Abbie Volkmann

Chicago Art and Architecture- Smith

1-22-16

Artifact Essay
There are many similarities and differences between the cities of
Athens, Rome, and Chicago during the time periods we discussed in class.
Some aspects these three cities have in common as well as differentiate
from are how the leaders attempted the impossible, the results of their
efforts, the creation and modification of aesthetics, and how the new
environments created affected those who lived in the environment. This
essay will be broken down by city, and it will examine each one in terms of
the similarities and differences listed above.
The city of Athens was the center of the Greek dominion from the 8th
Century BCE to the 6th Century BCE. It is considered to have been the
birthplace of many inventions and concepts such as philosophy, democracy,
art, and architecture. The leaders of Athens, and Ancient Greece as a whole,
used these inventions and ideas to attempt the impossible, especially with
their art and architecture. An example of this would be the temples that were
built during this time period. These temples attempted the impossible,
because up until these temples were built, no one had built anything as large
and elaborate, and people were, and still are, awed by the amount of detail
that was put into the creation of the buildings. The results of the efforts of
the architectural advancements, as well as advancements in other fields,

was that people became widely known and respected for their contributions,
and a lot of the advancements paved the way for others in the field, as well
as encouraged others to practice the same techniques that were originally
use to create the object, concept, or idea. The creation and modification of
aesthetics was also very important to Greek society because the concept of
beauty was important to them. Therefore, it was essential for the Greeks to
make sure all of their art and architecture was aesthetically pleasing. An
example of this would be their statues. There were very specific guidelines
as to what an Ancient Greek statue should have looked like, as well as what
the dimensions such as height and width should be. The Greeks believed that
these set proportions were the ideal ones for any body, natural or not, should
have. These proportions were also considered beautiful to them, and a statue
would not be beautiful if it even slightly differed from the ideal proportions.
The new environments that were created in Athens from the 8th Century to
the 6th Century BCE affected those who lived in the environments by easily
integrating them into their lives. Most of these new ideas and concepts were
widely accepted, and most people found them to be interesting and
aesthetically pleasing.
The city of Rome during the first few centuries CE borrowed the
concepts of their predecessors in Greece, and modified them to create their
own. This is especially prevalent in their architecture and art. The Roman
emperors used these concepts to achieve the impossible by creating the
image of a powerful and dominant city. This is demonstrated by not only the

conquering of many lands by the Roman Empire, but through its art and
architecture as well, especially their sculptures. A lot of Roman sculptures
depict emperors, and they are usually depicted in a way in which they are
meant to be revered and admired by the viewers. As it turns out, the results
of these advancements was, in fact, that people admired the statues, even
though the Romans had a slightly different opinion of the proper way a
sculpture should look than the Greeks did. The creation and modification of
aesthetics was important to the Romans, but the Romans didnt care about
beauty as much as the Greeks did. They were more focused on detail and
how powerful the artwork made a person feel.
A third location which made a historically important contribution to
aesthetics is Chicago during the 1893 Worlds Fair. The organizers of the fair
attempted the impossible because they created a city within a city with
the buildings they built for the fair, and made them all white in color. They
also wanted to outdo the Paris Worlds Fair, and tried to make something that
was more spectacular than the Eiffel Tower had been. As in Ancient Greece
and Rome, people were astounded and amazed at the results of completion
of the buildings. The fair was highly successful, and one of the things that
made it so successful was the first Ferris Wheel, which was what was built in
order to compete with the Eiffel Tower. This creation, along with other
creations and modifications of aesthetics that took place in Chicago in the
late 19th Century, was important to the people of Chicago because it drew in
more visitors to the city and helped improve its image.

As one can see, there are many similarities and differences between
Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Chicago during the 1893 Worlds Fair.
One area in which all three cities are similar to and different from each other
in is aesthetics. Factors such as new advancements, achieving the
impossible, the results of the achievements, and their importance to the
people of each city. The next time one wanders through any city, even one
that was not mentioned above, one can examine the aesthetics in the art
and architecture there, and reflect upon the impact these aesthetics have
had on the citys history as well as the people that inhabit the city itself.