Ancient Greek Sculpture: Periods, Styles and Key Works

Ancient Greek Sculpture

The Greek sculpture

VIII century BC to I century BC: ancient art
Archaic period: VIII to VI century BC
Classical period: V to IV century BC
Hellenistic period: III to I century BC
Greece becomes a Roman province.

During the Archaic period, monumentalism dominated. Unlike other cultures, the Greeks conceived their art following Protagoras, who postulated that "man is the measure of all things."

Portraits

Portraits were the first representation of the individual. Figures appear either in the round, free-standing (which can be viewed from all sides), in relief (carved stonework), or in low relief.

This is one of the basic features that can be considered in the formation of the Greek sculpture.

Notable Archaic Works

Samos, Pythagoras of Rhegium, the Charioteer of Delphi (bronze) and Myron (the Discobolus) are key examples.

Classical Period

In the Classical period there was an introduction of technical perfection, clothing that was more natural and formal, and empty (serene) expressions. Clear, dark-light play of contrapposto and movement appeared.

Phidias (the goddess Athena, Acropolis of Athens) and Scopas (funerary stele of Attica, National Archaeological Museum of Athens) are important artists of this period.
National Archaeological Museum, Athens

Hellenistic Period

In the last period, the Hellenistic, a different thematic approach was introduced; figures of children and the elderly appear, representing all ages equally.

During this phase the search for humanization and movement intensified. Scenes with characters appear, depicting daily life, pain, and so on.

Rhodes (Laocoön and His Sons, Vatican Museums) is a notable example.

Materials and Techniques

The materials used were clay, bronze, marble and terracotta, applying techniques of carving, modeling, casting and polishing.

Sculpture types were civic and religious.

Conditioning Factors

The conditioning factors were the formal search for an idealized human body, an anthropocentric concept in which man was the center of all art, and the proportional canon.

Artists and Society

Greek artists were highly educated and valued within society. Their clients were society itself; in a democratic society the artist's reputation was highly valued, and sculpture also held political and religious importance.

Within Greek society, particularly in the service of the state, the sculptor's character was generally that of a public servant.

Key Features

The most important features were the expression of movement, contrapposto, and groups of figures, along with the technique of clothing with natural folds.

Roman Conquest

After the Roman conquest, during the last period, Greek art was absorbed into Roman art, which had a very different conception from the Greek practice and served Rome and its conquests.