In the political, philosophical, literal and artistic realms, much is owed to the Ancient Greeks. Carpenter (2001), offered the strong statement that “by common consent the Greek civilization is the most remark- able that the world has ever known.If its supremacy is more relative than absolute, it is not the less significant.
”[1] The practices, principles and ideals of ancient Greek art, in particular, have echoed throughout the centuries and can still be seen as being applied in these contemporary times; such is the primordial nature of ancient Greek art.Many historians have typified Ancient Greece as having been a “culture of images.”[2] This visual expression of their culture permeated every aspect of their society; from their architecture, art works (paintings, sculptures, etc), religion, politics and everyday living (fashion and pottery).Ancient Greek art is usually categorized into four (4) periods, differentiated by the styles: the Geometric, Archaic, Classical and the Hellenistic. Aside from providing a discussion on each period, this paper endeavors to present an initial discussion on Greek art in general.It has been noted by historians and other authorities on art that Ancient Greek Art, regardless of the period it belongs to, has a rich, visual tradition.
Gardner (1905) writes that “[p]erhaps the most sweeping generalization that can be made about the peculiar nature of the Greek genius stems from the observation that, by and large, the Greek-speaking communities, as they emerged from the inbred biological and cultural isolation of the early centuries of the first millennium were possessed of an extremely acute and highly active visual sensibility. “[3]This tradition of visual sensibility leant itself to the arts, although not restricted to it. “A heightened visual sense (…) would have its most obvious occasion to reveal itself in representational art, since this, by virtue of its mimetic character, necessarily concerns itself with visual subject matter. But in other activities, where its intrusion would scarcely be anticipated, the dominance of visual awareness is equally conspicuous in ancient Greek cultural occupations.”[4]The importance of the visual an also be seen in an etymological sense.
The Greek word for ‘knowing’ (oida) is interpreted as ‘having seen’ or ‘still to be seeing.’ This shows that, for the Ancient Greeks, “knowledge was taken to be a recall of visual experience.”[5]The Geometric Age (900-600 BC)Little is documented about this particular age. However, most historians have pegged this age at 900-700 B.C.
The sharp lines of this age had come to replace its curvier predecessors, usually with naturalistic themes, prevalent during the Mycenaean period. The pottery of this age departed from the Mycenaean period in that its two-dimensional images were of straight lines, almost schematic, and bore little relation to nature or natural themes.This geometric style eventually evolved into a different form. Between 700-600 B.C.
, the art forms used floral and arabesque designs. It is argued that it was the Asian influence that brought about this shift from the linear to the floral. This influence can also be gleaned from the introduction of Asian monster and animal themes into the works.[1] Carpenter, R. (1962) A Study of the Formal Evolution of Style.
University of Pennsylvania Press. p.5[2] Whitley, J. (2001) The Archaelogy of Ancient Greece. Cambridge University Press. p.
194[3] Gardner, P. (1905) A Grammar of Greek Art. Macmillan Company, London. p.15[4] Ibid.
p.55[5] Ibid.
