The Art of the Persians as seen in Greek Art
For convenience Greek art will be treated in three periods: Early, Cyrus the persian
(about 550 B.C.) led a revolt against the Median Empire
and conquered southwestern Asia. The Persians, changing quickly from a
nomadic life to a conquering one, became imbued with the idea of building
on a grand scale after seeing Babylon and western Asi Minor. Becuase of
the teachings of their great prophet Zoraster, they had a clear conception
of the confilct between good and evil, light and darkness, and hoped for
the victory of the Prince of Light, Ahura-Mazda. In art they attempted to
select the best from all sources.
The Persians took chiefly from the Assyrian-Babylonian materials. They
appropiated the post and lintel from the Egyptians, which enabled them to
add colonnaded halls to thier architecture. Like the Babylonains they used
glazed tile for decorative purposes. The themes were hunting, fighting, and
court life. They were fond of the semiround relief, man-headed winged bull,
and the lion. These Persians became very skillful in the use of metals for
purposes art and in the use of metals for purposes of art and in the useof
colored stones cut to fit certain depressions (cloisons), which were probaly
the early prototypes of the famous Byzantine decorative schemes of later
days. The Persians taking their artistic ideas and ideals from many of the
peoples they conquered, blended them into works of rich color luxuriance.
These effects are seen today in the richness of Persian rugs.
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