Pausanias_Travel_Writing_in_Ancient Greece [Maria_Pretzler]

8. Considering Works of Art
scene. 37 Narrative texts such as the Greek novels included descriptions of
art works as literary devices, for example to enhance the interpretation of
events or to foreshadow what was going to happen next. 38 In rhetorical
texts works of art could be introduced to underline a specific point or to
illustrate a line of argument, while also giving the author a chance to show
his credentials as a connoisseur. 39 Finally, there are texts that concentrate
on ekphrasis, most prominently the Eikones of the older and the younger
Philostratos. 40 These texts ostensibly follow a tour around an art collection,
with descriptions of a series of paintings.
Rhetorical handbooks suggested that the main purpose of ekphrasis
was to allow the audience to visualise the object that was being described. 41
It may therefore come as a surprise that only a few of the surviving
examples in Second Sophistic texts attempt, let alone achieve, this goal in
the literal sense of allowing their reader to imagine what the object in
question actually looks like. The Eikones of the Philostrati demonstrate
the main focus of ancient art description: instead of exploring the visual
aspects of a painting, they are mainly concerned with deciphering its
content and with exploring its meaning and effect on the reader. 42 The
author may discuss the expressions of figures or the setting of a scene, but
the image is often described as if the viewer were observing a real event,
looking at real people or objects: we are told what happens in the scene, or
what a person looks like and what feelings their face and gestures are
expressing. Ancient ekphrasis is rarely concerned with how the painter
has created the image and what visual means were employed to generate
a particular impression, and frequently the reader is not even given a clear
idea of the composition of the picture. These texts are, however, quite
clear about the fact that they are dealing with images rather than real
life, because they explore how the viewer interacts with art. The Eikones
comment on the contrast between the artificial nature of a
painting and the realistic impression it can achieve, they respond to a
viewer’s questions about the content and meaning of an image, and they
expand on the themes that arise from this discussion. In this way,
literary ekphrasis attempts to enhance the viewer’s (and the reader’s)
encounter with an image, and it progresses well beyond a purely visual
experience. 43
Of all the authors of the period, Lucian is most sensitive to visual details
and therefore comes closest to our own mode of art analysis. He uses all
the devices of conventional ancient ekphrasis, but when he describes a
painting he can also pay attention to the painter’s technique and the
composition of the image. 44 Lucian’s most comprehensive description deals
with Zeuxis’ painting of a family of centaurs. The context is a discussion
of the relative merit of unusual ideas and technical skills, which gives
Lucian a reason to focus on the way in which the painter creates a
particular visual impression, while the theme of the work remains secondary.
45
The description focuses on aspects of the image that are
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