Sunday, April 25, 2010

Erechtheum

Here’s a pencil and watercolor sketch of the Erechtheum, an Ionic temple built on the Acropolis near the Parthenon in Athens. The porch on the left is supported by caryatid figures.

Sketching a famous subject like this is an extraordinary experience, because you can see the echo of this structure in so many other buildings that it has inspired. Only by drawing it do you fully appreciate it. All the proportions and details in this architecture seem perfect, which makes it impossible to capture in a hasty drawing.

A local came up to me and I asked her to write the name of it in Greek.

Wikipedia on Erechtheum
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 25, 2010 at 2:38 PM

    Brings back memories. I love Athens. It's dirty, noisy and full of concrete sprawl, but nothing can spoil the joy of eating a local, incredibly tasty tomato and watching the Acropolis up there above it all.

    Actually, the Greek letters on the drawing say "NAOS APOLLONA" which means "Temple of Apollo". The Erechteum isn't a temple of Apollo, but maybe that friendly local had a little nap in an ancient history class back in school?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gordon NapierApril 25, 2010 at 2:44 PM

    Greece is the word today. I've just been drawing Spartans!

    ReplyDelete

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