Ancient Greek art

Ancient Greek Art

The three periods

Ancient Greek art and sculpture is primarily divided into three periods: the Archaic, the Classical and the Hellenistic Periods. The Archaic Period covers any Greek work of art of literature written before the 6th Century; the Classical Period is the time in which Ancient Greece thrived the most with thinkers and writers like Plato and Socrates, and generally covers the 4th and 5th centuries; and the Hellenistic Period typically spans any time after the 3rd century.

Kouroi and kourai

During the Archaic Period, Greek art looked heavily stylised and unrealistic, as can be easily seen in examples of Archaic kouroi, or statues of young nude males. In this age, the subject of the statue would have one leg put stiffly forward, their arms hanging straight down by their sides, and would look very uncomfortable and unnatural in general. By the end of the Classical Period, kouroi were much more relaxed-looking, with one hip tilted and their knee bent, as a person naturally would when in that stance. Their arms hang more naturally beside them, but there are still a few disproportionalities─for example, their heads are often too small, the sculptor’s ineffective way of trying to flatter the subject. An example of a Classical Period kouros is  the Kritios Boy, who displays this relaxed stance.

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Korai were the equally common female equivalent of kouroi. They were always young unmarried maidens, fully clothed, and typically holding something like a blossom, fruit or a even a small bird in their hands.

Temples and architecture

Of course, the Greeks didn’t only sculpt people; they are perhaps best known for their beautiful and striking temples. These, too, evolved and improved with time, which can be especially seen when looking at the pillars that adorn the temples. The evolution of the designs of these pillars is often split into three categories: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The pillars began plain and simple in the Doric Period, but became more elaborate throughout the subsequent periods, with temples from the Corinthian Period being the most ornate. Some even used marble or stone friezes to decorate the exterior of the temple, as is the case with the Parthenon in Athens. From the plain, undecorated temples of the Ionic period to the elaborate friezes that adorn sites like the Sanctuary of Zeus in the Classical Age (pictured below), the Greeks worked hard to commemorate the gods through beautiful and intricate designs that would have taken much labour and time to achieve.

Vases and pottery

The Ancient Greeks have also been known for their intricate vases. Corinth and Athens were the two places in Greece who thrived most from their enormous income on painted vases. They were responsible for some of the prettiest and most clever designs that we have on displays in museums today. Although the figures painted on these vases were largely very stiff-looking, they were still perfectly proportional in terms of the size of their limbs and heads. One habit of Ancient Greek vase designers was to paint the figures’ eyes facing forwards, even if their bodies were in profile. This can be especially seen in the famous Dionysus Cup, on the outside of which two warriors (their bodies facing sideways but their eyes looking out of the vase at viewers) play a board game. On the inside of the vase, the god DIonysus is painted at the bottom. This means that when the wine runs out, the drinker will be surprised to find Dionysus looking up at them from the bottom of the cup. Other designs that often adorned Ancient Greek vases include the blinding of Polyphemus from the Odyssey, the beheading of the gorgon Medusa and famous mythological weddings, such as that of Peleus and Thetis (as can be seen on Sophilos’ Dinos vase).

A famous 6th century amasis painter (an Ancient Greek artist who specialised in black figure vase painting) is Exekias, who was well-known for his works such as the Vatican Amphora and the aforementioned Dionysus Cup.

Rivalry among the artists

Ancient Greek artists used to compete with each other, as well; bitterness towards one another was not alien to the painters. One black figure vase painter once inscribed on his vase a message directed sourly at a rival red figure painter: “See that [Such-and-such] could not have done this.” Three painters, contemporaries of each other, called the Kleophrades, the Pan and the Berlin Painters, were known for their amusing hostility towards each other.