jhx9-2026-03-22_06_33_02-ele-app-art-his-5-greek-art.pdf
jhx9-2026-03-22_06_33_02-ele-app-art-his-5-greek-art.pdf
It is imperative to understand the geographical facts to get a grasp of the evolution and proliferation of Greek art. It flourished on the coast of Asia Minor, i.e. the westernmost point of the Asian continent (most part of modern Turkey) and the islands in the Aegean Sea. Greek settlements had spread till Southern Italy, Sicily, Southern France and Spain. Alexander the Great and his descendants had extended the boundaries of their empires up to Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran and India.
The topography of Asia Minor is split among small mountains; resulting in smaller enclosed valleys. The mountainous countryside though had made communication exchange difficult. This established independence in every valley, leading to creation of city-states. One more characteristic of the Greek landscape is that, due to the peninsulas formed by the geographical formation of archipelagos, the coastline was jagged; forming natural harbours. Thus, the Greeks' constant engagement with the ocean made them sailors. They began trade through the ocean route. Due to their courageous attitude, the Greeks extended their outreach till the western as well as eastern horizons.
The temperate weather here seems to have influenced the Greek temperament. They came across as noble, exuberant and intelligent. Even as they were inclined towards science and philosophy, they had evolved with arts and aesthetics. Moreover, marble rocks were found in abundance, which enabled sculptures to be done largely using marble.
Humanity and Idealism were the two chief ideologies of Greek life. They largely believed the many forms of Nature as God. They humanized these deities. Every city-state had a God or deity, but there was no exclusive priest class as such. Processions were arranged to gain divine blessings and celebrations and festivals were conducted in honour of the deities. Unlike the Egyptians, they did not believe in life after death. They were worldly people. Thus, believing 'man' to be the centre-point, they tried to interpret life.
The Greeks valued education very highly. Its aim was to educate the student in all fields and make him a good citizen. In the Greek city-state 'Sparta', emphasis was laid on imparting physical education and sports, rather than intellectual edification. Sports competitions in honour of deities began to be held in every city-state. Such meets proved to be special annual attractions in those times, and which is how the idea of the world renowned 'Olympic Games' was conceived. It is understood that the first such world event was held in the year seven hundred seventy-six B.C. Along with the sports races, grand celebrations of drama and music began to be held. The Greeks were known to be the best philosophers of their times. They explored the form of object and the structural reasons behind them, by examination through minute observation. The greatest philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were Greeks. The thinkers of the world were influenced by these greats through their philosophies.
The Greek culture impacted the Western thinking and arts. Modern European culture is based on the progress made by Greeks in areas of philosophy, science, literature and the arts and the foundations laid down by them. In the Greek ethos, in the league of philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, there have also been state administration-experts like Pericles and Alexander, and scientists like Pythagoras; besides excellent artists like Phidias, Scopas, Myron, Praxiteles. Therefore, the Greek refinement holds a prominent position in human history.
The Greeks believed themselves to be descendants of the God 'Hellen', which is why they call themselves 'Hellenic' and their nation 'Hellas'. The Romans later began to call them 'Greek'. Different tribes and communities had settled themselves on the isles of Greece, but they all spoke a common language, 'Greek'. They had all come together because of this lingual commonality. The Hellenic era is classified into three phases.
Archaic Era: Greek art, it is said, began to emerge in this archaic era. Seventh century B.C. Ancient artistic features are seen through its course. Later, with the changing circumstances, elegance came to be achieved. Thus, the succeeding period that followed is called the transitional phase. Fifth century B.C. The style adopted in this post archaic era evolved in the city of Athens.
Classical Era: Greek art flourished unprecedentedly in the city of Athens, and hence some call this period, 'Golden Age of Athens'. It existed from four hundred eighty B.C. to four hundred four B.C. The religious ideologies of the Greeks became ascertained during this era, with city-states and organisations getting established. In Art Creation, idealism waned giving rise to manifestations of individualism. Later, in the final stages of this era, political power in Athens became low, and Sparta, the new city-state emerged as the political and cultural centre.
Alexandrian or Hellenistic Era: This era is understood to be the last phase of Greek art. During this period, Alexander the Great expanded his empire and spread art outside of Greece, as Greek artists migrated to the new regions that he conquered. This resulted in the local styles and practices being impacted by Greek art styles, and a mixed style evolving out of this. For instance, in Italy it came to be known as 'Greco-Roman', whereas in Egypt, as 'Tolemic'.
Architecture
Architecture
The characteristics of Greek architecture which catch the attention instantly are the simple yet rational construction, the immensity, the proportionality, the elegance in the creative details and artistic use of the materials used in the construction. The Greek architecture, though simple, was yet attractive; its aesthetic speciality being the graceful pillars, and beams and frames resting on them. The roof was balanced on the pillars, which enhanced further the beauty of the structure. Egyptian temples had pillars too, but on the inner side. As the pillars in the Greek temples were erected on the visible front, the edifices began to look more huge and appealing. There is no sign of arches having been used in Greek architectural design.
The materials used in building were abundantly available in the Greek empire. Wood was available in the forests, and a variety of attractive and shining marble stone from the mountains. Ivory and Bronze were used too, but they were imported from outside.