Whatever the era is, art in Greece has left a huge mark on history. Greek art is fascinating with its incomparable beauty. Nowadays, its remains still illustrate the world. To understand them, it is wise to go through the different eras in order to get an essential overview of this timeless art.
Greek art during the Archaic period
The Archaic period was between 800 and 500 BC. During this period, the great architectural sanctuaries such as the temple of Hera at Olympus and the temple of Apollo at Delphi were built. It was also during this period that the cities of Sparta and Athens developed enormously. Apart from architecture, Greek art is also known for its various sculptures and ceramics.
In the field of sculpture, careful artistic creations from the archaic period have become emblems of Greece, such as the stone statues of the Lady of Auxerre, Hera of Samos or Appolon of Melos in Kouros. In ceramics, this period saw the birth of orientalist ceramics in Rhodes, black ceramics in Corinth and Athens and black and red figure ceramics in Corinth and Athens.
Greek art during the classical period
This period dates from 500 to 350 BC. It covers the heyday of Athens both politically and culturally. Indeed, the century of Pericles saw the birth of the great tragedies, the theatre of Aristophanes, Plato, Thucydides and the Parthenon. On the architectural side, the works on the Acropolis of Athens were led during this period by Phidias, Parthenon, Propylaea and Erechtheion. In addition, the temples of Apollo in Bassae and Zeus in Olympia were built during this period.
During this period, sculptural works such as the Aurige of Delphi and the Discobolus of Myron were created. In addition, the Doriphorus of Polyclitus and the statue of Poseidon were built. Painting and sculpture evolved towards an expressionist art, even passionate, if we observe the frieze of the mausoleum of Halicarnassus in this classical period. Free style and flowery style succeeded each other in painting.
Greek art of the Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period spans from 300 to 27 BC. The imprint of Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire marked this period. Thus, all the great cities of the Kingdom such as Alexandria, Antioch and Pergamon underwent urban planning. The ancient temples of Artemis and Apollo were rebuilt.
It was also during this period that Greek art saw the portraits of Alexander the Great by Lysippus and Apelles as well as the terracotta figurines of Tanagra. Spectacular works such as the Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo, Laocoon and his sons and the Colossus of Rhodes by Chares were produced during this Hellenistic period. Apart from these, the mosaics of Alexander and the lion hunter appeared during this period. Greek art has never ceased to amaze and evolve during each period of history.
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