FINE ARTS (ASSYRIAN)
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PINE ARTS (GREEK)
the pyramid of Nimrud, a massive structure without stairs or inclined plane, but nothing certain is known about its use.
The Assyrian structures were built upon terraces or in the form of terraces to which flights of steps or long, gradual slopes gave access. The walls were unbroken, except by towers where defense was necessary, and of uniform height. The temple terraces were of many colors according to their religious symbolism.
Sculpture. Assyrian sculpture was decorative and in most instances done in bas-relief. The artists show great freedom of method, but were bound to certain conventions by religion and royalty; hence there is little poetry in their work. The Assyrians seldom departed from incidents in their religion and in the life of their king. The sculptor was the historian and pictured the king, who is rarely seen alone, in his victories, triumphs and hunting trips. In this sculptured history the king is shown leading the procession of warriors followed by the priests, judges, common people, horses, etc.
The sculptor uses one type of man throughout, the king being recognized only by his curled hair and beard, high tiara and costly attire. In the same way his followers are known by their dress.
Above the kings are the composite beings with human features, signifying intellect, and body and wings, types of brute-life, signifying power and strength. The most common of these creatures were the winged bulls, having human faces with curled hair and beards and wearing high tiaras topped by a crest of feathers. There were others, gods represented by combination of parts of various birds and animals, but nearly always having the faces of human beings. There also were evil spirits which were always hideous assemblages of the lower forms of life.
Sculpturing in the round was usually employed to represent the gods onty, although in rare instances the king is so modeled, when he is walking alone.
The lower animals were always a source of inspiration to the Assyrian artist, who carved and chiseled them with a truth and precision that are surprising when we corn-pare them with their study of the human figure.
Assyrian sculpture was done for the most part on slabs of soft alabaster and limestone, and was in nearly every case used for interior decoration. Sculpture in Assyria was cut short in its development by wars, so that no rise and decadence are shown, but rather a slow but steady progression.
Pottery. The Assyrians were well-advanced in the art of making pottery, as clay was their chief material for artistic expression. Brick-making may be classed
under this head, (see ARCHITECTURE). The bricks w^ere large, usually square and of two kinds, sun-dried and fire-baked, the former being used mostly for heavy building, while the latter usually were applied as decoration. These fire-baked bricks were frequently covered with brilliant colors and enameled with copper. Flowers, rosettes, palmettes, chain-patterns, subjects of the chase, men, animals and trees were painted into the enamels, and each brick bore the name of the king.
The literary productions of. the land were inscribed upon bricks, tablets, vases, etc., and collected in large libraries. Many of these records are in existence to-day and fairly well-preserved. They are written in cuneiform, and contain valuable writings and accounts of the life of the people, verifying many of the stories of the Bible.
Few vases are found, except large urns that were commonly used for coffins.
Painting. Very little is known of the painting of Assyria, but traces of color have been found on the bas-reliefs, wall-decorations and terraces. In the latter each terrace was painted a different color, according to the phase of worship to which it was devoted. Pins of clay were pressed into the interior walls of buildings while they were still soft, forming interesting design-arrangements, and then colored in various schemes. This shows that the art of painting was not entirely unknown, but the perfection that it attained can only be guessed at.
GREEK ART
Sculpture and Pottery. The period of primitive sculpture in Greece was previous to 1000 B. C. In the Mycenaean age the temple-decoration depended upon fresco-painting and incised cement floors, and there was very little sculpture. The gate of the citadel at Mycenae (1500 B. C.) displays a relief of two lionesses with their forepaws resting upon an altar. Dignity and power are expressed in ^very line of their angular bodies, and one turns from the contemplation of the woolly manes and lashing tails of modern forms, to these simple, archaic beasts with keen delight. Mycenaean pottery was the leading lucrative form of modelling. It was so varied and attractive that desire for pottery was stimulated. When Athens and Corinth became rivals in this industry, Greek wares migrated all over Italy as well as the Orient. The. Greek vase illustrates the history of the country a thousand years previous to an authentic written word. The designs were first marine and then geometric, and the colors lustrous reds, blacks and browns. Mythological subjects predominate, and the religious teaching of vase-pictures from the first to the last chapter of Greek theology is incalculable. The majority of vases were adapted to household needs such as the
