Wolfgang Petersen’s “Troy”

[1]

 

The post I have most been waiting to publish throughout this entire project has finally come… It is now for me to completely rant on about how much Wolfgang Petersen’s 2004 interpretation of the Iliad, Troy, is not only horrid, but also a travesty of a great classical story.[2]

Please allow me to first state that I do not want anyone to miss understand my opinions in any way possible. Let me disclaim that I am not only a sucker for a good action movie as much as anyone else, but c’mon… What lady out there does not mind seeing Brad Pitt, Eric Bana or Orlando Bloom flashing their beautifully (wait could be they actually be god-like?) sculpted bodies?  Or if you are a male viewer, there was a sex scene in the first few opening minutes of the movie…

Nonetheless, that does not make up for Petersen’s abomination of quite possibly the greatest classical story to have ever been written. Troy could have been a great epic film if it wouldn’t have been for some really disrespectful and unnecessary alterations that they did to the immortal story.

 

Please note: Spoilers coming!

 

Yes, I am talking about Menelaus being killed cowardly by Hector, or Agamemnon killed by Briseis at the end of the movie, or Achilles being the cousin of Patroclus (in fact they were close friends), or Hector killing an Argive. Also, where are the other heroes of the Iliad, Ajax, and Diodemes? More importantly, where the hell were the gods and goddesses that essentially impacted the Greek culture?

If it would not have been for these alterations to the original story, which really disturbed me (if you ever read the Iliad, you’ll understand me) and which I regard as unnecessary and as the usual Hollywood nonsense added to most American films (a good dose of machismo, exaggeration, historical inaccuracy, etc). This could have been a great film but unfortunately it is not…

To be more specific on how Petersen’s interpretation (if you can even call it an interpretation) is degrading to Homer’s tale and the Greeks, I will give you an example from Book 16.

Unlike what is seen in the horrific depiction of the epic poem in the movie Troy, within the Iliad Achilles agrees to allow his comrade, Patroklos, to wear his armor and lead the Myrmidons into battle after learning that Hektor had been rejuvenated by Apollo and was now advancing towards the Greek ships. Achilles advises his dear friend to not advance into the plain but to only drive the Trojans away from the battle ships. Therefore, giving Achilles the advantage to not engage in any battle for the Greeks due to his previous agreement made with Agamemnon.

Unfortunately after Patroklos kills Sarpedon, he forgets the warning given to him by Achilles and pursues towards the Trojans across the plain up to the city walls. While Patroklos continues his murderous rampage, Apollo urges Hektor to attack him and Apollo himself knocks down Patroklos and strips him of any armor before Hektor comes in and kills him.

Sadly, this is not how Petersen had chosen to depict the ultimate demise of Patroklos and the motivation for Achilles to enter the Trojan War on behalf of Agamemnon. Rather he decided to leave any presence of Apollo out of the battle scene and had Hektor and Patroklos battle one another willingly. Furthermore, Petersen neglected to incorporate the scene where Patroklos kills Sarpedon during the battle, hence one of the reasons why Apollo wanted Hektor to murder “Achilles.”

Full battle scene of Hektor versus Patroklos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmqjQzwZaGk

The only concept Petersen seems to have gotten right throughout the entire film was that of Greek Humanism. Pitt, Bana, Bloom, etc all enveloped the concept of physical beauty, which would make them all seem like divine heroes. Yet, that does not make me overlook the fact that Petersen had poorly interpreted Homer’s tale to the point that it is grossly insulating to anyone that has found the inner beauty in the Iliad. Personally, if my heritage had any Greek in it, I would be personally insulted by what Petersen did to a piece of literature that greatly impacted my culture. Clearly, Petersen was not one of the Westerners that the Greek culture had a profound impact on.

 

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[1] http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/troy/images/indeximage1.gif

[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332452/?ref_=sr_1

Greek Humanism

Greek culture has had a profound impact on Western Civilizations. The Greeks have bestowed upon Western culture the concepts of citizen’s rights, democracy, mathematics, physics, astronomy, etc. More importantly, the Greeks also had a highly developed spiritual life that is evident in Homer’s eclectic tale The Iliad. Through this highly developed spiritual life, the Greeks imparted many human traits to their gods and goddesses that would greatly affect their own society’s way of thinking and other civilizations.

