Greek Periods of Art - Essay Example

?[Your full full April 07, Greek Periods of Art Before going into the discussion regarding three major Greek periods of Art, let us get a better understanding of what Greek art actually is. “Ancient Greek art tends to be thought of in vague terms of vases, statues and architecture” (Esaak). The focus of ancient Greek art was development of architecture, human statues, paintings, and music. The big and beautiful temples of ancient Greece represent the dominance of religion on the ancient Greek life. The Greek art integrated the concepts and ideas of Eastern civilizations to form a new and inspiring concept of art, which also gave birth to Western Classical and many other influencing forms of art. In this paper, we will compare and contrast three main Greek periods of art in detail, which include the Archaic Greek period, the Classical Greek art of the Golden Age, and the Hellenistic period. We will also discuss the changes in those periods related to the development of democracy and basic concepts of art. Difference Phases of Ancient Geek Art “There were many phases from the 16th century BC, until the Greeks suffered defeat at the hands of the Romans at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC” (Esaak). Those phases of ancient Greek art represent the mindset, attitude, and focus of the artists of those ages. Some of the most influencing periods of Greek art include archaic art, classical art, and Hellenistic art. The Archaic Greek Period The era assigned to the archaic Greek period of art is 800 to 500 BC. The Greek art was very naturalistic in the archaic period. The sculptures created by the artists of that time represented males and females in a somewhat inflexible pose. Artists used to create statues of men and women in different poses. Some artists used to create heads of warriors whereas some used to represent their gods in different forms of statues. If we take a closer look at the human sculptures of the archaic period, we come to know that the characteristic archaic smile and the human body’s anatomy are prominent in almost all sculptures. The Archaic phase is best known for realistic representation of humans and stone sculptures. In the archaic period, development of the Kouros and Kore statues were the focus of most of the artists. The statues of men represented warriors and gods whereas statues of women represented women in the forms of goddesses, nymphs, and clothed priestesses. Standing and seated girls and nude bodies of men and women are some of the most prominent artworks of the archaic period. Artists of the archaic period used to achieve realistic likeliness in picturing the human figure and representing them in the form of abstract figures of the geometric style (Hill). The stiffness, solidity, and gracefulness represent the influence of Egyptian art on the artists of that time. Neutralism was not the expertise of the artists of archaic period. The artists used to cover their inability to achieve neutralism by giving archaic smile, clenched fists, and outstretched palm style to the sculptures. In all of the three periods of Greek art, which include archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods, there were early, high, and later phases which show the emergence, peak, and ending signs of those periods. The Classical Greek Period The era assigned to the classical Greek period of art is 480 to 323 BC. This era is known as the golden age that starts from the time the Athens rose to the prominence and ends with the death of Alexander the Great. Human statues were very heroically proportioned in that age reflecting the Greek humanistic belief in man’s nobility and the desire to look like gods (Esaak). In the classical Greek period, artists were greatly involved in creating human statues of different styles. One thing, which is similar in the archaic period and the classical period, is that the artists from both periods focused on development of the human statues. The difference is that in the archaic period, there was no concept of neutralism and the artists did not use to create statues in different styles whereas in the classical period, the artists integrated the sense of freedom in movement and expressions of the statues. In the classical period, artists presented the human figure in a more naturalistic manner. There used to be a free flowing form of human figure created with an aesthetic vision. The stylization of the archaic period changed into realistic figures, which represented the concepts of freedom and joy in the artworks. “The art of the Classical Greek style is characterized by a joyous freedom of movement and freedom of expression” (Hill). The artists of that age replaced the stiffness of the sculptures with a free flowing movement of hands and legs. Another significant change, which we can see in the artworks of the classical period, is the counterbalance of the human body. We hardly find any evidence of leg movement in the artworks of the archaic period, whereas in classical period, the artists created many statues in which one leg of the statue is relaxed and the second leg bears all weight of the body. Another difference between archaic period of the Greek art and the classical period is that in the archaic period, there used to be a smile on the face of the statues whereas in the classical period, the smile was accompanied with a solemn facial expression. The ancient Greeks did not like to show their emotions through their facial expression, rather they used to keep a sober look on their faces even in hard situations. This characteristic of ancient Greeks can be observed in all sculptures of the classical period of art. “The Classical period is considered the golden age for the arts, literature, philosophy, and politics and its principles continue to influence western civilization today” (Hill). The classical period has a great influence on today’s politics and philosophy. The expression of freedom, joy, and happiness are some of most valued elements of the today’s societies. The Hellenistic Greek Period The era assigned to the Hellenistic Greek period of art is 321 to 31 BC. In this era, focus of the artists moved towards the use of marble from stone and bronze. Artists became skilled in using marble to design human statues. The artworks created in that age were very attractive and beautiful. “People simply do not look as flawlessly symmetrical or beautiful in real life, as those sculptures” (Esaak). The art created in that age was more secular in nature as compared to previous two ages. Artists started to create more realistic and expressive sculptures in that age. Demonstration of the realistic human behaviors replaced suppression of the emotions. This period of eclecticism brought a new and innovative concept in the field of arts. Artists expanded their work from emotionless faces to expressive faces, sweeping lines, dynamic poses, and high contrasts of light and shadow (Hill). The Hellenistic period of art reflects inner emotions and feelings of the artists of that time. “The Hellenistic artworks mostly themed on the daily life, and on the emotive demonstration of Gods & humans, including heroes” (Labedzki). Development of the Second Classicist sculptures is one of the main features of the Hellenistic period, which highlights the extreme expressions of stress, pain, fear, and anger. The pictures, paintings, and sculptures designed in this period represent reality instead of representing just the beauty of nature. The human statues created during this period demonstrate the element of individuality in the subject revealing its attitudes and social qualities. The concept of sketching and drawing mind plans on the papers started in this age and that is the reason why we see a significant rise in the number of parks and theatres in that age. This era also brought a significant change in the political concepts of the world. The localized and solitary societies changed into cosmopolitan ones, which not only influenced the western cultures and societies but also expanded to the Southeast Asian region (Labedzki). Works Cited Esaak, Shelley. “Art History 101 - Greek Art (An Overview).” About.com, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. . Hill, Suzanne. “Three Periods of Ancient Greek Art.“ Suite101.com, 26 Aug. 2006. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. . Labedzki, Annette. “Art of Greece - Hellenistic Period - Creativity at Its Best.” Ezinearticles.com, 03 Mar. 2009. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . Read More