Greek Art Evolution

There are two sides to every story, a formal analysis is one side of these sculptures’ story, and content is the other side of their story. Just as human beings experience different phases throughout their lifespan, so did Ancient Greece. These phases greatly influenced and inspired Greek artworks. Although the styles changed over time, the Greek’s Humanistic philosophy that “man is the center of the universe, the greatest creation of the Gods” became the focus of their culture. Ancient Greece evolved through three periods of art: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. The Archaic period (c.600 B.C.), was a time of discovery and wonder for the

The evolution of Greek art has expanded over hundreds of years and has contributed to many artistic developments, especially in sculpture. The depiction of the human figure has drastically changed overtime from an undeveloped form to a more detailed rendering. This transformation can be seen from Early Bronze Age figurine models to Ancient Hellenistic sculptures. Examples of early figurines are small with disproportionate and unusual bodies while much later sculptures are large scale showing the importance of corrected bodily proportions. Tiny figures generally had the same poses lacking facial and body definition details while later sculptures have exquisite, clear facial features, and deeply chiseled bodies. The developments of sculptors

The ancient Greeks believed in a strong mind and a strong body. Their celebration of the physical beauty and ability of the human body can be seen in their sculpture, writings, and sporting events. The physical beauty of the human body is shown in the marble sculpture “Kraisos” (Benton and DiYanni 64). The sculpture shows a male with a defined muscular mid-section, broad shoulders, and thick legs. There is more detail and a more natural appearance in this sculpture compared to a similar statue from approximately 60 years earlier. The face of the sculpture is realistic and the left foot is forward, as seen in Egyptian sculpture. The art of thought was established by the philosophers of ancient

wall painting survive most of the art work that survives is there pottery. The late

The primary focus of ancient Greek sculptures was that of the human body. Almost all Greek sculptures are of nude subjects. As the first society to focus on nude subjects, Greek sculptors attempted to "depict man in what they believed was the image of the gods and so would come to celebrate the body by striving for verisimilitude or true – likeness (realism and naturalism!)."(Riffert) Not only did the Greeks celebrate the human form in their art but also in everyday life. (Riffert) One of the favorite topics for sculptors was that of the athlete. In Greek culture athletes were described as "hero–athletes". (Riffert) This shows that athletes were revered and looked upon as heroes. The influence

The study of Greek sculpture is a complex relationship of Roman sculpture. And a large number of Roman sculpture, especially in the stone, survives more or less intact, it is often damaged or piecemeal; life-size bronze statues are much more rare, because as most have been recycled for their metal. The

Power and Pathos uses 50 absolute masterpieces to tell the story of the spectacular artistic developments of the Hellenistic era (4th to 1st centuries B.C.), when new forms of expression began to prevail throughout the Mediterranean basin and beyond. There was an extraordinary leap forward in the development of techniques to form the first instance of globalization of the language of art in the known world. Art was in effect, going international. This exhibit has gathered together some of the most spectacular ancient bronze sculptures that still exists today. It displays monumental life sized figures of Gods, Heroes, Athletes and rulers. Ancient cultures invented bronze. They discovered that making an alloy of copper and tin produced a strong metal that could hold great detail and objects cast with it can easily be reproduced. The ancient Greeks prized bronze for its visual worth and they used it create statue of the human body. Unfortunately, because bronze is a metal that can be cast and is expensive, it can also be melted down. Hence, large bronze statues have rarely survived from antiquity, as most were melted down so that their valuable metal can be reused. The ones that are still preserved today are mostly the same ones that were either lost at sea or buried underground.

Hellenistic art was engaged more on perfection of the human frame, accuracy and detail. Models from Greek times looked more God-like than human. Hellenic art depended on the new thought of authenticity. Hellenic figures were molded into sensible, blamed human structures. Art in the Hellenic world art epitomized richness, cheerful nature, and coarse with. Marble statues and reliefs described human greatness and sensuality. Art in Hellenistic world emphasize extraordinary naturalism and unashamed luxury. Art in Hellenistic and Hellenic showed feelings and other components filled with different

Amid the Hellenistic period from the passing of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. until the foundation of the Roman Empire in 31 B.C., the medium of bronze drove imaginative advancement. Sculptors moved past Classical norms, supplementing accustomed subjects and romanticized frames with reasonable renderings of physical and passionate states. To achieve this, using the discovery of bronze for art, they start to create pieces of art composed bronze and other alloys. Bronze—surpassing marble with its rigidity, intelligent impacts, and capacity to hold fine detail—was utilized for element organizations, stunning showcases of the naked body, and realistic articulations of age and character. Cast from combinations of copper, tin, lead, and different components, bronze statues were delivered by presenting honorific representations of rulers and natives populated city squares, and pictures of divine beings, legends, and mortals swarmed havens. The Seated Boxer and the Statue of an Athlete are two sculptures that encompass the complete aspects of the figures through representation and materiality.

The greeks also saw their gods in human form. Sculptures, however, were not just for artistic reasons. They were used for memorials, offerings for temples, and markers for graves. In archaic periods sculptures were not made to be depictions of actual individuals but for depictions of ideals. In the classical period sculptures become more natural looking.

Ancient Greece is famous for its cultural advances, particularly the art. Hellenistic is the last phase of Ancient Greek art, and is essential for the evolution of western art. The Dying Gaul is a typical example of Hellenistic sculptures, dated 230-220 BCE. We are unsure of who made it, but Epigonos – the court sculptor of Attalid Dynasty – was believed to be the one.

In both era’s they have similarities their culture can be traced in the human figures of prehistoric art. In the Paleolithic period, shows how the people could utilize the world around them. Although, they document a critical development in our evolution human’s ability to transform the world around them into specific tools and objects that could be used to complete a task. We could say that the both type of art culture was very impressive to show us now the living way of the stone

Greco-Buddhist art is the artistic form of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between the Classical Greek culture and Buddhism. Greco-Buddhist art is characterized by the apparent idealistic realism and in-depth portrayal of Hellenistic art. Representations of the Buddha alongside traditional Greek deities have helped outline the artistic canon for Buddhist art throughout Asia up to the present. Additionally, it is also a strong example of cultural syncretism between eastern and western civilizations and how the combination of the two cultures can redefine ideas of divinity. Gods from the Greek mythological pantheon are incorporated in Buddhist representations, displaying a strong combination of the two belief systems. A prominent depiction

Iconoclasm is often defined as the destruction or regulation of images. These images are typically religious icons and are worshiped by many thousands of people. Sculptures, paintings, and any type of artwork depicting a religious or godlike figure are be seen as blasphemous to iconoclasts who believe that people worship the images and not the figures themselves. In today’s world, these precious artworks are being destroyed by terrorist groups such as ISIS. These beautifully crafted artworks deserve to be protected from this destruction and remain on this earth for years to come, to be seen by generations but in reality, there isn’t much we can do to stop these attacks.

Marble, limestone, bronze, terra-cotta, wood and a combination of gold and ivory known as chryselephantine were mediums of ancient Greek sculptures used in the fifth century BCE. Statues were often adorned with pearl, gold, jewels and accessories to give them a more vivid appearance. Most statues were of male men athletes (naked), entities and mythological creatures such as centaurs. Many statues of significant figures were created after their death. Interest in the female nude body (divinity) later became more popular amongst Greek sculptors. In the fourth century, characterization came into play. Characterization focused on creating sculptures that were of no real person.