Architectural Posters of Greece

Greek Architecture between Antiquity and Neoclassicism

These three architectural posters connect Greek antiquity with its influence on nineteenth-century Neoclassicism.

AP 569 · Athens, Acropolis

The poster depicts the renowned sanctuary overlooking the city. Following the Persian Wars, the statesman Pericles had the plateau transformed during the fifth century BCE into a balanced ensemble of monumental buildings. The Parthenon was constructed between 447 and 432 BCE to designs by Iktinos and Kallikrates, under the artistic direction of the sculptor Pheidias. The Propylaia by Mnesikles, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion completed the complex. The interplay of architecture, topography and sightlines made the Acropolis a model that influenced European architecture well into the modern era.

AP 568 · Epidauros, Temple of Asclepios

The motif takes us to the Peloponnese and the most important healing centre of the Greek and Roman world. The small Doric peripteral temple was designed by Theodotos around 380–375 BCE. Its 6 by 11 columns enclosed a richly appointed cella; inside stood the cult statue of the healing god Asklepios. The temple, incubation hall, baths, athletic facilities, guest house and theatre together formed a place where religious healing rituals and early medical practice were closely connected.

AP 504 · K. F. Schinkel, Design for a Royal Palace on the Acropolis

A radical counterpoint to archaeological reconstruction is Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s palace design. After Otto became King of Greece in 1832, Schinkel designed a residence in 1834 for the eastern third of the Acropolis plateau. The idea originated with the Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm. Schinkel placed the new palace complex behind the Parthenon and Erechtheion and crowned the composition with a monumental Athena Promachos. The visionary scheme was not built because the foundation stone for the Athens Royal Palace at the edge of the old city had already been laid. The architectural poster thus preserves one of the most striking architectural utopias of European Neoclassicism.