The Development of Greek Art Throughout the Ages

The development of Greek art throughout the ages is perhaps one of the clearest examples of how the idealization and representation of the human form changes in relation to time, history, and cultures Greek art can be separated into three major “periods” —Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic artistic ages. The Archaic period in Greek art is when the human form in artistic representation began to be more naturalized in form However there was much to be left wanting in artists’ use of anatomy and proportion.

The first example of archaic art, Plaque with two women, cat 650-600 B.CtEt, represents the beginnings of anatomical representation in the Archaic era. The plaque represents two women driven mad by Dionysos, in a state of undress. While the story is clear, the figures do little to convey this meaning through pose or expression.

The second example of the Archaic period is a Statuette ofHerakies, from the last quarter of the 6′” century This statuette represents the god Herakles as a civilized individual, with groomed hair.

However, this is where the detail stops. The proportions are not accurate, and the stance of the statuette does little to inspire god-like thoughts.  In the Classical age, Greek artists truly began to understand the relationship between proportion and beauty, and the human form in art (especially in sculptures) began to convey a sense of naturalism and motion that had never been seen before in the artistic world. This is seen in the Head ofa veiled goddess, from ca. 425 B.C.E. The piece is from a high relief in a building, and shows the use of motion in Classical Greek art, as the figure’s head curves strongly.

The second Classical example is the Statuette of the Diadoumenos, a terracotta sculpture that shows the naturalism and proportional representation found in this artistic periods. Finally, the Hellenistic period was marked by a progression of form from merely representing the human form to overly dramatic poses that attempted to tell a story. For example, the Head oneus Ammon, ca. 220 B.C.E. inspires the imagination with its depiction of the gods’ hair. The period is also marked by attention to detail, seen in the Head ofa Ptolemaic queen, ca. 270 B,C.E,, which serves as a portrait, Each of these examples clarify the themes and developments of the subsequent periods of Greek art.