This ideology of imparting human traits to their gods and goddesses is especially important when analyzed through Homer’s tale because it illustrates how un-exotic and normal the stories feel. The Iliad is significant to this concept because it truly is the foundation for how Western cultures think of storytelling and really how storytelling in return shapes the notion of what it means to be a human being. This concept of thinking about ourselves as human beings—our sense of heroism, as an individual, relations to others, our emotions—all these common notions stem from the Greek theory of humanism.

When speaking of Greek humanism, scholars are not referring to any philosophy or religion that the Greeks practiced, but merely a type of cultural practice on the emphasis of the human experience that can be evaluated through art or literature. Greek’s highly emphasis the human body, especially that of physical beauty, which can be attributed to physical beauty being literally viewed as divine. In the West, even in modern society, humans are obsessed with the ideal beautifully sculpted body. This philosophy on the perfectly sculpted body stems from the Greeks influence from the Olympics where the participants had handsomely sculpted bodies (could they have sculpted their bodies to look like that of the gods?) of their own and competed not just for their own counties, but for the gods. Therefore, it is simple to see the connection within the Iliad of how the Greeks were affected.

http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/sculpture-art-at-the-pinnacle-of-what-is-possible

            In Homer’s epic poem, many gods and goddesses are referenced to helping the Trojans and Achaeans throughout the entire battle. In fact, you have Achilles, who’s own mother was a sea-nymph, that was greatly connected with greatest god of them all, Zeus.[1] There are many scenes within the epic poem that describe a god helping a Trojan or Achaean warrior defeat the enemy, i.e. Paris’ battle with Menelaus. Why these scenes are so important to the Greeks is because it begs the question if the ancient heroes of Greece had help from the gods without the enemies ever seeing them, then does that make the warriors such as Achilles and Hector look god-like? The answer to that question in a Greek’s mind, yes.

http://its-all-greek.blogspot.com/2012/07/greatest-greek-bronze-statues.html

            Lastly, Greek humanism has had a profound impact on our own society. As listed on the University of Idaho’s Ancient Greek English class webpage, these are the effects:
1) Heroism: our sense of heroism in our stories (especially superheroes, video gaming etc.)

2) Beauty Manifest in the Body: our ritualized worship of sports and, more to the point, athletes.  For example  Or this.

3) Humanism: An inherent respect for the dignity of all individuals regardless of their human shortcomings. Consider how often modern film/literary heroes are portrayed as flawed.

4) Seeds of Democracy and Philosophy: We see in this story a willingness to engage in criticism and examination of those things that other cultures will not.  Both the Achaeans and the Trojans have gods on their sides (contrast to Hebrews, who write from the perspective of one God, on their side only).  The leaders consult one another in counsel and must weigh each others’ opinions democratically.  Both Achilles and the author is willing to criticize Agamemnon, without detracting from his overall status as leader.  Achilles is shown as faulty and yet still a hero. [2] 

http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/sculpture-art-at-the-pinnacle-of-what-is-possible

 The Iliad did have a profound impact on Greek society and continues to do so, even through the economic hardships Greece encounters today. However, the Greeks had an even greater impact on Western culture and with the concepts they bestowed upon us Westerners, we have shaped ourselves into divine humans.

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[1] http://its-all-greek.blogspot.com/2012/07/greatest-greek-bronze-statues.html

[2] http://www.class.uidaho.edu/engl257/Ancient/greek_humanism.htm

http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/sculpture-art-at-the-pinnacle-of-what-is-possible

Exekias’ Ajax and Achilles Playing a Game

From the beginning of the sixth to the end of the fourth centuries BC, black and red figure techniques were widely used in Athens to decorate fine pottery. Sketched into the pottery itself were decorative motifs that were often made for specific daily uses. Some of the shapes would depict storage, drinking wine or water, drawing water, etc. The most significant pot that was found perfectly intact is Exekias’ Ajax and Achilles Playing a Game that depicts two great Greek heroes from Homer’s Iliad.

