Painting
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Socrates: Memory unites with the senses, and they and the feelings which are connected with them seem to me almost to write words in our souls; and when the feeling in question writes the truth, true opinions and true statements are produced in us; but when the writer within us writes falsehoods, the resulting opinions and statements are the opposite of true.
Protarchus: That is my view completely, and I accept it as stated.
Socrates: Then accept also the presence of another workman in our souls at such a time.
Protarchus: What workman?
Socrates: A painter, who paints in our souls pictures to illustrate the words which the writer has written.
Protarchus: But how do we say he does this, and when?
Socrates: When a man receives from sight or some other sense the opinions and utterances of the moment and afterwards beholds in his own mind the images of those opinions and utterances. That happens to us often enough, does it not?
Protarchus: It certainly does.
- from Plato's Philebus
How was painting and similar arts practiced and performed from ancient to contemporary Greece?
Painters in ancient Greece practiced art-making by working in groups. They would come together to practice in workshops and schools in the cities like Athens. Often, there was one or two significant painters residing in a city who were known for their particular style and abilities.
Other artists would copy their work for practice but also as attempts at making definitive works of art. The ancient Greeks felt that art objects could always be improved upon. The ultimate goal in art was truth and beauty.
Additionally, painters would gather and collaborate on paintings, such as on vases. This process allowed for them to share techniques and methods of painting.
To help you reason through the cases in this lesson, answer these questions and record your responses to recall during the corresponding lesson activities in Greece and for the reports that you will make on what you have learned.
| What kinds of collaboration do you engage in that helps you learn? |
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| In what ways can educational technology be used to foster collaboration? |
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| Painting, sculpture, and architecture often involve a high degree of collaboration. What similar types of shared thinking (cognition) are employed in education? |
In Greece, study settings where painting, sculpture, and architecture were created and taught. Then using your acquired knowledge, describe and discuss how these sites and related practices contributed to the completed works and its transmission of knowledge.
Find a partner and collaborate on your own painting. For example, select a vase, canvas, wall, or other object and have each person draw one side or part of it while being careful to not complete the work. Then switch and work on the other's piece.
Gather data from your activity and record notes on your reasoning of this case for later analysis and reporting (and publishing on the QFK Web).
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