Why Care About Old Greek Art?

An important part of art history, possibly even the foundation is acknowledging the past and trying to understand how it influences the future. This is especially true when we consider Greek art and how it has influenced numerous art movements and set the foundations for the ideals of art.

What’s the story

When we talk about Greek art we need to understand that it falls into a larger story of the beginnings of art in early civilizations. The beginning of art is a whole other story. This should be mentioned because although Greek art is the foundation of many genres of art that followed, it had to evolve from an existing form of art. That being said, Greek art is the first era in art history that explores and consistently uses an idealized and recognizable human form.

Greek art differs from the art that came from previous civilizations because it strives for improvements throughout the entirety of the Greek exploration of art. At the start of what we identify as Greek civilization, we encounter the Archaic period, which is an evolution from Egyptian and Mycenaean art. After that, the Greeks moved on to the Classical period which is characterized by idealized marble statues, and the acknowledgment of movement, to make the depictions more realistic. Then, as Greek civilization began to merge with other later civilizations, the Hellenistic period emerged where dramatic, active scenes became the final stage of Greek art.

Each one of these periods helped create an understanding of what Greek art looks like and influenced later art movements. The Renaissance is the best example, but more modern movements also borrow from the Greek ideas as they focus on the image of the body and the ideals of the Greeks.

The movements

The Archaic period focuses on representing the human figure in a more realistic way than the period that came before because those focused on more symbolic and stylized. The most common example of Greek Archaic art is kouros statues, like the one seen below [figure 1]. When you look at this statue you may think that it isn’t even close to what you thought Greek art looked like. That is because the Archaic period is so closely related to the period that came before, namely Egyptian art, where statues were rigid and static [figure 2]. Archaic works take on this same static form. The kouros statue was introduced as a grave marker, specifically for young male soldiers. This is important to note because most of the art that was being created during the Archaic period was for funeral use. The kouros figure also teaches us that the Greeks were beginning to explore expression because they started to use the “archaic smile”, which is not a smile but serves as an indicator of the change between earlier art and Greek art.

The Classical period of Greek art is what you would expect Greek art to look like. Classical Greek art is characterized by works like Doryphoros (Spear-bearer) and the Parthenon (or Elgin) Marbles and architecture like the Parthenon [figures 3, 4, and 5]. These works each capture an important artistic discovery of Greek artists. Doryphoros (Spear-bearer) is a marble statue that introduces the concept of contrapposto. Contrapposto was created to depict a natural stance by giving the sculpted character an s-shape on a twisted axis. This just means that the character has one tense leg that all of their weight seems to rest on while the other is relaxed, and one tense arm and relaxed arm, opposite of the legs. In Doryphoros (Spear-bearer) his left arm and right leg are relaxed while his right arm and left leg are tense. This effect serves the practical purpose of keeping the statue balanced and allows the artist to add a more realistic stance to a statue, keeping it from being static, like the kouros. The Parthenon and the Parthenon marbles are also important examples of Classical Greek art because they employ the golden ratio]. The Golden ratio comes from the Fibonacci sequence. Both of these, the ratio and the sequence, are inspired by the predictable patterns created in nature and are how humans made the effort to recreate the perfection of nature. The Parthenon, for this reason, was an architectural feat and set an example for architecture in ancient civilizations. The most important thing to note is that the Classical period of Greek art is made up of both art and architecture and both of these types of art seek the practical expression of nature.

[figure 5] Intinos, Calicrates, and Phidias, Parthenon, 447-432 BCE, marble, 69.5 x 30.9m, Athens, Greece — [figure 5] Intinos, Calicrates, and Phidias, *Parthenon*, 447-432 BCE, marble, 69.5 x 30.9m, Athens, Greece

The Hellenistic period of Greek art is the last period of art that began to merge with later civilizations as they began to expand across the European content. Hellenistic art is characterized by its exploration of dynamic figures and how they create motion. One of the most famous examples is Laocoon and His Sons which depicts a torturous moment that is expressed through the twisting limbs and pained expressions of the characters [figure 6]. Some more famous works that you may recognize from the Hellenistic period are Aphrodite of Melos (AKA Venus de Milo) and The Battle of Alexander and the Persians [figures 7 and 8]. The common thread between all of these works is that they are dynamic. Unlike those of the Archaic period, these works tell a story in the movement of the works. Now, when we think of movement in ancient art, we are not talking about the actual movement of pieces in the work. Instead, consider movement the feeling or potential for movement if you were able to “unpause” the work of art from the moment depicted. If you can imagine what would happen next, then the work is dynamic. From the Hellenistic period and onward dynamic art became much more popular because it makes art feel life-like, it helps people identify with it.

[figure 8] Philoxemus of Eretria, Battle of Alexander and the Persians, 100 BCE, mosaic, 272 x 513cm, Naples National Archaeological Museum — [figure 8] Philoxemus of Eretria, *Battle of Alexander and the Persians*, 100 BCE, mosaic, 272 x 513cm, Naples National Archaeological Museum

Why is it important to art history?

Greek art could arguably be called the foundation for modern art, which makes it important to art history. The Classical period especially has been echoed throughout history in a variety of different movements. The best example is the Italian Renaissance, as we can see in the pursuit of a more accurate depiction of the human form. It also appears in the birth of Neoplatonism, which was briefly discussed in the Botticelli and Savonarola article. During the Renaissance there was specific attention given to creating figures that were the perfect versions of the human form. Some artist even began to dissect cadavers to make their art more proportionally correct. This passion for creating a work of art that takes on the most ideal, most perfect form of the human body stems from the Greek Classical Period where the only way to preserve the likeness of a person was through statuary.

The Classical period also influenced artists like Picasso who borrowed contrapposto and worked it into his art that depicts the human form, like Les Demoiselles d’Avignon [figure 9]. There are many influences in this work by Picasso and Greek art is only one of them, so in this case we are focusing on the two figures on the left. The first figure on the left has similar body language to that of the Kroisos kouros [figure 1], where the stance is static, with one foot forward. The next figure is, then, an example of contrapposto where her left arm and right leg are relaxed, while her right arm and left leg are tense. This integration of the body positioning started by the Greeks is not necessarily meant to directly say “look I am using Greek Archaic and Classical techniques in my work”. Instead this work shows that the works that came out of the period of Greek art became a fundamental part of art as it moved forward.

[figure 9] Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907, oil on canvas, 243.9 x 233.7cm, Museum of Modern Art — [figure 9] Pablo Picasso, *Les Demoiselles d’Avignon*, 1907, oil on canvas, 243.9 x 233.7cm, Museum of Modern Art

Also, in contemporary art, that deals with the figure we see artists revisit the ideas of the ancient Greeks. They study specific parts of the body and investigate the interpretation of what an ideal body is. There are numerous examples of this, but the best way to find it is to look for any contemporary artist who chooses to paint, sculpt, or photograph the human body. They are attempting to define their vision of the human body, whether they are doing so actively or not.

How can you form your own perspective?

Greek art is not for everyone. Most ancient forms of art feel as unexplainable as contemporary art feels for others. That is completely understandable. However, the interesting thing about Greek art is that it influenced so much more than art. There were many other fields of study that went into the development of Greek art in the three different periods discussed. Greek art was heavily influenced by the developments being made in science, philosophy, and architecture. So, you can form your perspective on Greek art based on how it affects you and your interests. It is not exclusive to the evolution of art movements over time. Consider how Greek art relates to your perception of the world.

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