As Greek Civilization progressed, art was always a large representation of the culture which it entailed. The culture of Greece was so influential to other parts of the world because of its centralized location. Roman art during the Renaissance was a major result of Greek influence. Among the most important time periods of Greek art history are the Mycenaean, Classical and Hellenistic.
The Mycenaean period went from around 1600 to 1100 BC. Its name comes from the archaeological site of Mycenae, in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Some other important sites include Athens, Pylos, Thebes and Tiryns. The art from this period includes a great deal of pottery, and figurines. One important piece of art from this period was Nestor’s Cup, which was described in the lliad of Homer to have belonged to Nestor, the King of Pylos.
“Beside these she set a cup,
a magnificent work Nestor had brought from home,
studded with gold. There were four handles on it,
around each one a pair of golden doves was feeding.
Below were two supports. When that cup was full,
another man could hardly lift it from the table,
but, old as he was, Nestor picked it up with ease.”
Until its discovery, this cup was believed to be a myth. Another popular piece of work from this time is the Mycenaean Bull Rython, found in Tomb IV at the Acropolis of Mycenae. It is reflective of the time period because of its composition of silver with gold horns. It also has nostrils and a flower on its head made of gold. When compared to the Bull Rython from Crete, it is apparent that its creator was influenced by Minoan art.
During the Classical period of art, from just before 500 to 323 BC, there was a revolution with the introduction of democracy in Greece. The sculptures of the period began to reflect a wider variety of poses in a more naturalistic fashion. Possibly the most important piece of art constructed during this time was the Parthenon, in Athens. Constructed in 447 BC by the direction of Phidias, it was the temple of Goddess Athena, who was seen as the protector of Greece. It was said to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its detailed sculptures help to hold its significance as the main symbol of Democracy in Greece. Another prominent piece was the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Also created by the sculptor Phidias in 432 BC, It was erected at the same place where it was said to be built: the Temple of Zeus, Olympia. It is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The state of Zeus was originally a chryselephantine sculpture, made up of ivory and gold-plated bronze. The art from this period represented an energetic and realistic depiction of human life, which is reflective of the changing view of human life, and an increasing emphasis on the individual.
Finally, the Hellenistic period must be considered as a pertinent time for Greek art. It began in 323, with the death of Alexander the Great, and ended with the Battle of Actio in 31 BC. During Philip of Macedon’s conquest and unification of the Greek City-States, his son Alexander built an empire of Greece, Persia, the Near East, and Egypt. Because of this, the City-States began to adopt a more global culture, and consequently, the Mediterranean sea and the Middle East were forced upon Greek ideas and commerce, with different aspects of the many cultures merging into it as well. During this period, Hellenistic art underwent dramatic changes, and continued to break even newer grounds than that of the Classical period. This art was characterized by dramatic poses, sweeping lines, and a high contrast of light, shadow and emotions. The typical Hellenistic artist learned to explore new points of view on human life. The subtle and refined signs of greatness in the Classical era have been replaced bolder expressions of energy and power. This can be seen by noting the differences of the Charioteer of Delphi (Classical) and the Boy Jockey (Hellenistic). The Nike of Samothrace is another prime example of the shift from emphasizing religious and natural themes towards more dramatic human expression. It is a sculpture of a winged goddess spanning her wings posed at a sanctuary built at the edge of a cliff with a reflecting water pool and rocks as the landscape. The curves in the drapery conform almost perfectly to her nude body, and represent suspended animation, as she prepares to fly.
The culture of ancient Greece was so influential that it inspired Roman art in many ways. Pliny, Ancient Rome’s most pertinent art historian, recorded that most forms of art were advanced in Greek times. Romans were not said to have topped Greek art, and this is evident in most Greek sculpture and vase paintings available today. He spoke of Peiraikos, “whose artistry is only surpassed by only a very few...” It is apparent that Roman artists had much to copy from Ancient Greece. Much Greek artistic heritage has been found in Roman art through books and teachings. Also, many Roman artists were originally from Greek colonies and provinces, and adopted such artistic methods as high and low relief, free-standing sculpture, bronze casting, vase art, mosaic, cameo, coin art, fine jewelry and metalwork, funerary sculpture, perspective drawing, caricature, portrait and landscape painting, and architectural sculpture.
It is clear that during the periods of Mycenaean, Classical and Hellenistic, Greek art has gone through much changes due to political, social, and economic factors. Because of Greece’s strong influence on other parts of the world, Roman art has greatly been affected by these changes.
