artist is known for creating a dedication in memory of Marathon and a large bronze in Delphi that combined Apollo and Athena with several attic heroes. We can be assured, however, that he influenced countless artists all over the Mediterranean for many centuries.

Phidias died in 430 BC, probably shortly after having completed his Olympian masterpiece, but the circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery.