Greek Art and Winckelmann

            Johann Joachim Winckelmann lived in the 18^th century and studied Greek Art. He was naïve to the notion that Greek statues were originally painted, but hailed their work how we know it today—pure white marble. Winckelmann promoted “good taste” in art and believed that Greek marble statues epitomized the beauty and perfection he was trying to pinpoint.
            I don’t think that it was necessarily a bad thing for Winckelmann to shape a false view of beauty to his followers, because I believe he was right. I can’t say that his view swayed me, because I was unaware of his existence until now. However, in modern society at least, simplicity is key. Sometimes the simplest forms of art are the most beautiful. The white marble statues were not the intent of the Greeks, but they are not trying to make up for anything, and they were complete as far as Winckelmann and myself knew. Much like in graphic design, white space is elemental and basic. It relieves unnecessary clutter and business that distracts the eye and results in a clean final product. For example, the “Archer” from the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia has been worn of its paint. Vinzenz Brinkmann and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann built a reconstruction in 2004 of what the statue might have looked like before it lost its color. When comparing the two, the color statue becomes much more distracting to me. It becomes less art and more like a giant doll due to the vivacity of its appearance, and it loses more of its form. I’m not saying that color isn’t beautiful, but sometimes it isn’t needed. The anatomy of the original is much easier to see with the shadows on a solid color; so in subtracting the color, form and simplicity is added.

            My perception of the Greeks has changed only slightly after coming to learn that their statues were originally painted, because I admired the ingenuity of the pristine white marble. I thought that the Greeks might have left color out for the exact reason as I explained before—to keep the form strong. It made sense to me, since the Greeks respected the human form and held it in high regard.

            I do not believe that art would be produced differently today because of the beliefs and actions of one man. However, I am sure that he had a great impact. I actually think that art might have moved in the direction it did anyway, since we are learning more and more about what is aesthetically pleasing in its terms. Besides, art is a form of self-expression. How can one express themselves and their original ideas if their perceptions have been altered by the beliefs of another? To me, a large part of art is about being different, and in order to do that, one must disagree on things. If Winckelmann hadn’t promoted his stance on the perfection of Greek Art then somebody else might have, and there would still be people to disagree with them as well.