Before discussing the content of Exekias’ black figure pottery, let us first comprehend how these elaborately decorated pieces of pottery were constructed. During the 6^th and 4^th centuries, highly skilled potters would first shape the pot on a wheel. Most of the sizeable pots were made in sections in order to ensure that the pot would be stable. Therefore, the neck and the body were often times thrown separately and the foot would then be added later.

Once the clay had become leathery, the potter would then lute the joints with a slip. Once luted, he would then add a handle. It is noted in the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History that, “in black-figure bases painting[s], figural and ornamental motifs were applied with a slip that turned black during firing, while the background was left the color of the clay.”[1] Whereas in contrast on the red-figure vases, the decorative motifs remained the color of the clay and the background would then turn black.

Over time the red-figure vases would replace the black-figure pots due to Andokides ingenious techniques that improved the style of the vases. What this means is that the use of a brush in red-figure technique was better suited to the naturalistic representation of anatomy, garments, and emotions that would be depicted within the scenes on the vases.

Next came the elaborate process of firing, which consisted of a three stage intricate process. The first stage involved oxidizing, which the air allowed inside the kiln would turn the vase the color of the clay. From there the potter added green wood to reduce the oxygen supply to turn the vessel black. In the final stage, air was reintroduced into the kiln so the reserved portions of the pot would turn orange while the others remained black.[2] From this point, the pots were set out to cool before being sold for everyday use to display pieces.

Now that we have a basic understanding of black and red figure pottery, let’s now move on to discuss Exekias’ infamous and beautifully sculpted black vase. Displayed in the Vatican Museums in Rome, Exekias’ vase tells the magnificent tale of Achilles and Ajax playing a game of dice during a moment of relaxation from the Trojan War.

It is remarkable that Exekias identified the two men on the pot by including their name above them, but he is also telling what is happening between the two by including a conversation of the score of the game.

However, this is a metaphor for the way the myth will unfold. On either side of the two heroes lay the men’s shields and both of them are holding onto their spears. Achilles grasps onto his spears loosely because he is winning the game, whereas Ajax’s demeanor is tense because he is losing (possibly a metaphor for the war?).

Exekias’ inclusion of the emotions of both heroes can also be seen in the facial features. Achilles facial features, especially that of his eyebrows, show that he is relaxed because Exekias only included a single line. On the other hand, Ajax’s brow has two lines that illustrate the tension in his body. Also, a subtle detail is the position of Ajax’s heel, which is picked up slightly to show the tension in his calf muscles.

Although the reader of the Iliad and the Odyssey knows the fate of both Ajax and Achilles, the noble way that Exekias depicts both of the heroes with such fine detail in the shape of a vase is so incredibly elegant. What this vase ultimately does in a very subtle manner is show the importance of the glory of winning, whether it be in a battle or a game of dice. It also depicts the impermanence of human life and how men should take the time, even in a moment of relaxation from a battle, to enjoy the smaller things with friends.

Although this vase does not exactly answer my question of why so many artist chose to depict scenes from the Iliad in their pieces of art, what it does not fail to do is make the Greek heroes of the Trojan War permanent heroes in Greek Mythology. Therefore, permanently engraving the heroics of the two men fighting for their country.

 

YOUTUBE LINK OF EXEKIAS’ VASE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2fdtepbkz8

 

 

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[1] http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vase/hd_vase.htm

[2] http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vase/hd_vase.htm

John Flaxman

The Iliad only covers the final several weeks of the Trojan War between the Greek armies of Agamemnon and the Trojan armies that lasted up to ten years. However, Homer’s tale written in a dactylic hexameter style of writing in ancient Greece has been greatly influential to many artists throughout history. In fact, the leading figure in European Neoclassic artwork, John Flaxman, had created many black and white draft pieces that would be later reproduced into sculptures.

John Flaxman was one of the most prolific sculptures of his time whose illustrations of the Iliad only increased the number of commissions he received. Like other artists that depicted a scene from the Iliad, his most popular draft work was that of Patroklos fighting over the body of Sarpedon by both the Greek and Trojan armies after he is killed by Patroklos.

