Greek+Art

Some of the most influential art pieces were a product of Ancient Greece. Greek Art gave rise to some of the most powerful and significant art in the world. Ancient Greek Art time period consisted of three main periods, The Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic. The Archaic period began around 800 BC and ended around 490 BC. The Archaic period was the first period of art in ancient Greece, in which the greeks decided that the human body was the most important subject for art because their gods were of human form. The most important sculpture of the time was the Kouros which was a nude male. A less important sculpture was called the Kore which was a standing clothed female, which was used less often because women were thought of as less important. Women subjects in art were only shown as clothed until the fourth century BC because it was not acceptable to have nude females in public. One of the most famous art pieces of the Archaic period was called the Kleobis and Biiton which is estimated to have been made in 580 BC and were sculpted by Polymedes and Argos. The Kleobs and Biton is held at The Delphi Arcehological Muesem.
 * Greek Art**
 * Archaic Period**



The Classical Period was from 480 to 323 BC. This art period produced some of the most impressive and significant art pieces in the world. During this period, Ancient Greek art underwent major stylistic changes changes. Artists of the Classical period experienced a freedom of movement, expression and the celebration of the independence of mankind. Artists began to express the human form in a more naturalistic way. The idea of body movement was introduced artwork creating some of the most influential art in the world. The practice of strict symmetry in a figure was replaced by free flowing and more natural movement.The Kouros of the Archaic period was replaced by figures that demanded space with effortless movement. During this period there was a huge emphasis on the human body and it's movement. Artists began to study the human body and its movement, like the weight shift of a forward step or the shift of the pelvis when a man supports a large weight. Artists of the classical era made gods realistic and human like through the accurate portrayal of the human body this made gods less supernatural and more realistic. An aspect of Greek art that did not develop was the expression on a human's face. Greeks believed that the suppression of emotions was a noble characteristic of all noble men and that a public display of emotion was barbaric, this is why the Archaic smile was lost during the Classical period. There were many famous pieces of art produced during the classical period, one of the most famous pieces was the Discobolos also known as the Disk Thrower was sculpted by Myron and is held in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.
 * Classical Period**

The Hellenistic period was from 323 to 31 BC. During the Hellenistic period art underwent dramatic transformations and evolved on the road paved previously by the Classical artist. While the Classical Greek concepts were not entirely abandoned, the artist of the Hellenistic era expanded his formal horizons with dramatic posing, sweeping lines, and high contrast of light, shadow and emotions. The conventions and rules of the classical period gave way to the experimentation and a sense of freedom that allowed the artist to explore his subjects from different unique points of view. Artists began to develop a more realist sense of the human figure. Art began to show more subjects in movement and how the body looked during these movements. As the shift from Classical to Hellenistic progressed so did the significance of themes in art. Although religious and naturalistic themes were still important there was a growing emphasis on human expression, psychological and spiritual preoccupation and dramatic settings. This resulted in the art becoming more detailed and more expressive of the human bodies true beauty.Some of the greatest art pieces and artist were produced out of this period that were and still are a great influence on art worldwide. One of the most famous pieces of art is The Winged Victory of Samothrace also known as Nike of Samothrace. The Winged Victory of Samothrace is a marble is a marble sculpture of Greek goddess Nike and is estimated to have been from the third century B.C. Since 1884 it has been held in the Louvre.
 * Hellenistic Period**

Greek Art was incredibly significant because it symbolized the beauty and power of the human body. Greek art depicted gods as humans which then caused the human to be glorified. There is an incredible modern significance of Ancient Greek Art because it created the understanding of the human body and the movement of the body. Greek art spurred the use of body movement and the idea of perfection of the human body. This has a great modern influence because it inspired humans in the quest for wisdom and beauty which is very prevalent in modern society. Greek Art is only ancient in its age, in relevance it is modern through Today's culture and society and more importantly Today's art. **
 * The Significance of Greek Art