DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9177#0119
VII
FRONTALITY IN GREEK ART
0!)
that in the infancy of art the national characteristics may
clearly be visible. But we shall only go back to the begin-
nings of the art which is distinctively Greek, not to that of
the Mycenaean Age, which is informed by a spirit quite dif-
ferent from the Hellenic.
Considerable light has been thrown on the development of
early sculpture and painting in relation to space and perspec-
tive by the writings of Professor Lange of Copenhagen and
Professor Lowy.1 Lange has expounded in detail his theory of
frontality in early art, a theory of which Professor Furtwangler
has observed that its discovery is like that of a law of nature.
This view must be set forth in Lange's own way. He ob-
serves that in all early statues in the round, including those
of Egypt, Assyria and Greece, down to 500 B.C., a law is ob-
served to the following effect: " Whatever position the statue
may assume, it follows the rule that a line imagined as passing
through the skull, nose, backbone and navel, dividing the body
into two symmetrical halves, is invariably straight, never bend-
ing to either side. Thus a figure may bend backward or for-
ward, — this does not affect the line, — but no sideways bending
is to be found in neck or body. The legs are not always sym-
metrically placed; a figure may, for example, advance one foot
farther than the other, or kneel with one knee on the ground,
the other raised, but nevertheless the position of the legs shows
the same line of direction as the trunk and the head. The
position of the arms presents greater diversity, yet it is strictly
limited by the attitude of the rest of the figure." 2
The reader must turn to any representation of a human
figure in the round, whether of Egyptian, Babylonic or early
Greek work, for illustration of this law. (See next pages.)
There may be a few exceptions, due to exceptional conditions,
1 J. Lange, Darstellung des Mcnschen in der alt. griech. Kunst; E. Lowy,
Die Naturwiedergabe in der alt. griech. Kunst.
2 Lange, p. xi.
FRONTALITY IN GREEK ART
0!)
that in the infancy of art the national characteristics may
clearly be visible. But we shall only go back to the begin-
nings of the art which is distinctively Greek, not to that of
the Mycenaean Age, which is informed by a spirit quite dif-
ferent from the Hellenic.
Considerable light has been thrown on the development of
early sculpture and painting in relation to space and perspec-
tive by the writings of Professor Lange of Copenhagen and
Professor Lowy.1 Lange has expounded in detail his theory of
frontality in early art, a theory of which Professor Furtwangler
has observed that its discovery is like that of a law of nature.
This view must be set forth in Lange's own way. He ob-
serves that in all early statues in the round, including those
of Egypt, Assyria and Greece, down to 500 B.C., a law is ob-
served to the following effect: " Whatever position the statue
may assume, it follows the rule that a line imagined as passing
through the skull, nose, backbone and navel, dividing the body
into two symmetrical halves, is invariably straight, never bend-
ing to either side. Thus a figure may bend backward or for-
ward, — this does not affect the line, — but no sideways bending
is to be found in neck or body. The legs are not always sym-
metrically placed; a figure may, for example, advance one foot
farther than the other, or kneel with one knee on the ground,
the other raised, but nevertheless the position of the legs shows
the same line of direction as the trunk and the head. The
position of the arms presents greater diversity, yet it is strictly
limited by the attitude of the rest of the figure." 2
The reader must turn to any representation of a human
figure in the round, whether of Egyptian, Babylonic or early
Greek work, for illustration of this law. (See next pages.)
There may be a few exceptions, due to exceptional conditions,
1 J. Lange, Darstellung des Mcnschen in der alt. griech. Kunst; E. Lowy,
Die Naturwiedergabe in der alt. griech. Kunst.
2 Lange, p. xi.