In Book 15, the Trojans are driven back across the ditch to where their chariots are parked and the Gods immediately begin to rejuvenate the Trojans after a defeat. Zeus persuades Poseidon to leave the battlefield for conspiracy of helping the Greeks win the battle and he encourages Apollo to rejuvenate a wounded Hektor. With Hektor newly rejuvenated, the Trojans once again cross over the ditch towards the Greek Ships.

Upon seeing of this advancement, Patroklos weeps to Achilles of the Greek’s plight and begs Achilles for him to allow him to wear his armor and lead the Myrmidons into battle. Achilles agrees with a few exceptions that Patroklos is to follow. While Patroklos is adorning himself in Achilles armor, Achilles pours a libation to Zeus for his safe return. However, the libation is sadly wasted for Zeus knows the untimely fate of Patroklos.

During the battle, Patroklos kills many Trojan soliders including Sarpedon. Seeing the dead body of Sarpedon, Glaukos calls upon Apollo to protect his corpse, which Apollo does so by healing Glaukos’ wounds to allow him to collect a band of Trojans for the fight over Sarpedon’s body.

By understanding the context of Flaxman’s draft work, I can now go on to analyze the illustration. In comparison to Flaxman’s pieces of ceramic artwork, it is his illustrations that are considered far more complicated compositions. His Neoclassic illustrations of the retrieval of Sarpedon’s body consisted of clean lines and an uncomplicated design. The perspective of the draft adds shadows to the drawings making them two-dimensional. Also, the shadows depict a sense of movement and energy to the piece of art. The stance of the subjects, especially that of Patroklos, with their arrows pointing towards the enemy shows that the battle is continuing on. The sense of movement is even depicted as two of the Myrmidon soliders pulls at Sarpedon’s legs to drag him towards the Greek ships.

Flaxman’s use of black and white was purposely done so that his illustrations could be easily replicated when printed. But what they also invoke is one of the main themes of the tale, which is the impermanence of human life and its creations. Throughout the Iliad, Homer alludes to the notion that even the greatest of men cannot escape death; in fact, the greatest men may yield to death sooner than others. This is accurately depicted in Flaxman’s draft, as the reader is aware that Sarpedon was killed at a young age, yet the reader is also attentive that it is Patroklos who will soon be the next man who cannot escape death.

While gawking at John Flaxman’s depiction of the death of Sarpedon, I was easily conscious of why he chose this scene to create a draft out of the various other popular scenes he could have chosen. This scene marks a turning point in the epic poem itself, the point where Patroklos makes a grave mistake that ultimately ends in his death. With his death, Achilles is then provoked to join the battle on Agamemnon’s side to seek revenge against Hektor.

Furthermore, the visual delight of his illustration can also be received as a philosophical statement to what I have previously mentioned, the impermanence of human life. Throughout the tale, the presence of the Gods and Goddesses is constantly known and many soliders and humans’ alike call upon them for help. However, even with the presence of the Gods, not all humans can escape the untimely presence of death that haunts each and every one of them, including the children of Gods…

Venting…

“Sing, O Goddess, the ruinous wrath of Achilles,/ Son of Peleus, the terrible curse that brought/ Unnumbered woes upon the Achaeans and hurled/ To Hades so many heroic souls, leaving/ Their bodies the prey of dogs and carrion birds.”

 

            The opening lines of Homer’s The Iliad speak so eloquently of the gruesome tale of defeat, deceit, and death that surround the infamous Trojan War. The epic poem is nothing short of a tedious read that takes an infinite amount of hours to not only read, but also comprehend. In fact, I would not recommend to anyone to read the tale unless they have come into a great deal of money and need something “to do” or if they are looking for answers to any life question they may have.

            Unfortunately for me, I volunteered to read the epic poem because I read a few of the books (what Homer called modern day chapters) my sophomore year in high school. I figured if I could handle the three chapters I read and discussed in high school, then hell, why couldn’t I handle this in college? Oh man was I sorely mistaken…

            I am in no means discouraging anyone from reading this beautifully written masterpiece. However, as I previously stated, I would not read this unless you have a great deal of time on your hands because research is involved in order to comprehend what Homer is referring to. Ever heard of the phrase, “over my head?” Yes, this occurs more then I had wanted it to. Every line of the poem I read I had to reread in order to understand it. This is where most of my time was spent, researching what the hell I just read because I did not comprehend anything. Also to keeping all the characters in line because there is a fair share of Gods/Goddess and rulers and warriors and family members and so on.

