Greek Art

Art was very important to most Greeks. Their art mainly consists of their architecture, their sculptures, and their pottery. Art was especially big in the Greek city-state of Athens. What the Greeks did with art did not change only the present, it also changed the future for art. (Geffern, Boardman)


Greek architecture is big in Greek life. It was what housed their religious and government buildings. There were three main types of architectural styles; they were the Doric order, Ionic order, and the Corinthian order. The Doric order was plainer, simpler, and sturdier on top. This architectural style was found primarily on the mainland of Greece and the colonies of Southern Italy and Sicily. The Parthenon is an example of the Doric style. The Ionic architectural style is thinner and more elegant than the Doric. The Ionic style is decorated with a scroll-like design. This style was found in Eastern Greece and on the Greek islands. Examples of this style would be the Erectheum, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma and the Temple of Athena W. The Corinthian style is not used often in the Greek time but it is the most elaborate, decorated with leaves. An example of this order is the Temple of Zeus at Athens. Greek architecture is very adored today. source (Boardman)


Another great par of the Greek art is their sculptures. Many great artists lived during the Greed times this is why their skill was looked at so often. The Greeks used many different materials to build their sculptures and statues some of these materials included stone, marble, and limestone. They would use these because they were in abundance in Greece. There were seven different time periods in Greek sculpture, these were the Mycenaean Art, Sub-Mycenaean Art, also known as the dark age, Proto-Geometric, Geometric Art, Archaic, Classical and Haenistic. Each time-period had their own distinct style. In Greek statues, the ideal body was perfect.source (Boardman)


Greek art was also expressed in pottery, used in everyday life. Most of the painted potteries we find now are bowls or drinking utensils, like jugs or cups. Greek pottery was also divided into time-periods: the Proto Geometric, the Geometric, the Archaic, the Black Figure, and the Red Figure. The most common colors of the paint would have been red, black, white, and yellow. When the Greeks painted their pots, it was part of everyday life. However, today we look at it with awe and imagine their skill.source (Geffern)


The greatness of the Greek Art is to be remembered and looked at for years to come. Greek art has effect on the other time periods of art. Art had great importance to the society of Greece.


Book sources:


Geffern, Anthony (producer). The Greeks: Crucibe of Civilization. NY: PBS Home Video; 1999.


Boardman, John. Greek Art: World of Art. Thames & Hudson; Oxford :1996.


Sorry Mr. Lockwood my blog was really not working I had, had it done but it was somehow deleted because the internet shut down and then the second time it would not work on my moms computer because of the links (which i had done correctly). So i got it in as soon as it would work.


Jessica