The Lesche of the Knidians: Conclusion

Function

Not only was the Lesche was a dedication, by the Knidians, to the god Apollo and a propagandistic monument advertising the heroic accomplishments of the great Athenian general Kimon, but it also served a utilitarian function. The Lesche was used as a meeting house or club house. Pausanias (10.25.1) described it as a place to discuss important matters and legendary topics. Visitors to Delphi would gather in the building to talk, the paintings by Polygnotos used as a backdrop for conversations about legendary heroes, politics or just a cool place to escape the summer heat. Plutarch, a priest of Apollo, used the Lesche as the scene of one of his dialogues. "Advancing from the temple we reached the doors of the Knidian club-house. So we entered and saw the friends of whom we were in search seated and awaiting us." (de defectu oraculorum ch. 6)

Conclusion

Yet, the technical advances and reflection on vase painting are not Polygnotos' most important contributions to the arts of the Classical period. It is the Lesche's symbolic role, political function and influence on the major arts such as sculpture, rhetoric and drama that are significantly more important. (Morris 1992: 310) The paintings in the Lesche represent allegorical visions of myths that apply to contemporary Greek history. Polygnotos' spatial groupings, constructed relationships and triptych scenes are a familiar pattern of tragedy, where character, destiny and ethos are common themes. Polygnotos was a true visionary. He is considered by many to be the first "painter" in the modern sense of the word and not just a craftsman. His powerful influence is evident in the many monuments, writings by ancient authors and philosophers, and the great artists like Pheidias who copied his innovative style.

Three Graces from East Pediment, Parthenon by Pheidias