Ancient Greek Art: Part 4 – The Golden Age of Athens

The Parthenon and the Propylaea Building

In the previous article, we talked about the time period in Greece known as the Archaic Period. It was a time of experimentation and growth. This period gave birth to many of the artistic and cultural elements that would go on to be defining features of Greek culture as it developed over the next four hundred or so years (the Classical Period). By roughly 500 BCE, however, many of these elements had coalesced into something that looked very much like what we now think of as Classical Greek art. In this article, then, we will look at some examples from that period and their impact on Western Culture. And don’t forget to check out part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t already read them!

Key Points:

-When we talk about ancient Greek art, we are referring to art produced during the so-called Golden Age of Greece (500-400 BCE)

-Much of this art was created for practical purposes, but was also designed to be seen by others. Art was not just an expression of an artist’s inner life; it was meant to be shared with others in a communal setting.

-There is no real consensus on

Ancient Greek art is one of the most revered and well-known periods of art in the western world. These works are so widely respected that even 2,500 years later we still use them as inspiration when designing modern buildings, sculpture, paintings, and more. The Greek civilization was a dynamic time with a lot of art and architecture being created during this time period. Some of the most famous Ancient Greek sculptures have been created during the Golden Age of Athens between 480-430 BCE.

The Golden Age of Athens was a time when democracy flourished in Athens. Many artists flourished under this new government and many different social classes began to support the arts. Sculptors were greatly encouraged to create their own original pieces instead of just replicating older pieces as they had done before. Sculptors also began creating bronze sculptures (instead of marble) which allowed for more realistic images to be depicted**

The art of ancient Greece encompassed all the visual arts produced by the inhabitants of the Greek-speaking world, spanning the period from about 700 BCE to about 300 CE. This was a time when artistic and political power was heavily concentrated in Athens, which became an important cultural center during the classical period.

A highly developed artistic tradition thrived in ancient Greece, but it was not static. An entirely different style emerged in the art of late antiquity, while ancient Greek influence was also adopted (and adapted) by neighboring cultures and contributed to their artistic traditions.

The art of ancient Greece is usually divided stylistically into four periods:

The greatest achievements in Greek art were realized during the 5th century BCE (the Classical period), although there were many significant examples of earlier work surviving from before this period. For example, much fine sculpture survives from Archaic Greece (c. 580 – 480 BCE).

The following periods are differentiated as follows; they are not “strictly” chronological but rather reflect styles of art which were mostly part of the same broad trends, except for Classicism which has its own section above:

Ancient Greek architecture is best known through its temples and buildings, many of which are found throughout the region, often copied from earlier styles but always with local

Many statues of young men and women, athletes and gods, were carved in the Archaic Period, particularly between 550 and 400 B.C., when Greek sculpture was at its peak. The sculptors shaped these figures to look as real as possible. They did this by using simple geometric shapes: spheres for heads, cylinders for torsos and rectangular blocks for the legs. These forms allowed the sculptors to give a sense of volume to their figures.

Torsos were sometimes carved separately from the legs. The sculptor would then join them with a belt or straps of some sort that could be fastened around the waist. In some cases, where a figure was depicted in motion, such as an athlete running, a sculptor would leave a place at the bottom of the legs so that it could stand firmly on a base.

The Archaic Period also saw the creation of life-sized statues of athletes and powerful male gods who could serve as protection in battle. On the island of Delos, bronze statues of Apollo and Artemis were erected in honor of Apollo’s birth there (The statue of Artemis was later moved to Athens). The statues stood about 8 feet tall; their drapery hung from their hips down to their ankles; and they held a bow or

It is very difficult to reconstruct the exact appearance of ancient Greek statues and portraits from fragmentary remains, and there is a tendency to over-idealize them in the process. They were not polished marble, but rather rough hewn shapes that were then refined into something closer to their final form. Much of the surface seen today is homogeneous stone, but it is worth remembering that the stone was added to a much rougher original. The surface was worked with tools that left marks on the stone, which we can observe using microscopes. Even after the surface had been smoothed and polished, traces of those marks remained visible, and they can be seen in many statues and portraits.

The effect would have been one of subtle variation and texture; a viewer glancing at a statue would have seen more detail than someone looking at it up close. The eye also played a part in perception; this too varied depending on how light struck the surface. Finally, coloring would have added another layer of perception for viewers even unaware of its presence.

There are some statues whose restoration is so extensive that we cannot be sure what was original or reconstructed by later Greeks. The most famous example is almost certainly the Parthenon Marbles in London; these include figures where a simple

The main tools of the Greek artist were:

1. The Polychromos. This was a black wax pencil. The Greeks used it to draw lines which they then painted over with tempera paint.

2. The Brushes were made from the hair of goats, sheep and other animals, mounted on a wooden handle. The bristles were usually tied together in bunches.

3. They used a mortar and pestle to grind their pigments, and sometimes a sponge for cleaning the brushwork.

4. A range of pots for mixing colours (red, brown or yellow ochre for skin tones, blue and green for drapery).

5. A range of containers for oil-based media (bronze, clay).

6. Thin sheets of metal were used as palettes, on which they ground their pigments and mixed them with linseed oil or egg yolk to produce mediums like egg tempera paint or encaustic wax (mixed with heated pine resin), which was melted onto the surface to create a shiny metallic appearance

The Parthenon (from Greek Παρθενών, “the virgin goddess”) was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. The building was originally constructed in the fifth century BC and it was almost destroyed in 480 BC when the Persians ransacked Athens. It was rebuilt and enlarged during the Periclean Age (450–430 BC), with some modifications, until 432 BC. The Athenian Acropolis became a major monument under the Romans after their conquest of Greece about two hundred years later.

Towards the end of the 6th century BC, the Aspasia circle supported Pericles’ project to rebuild much of the Acropolis. In order to pay for this project, state funds were needed so a law was passed confiscating all movable goods, even those that were previously exempt from seizure by law (including sacred objects). This marked the end of Athenian democracy.

The Parthenon itself used to have a gilded roof made out of gold and ivory tiles and surrounded by 36 statues made out of ivory and gold depicting gods and goddesses; according to Pausanias (1st century AD), these were: Athena standing in front, flanked by Poseidon