Greek Art: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Periods
Greece – Historical-Artistic Introduction
Greek art is divided into three main periods:
- Archaic Age (8th-6th century BC)
- Classical Age (5th-4th century BC)
- Hellenistic Period (3rd-1st century BC)
Geographically, Greek art affected not only the Balkans but spread throughout Asia Minor, the Aegean Islands, the south of the Italian peninsula (Magna Graecia), and the Western Mediterranean (French and Spanish coasts). In Spain, the two major Greek cities were Roses and Empúries.
Some features of Greek civilization significantly influenced its art:
- Human Dimension: All cultural and artistic expressions were chaired by anthropocentrism (art made on a human scale; “Man is the measure of all things,” according to Protagoras).
- Political Organization: The *polis*. Greece was divided into independent city-states, called *poleis*. The conception of a great empire or state, as in the Egyptian world, was gone. Athens became the most outstanding *polis* and the great cultural and artistic center.
- Form of Government: Democracy. Theocratic states disappeared, and the so-called “people’s government” arose. Art was influenced by democracy.
- Religiosity: The Greeks were polytheistic (belief in many gods). All artistic manifestations were imbued with religious meaning.
Architecture
General Characteristics
The colossal scale of Eastern architecture disappeared in Greece. Greek architecture was built on a human scale (anthropocentric culture). The primary material used was stone, but marble quickly became widespread, well-built and arranged regularly (regular ashlar masonry). It is a lintel architecture in which straight horizontal elements (entablature) are based on vertical supporting elements (columns, walls).
Architectural Orders
There are three main architectural orders:
Doric Order: The Doric column has no base. The shaft is fluted with sharp edges, and the capital consists of three parts: collar, echinus, and abacus. The entablature rests on the abacus, composed of a plain architrave, a frieze with triglyphs and metopes (spaces decorated with reliefs), and a cornice above the architrave and frieze. This architectural order is associated with the masculine and virile. The Doric column has a height of 7 modules (the module being the diameter of the shaft at its base).
Ionic Order: The Ionic column has an Attic base, with two convex moldings called tori. The shaft has flutes or grooves with flat edges. The capital is set for two volutes, one on each side of a small central cushion. A small rectangular abacus connects with the sustainable architectural structure. The Ionic entablature is composed of an architrave divided into three bands, a frieze with continuous reliefs, and a cornice above the architrave and frieze. The Ionic order represents the feminine and delicacy. It is more slender than the Doric, and its columns have a height of 10 modules.
Corinthian Order: Maintains the same features as the Ionic order, except for the capital, where, instead of Ionic volutes, Corinthian acanthus leaves appear.
Other architectural orders include:
Composite Order: Used in some works of the Hellenistic period, the column’s capital combines Ionic volutes with Corinthian acanthus leaves.
Caryatid Order: Uses caryatids as columns – female figures carrying a kind of basket on their heads that performs the functions of a capital.
All these orders have a cornice that served as a cover for the two slopes of the roof, forming a triangular pediment. The interior surface of the pediment is called the tympanum, often decorated with sculptures.