            All of the complaining aside, I am pleased with myself that I took the time to read Homer’s epic tale that inspired so many historians to look at the Trojan War in a new light, myself included. Furthermore, an epic tale that invoked many talented artists to interpret the tale in their own way.

From reading the poem and the broken down interpretations many scholars offer, it is easy to understand why artists were influenced by such an arduous read. Homer’s written piece of history has many themes ranging from the glory of war to impermanence of human life and all its creation to military glory over family life. Thus, how the various artistic interpretations answer the question I begged at the beginning of the project: how the epic poem answers the question why artists felt compelled to retell the grandeur moments from the Iliad in their own pieces of art.

Therefore, the next four blog posts will no longer involve any complaints from me, but rather discuss various pieces of artwork that depict a moment from the Iliad. I will first begin with the infamous ancient pottery then continue onto John Flaxman’s natural composition. From those two posts, I will then analyze Peter Paul Ruben’s interpretation of Achilles slaying Hector to finally the more recent adaptation of the tale into the horrid movie, Troy.

Archaeological Sites of Troy and Mycenae

The sight of Troy has become one of the most iconic archeological sights in history. With its 4,000 year history, it is the “most significant demonstration of the first contact between the civilizations of Anatolia and the Mediterranean world.” Not only has the archeological sight been imperative to demonstrate the first contact between civilizations that would help in the understanding of European civilization, but it has also been immortalized by Homer’s The Iliad. 

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849/

Furthermore, the Mycenaen civilization dominated the Mediterranean while also playing an imperative role in the development of Ancient Greece. Homer only furthered to immortalize the dominant civilization in his epic poem known as The Iliad. 

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/941

These two amazing links further the description of the history of the two iconic ancient civilizations mentioned in Homer’s epic tale. UNESCO also provides pictures of the excavated areas in order to provide the viewer, and lover of ancient archeological sights, with a depiction of what the cities would have looked like. 

Enjoy! 

John Corigliano Influenced by The Iliad

Here is an article from NPR about composer John Corigliano’s influence for writing the renowned classical piece “One Sweet Morning.” 

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/09/11/140213714/john-corigliano-on-9-11-the-heartbreak-of-battle

Essence of my Blog

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/09/11/140213714/john-corigliano-on-9-11-the-heartbreak-of-battle

As a history major it is required for me to take courses pertaining to Art History, music, or theatre. Although I am interested in music, not so much in theatre, I thought it would be relevant to my major to take courses in Art History. Before entering my first Art History class with Dr. Atiyeh in 2010, my background knowledge of any art historical information was comparable to that of a four year old learning to read for the first time. I had very little knowledge of the various artistic movements or artists that had existed. However, as the semester progressed, I had begun to realize that my interest in this subject matter was intensifying.

Art History had begun to intrigue me not only because of the beautifully done pieces of sculpture or canvas painting or even photography, but because I had started to ask myself what I always ask in my history courses, why? Since that semester in 2010 with Dr. Atiyeh, I have been divulging my mind with another form of history that provides the world we know today with endless beauty. Furthermore, I have continuously asked myself: why create such an aesthetically pleasing piece of art?

For the research blog assignment, I knew I had to partake in something that would not only interest me, but also challenge me in more ways than one. Therefore, I have chosen to read The Iliad by Homer and compare and contrast it to ancient Roman imagery of the events, as well as, watch the movie Troy to study a modern re-interpretation of the epic poem. While reading the epic poem and studying the various pieces of art depicting the events, what I most hope to achieve is to see if The Iliad answers the question: why did artists feel compelled to retell these grandeur moments through their works of art?

In order to complete this research with my sanity still intact, I have divided the reading of The Iliad into several sections. With the completion of each reading section, I will post a new blog entry discussing various sculptures or paintings that are relevant to what I have read. There may even be a little banter in my blog posts about the reading however, I will try to keep that to a minimum.

I hope you all enjoy my blog posts and may possibly have the urge to read the beautifully written Iliad one day.