Greek art
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| Image:COA of Greece.svg
This article is part of the series on: History of Greek art | |||
| Prehistoric Greece | |||
| Cycladic art - Minoan art - | |||
| Art in Ancient Greece | |||
| Archaic Greek art - Classical Greek Art - | |||
| Medieval Greece | |||
| Byzantine art - Macedonian art | |||
| Post-Byzantine Greece | |||
| Art in Ottoman Greece - Cretan School - | |||
| Modern Greece | |||
| Art in modern Greece - Munich School | |||
Greece has a rich and varied artistic history, spanning some 5000 years and beginning in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization, giving birth to Western classical art in the ancient period (further developing this during the Hellenistic Period), to taking in the influences of Eastern civilizations and the new religion of Orthodox Christianity in the Byzantine era and absorbing Italian and European ideas during Romanticism period (with the invigoration of the Greek Revolution), right up until the Modernist and Postmodernist periods.
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[edit] Ancient Period
The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture. In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models. In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures, resulting in Greco-Buddhist art, with ramifications as far as Japan. Following the Renaissance in Europe, the humanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists. Well into the 19th century, the classical tradition derived from Greece dominated the art of the western world.
There are three scholarly distinctions of Greek art that correspond roughly with historical periods of the same names. These are the Archaic, the Classical and the Hellenistic. The Archaic period is usually dated from c.1000 BC. The Persian Wars of 480 BC to 448 BC are usually taken as the dividing line between the Archaic and the Classical periods, and before the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC is regarded as separating the Classical from the Hellenistic period. Of course, different forms of art developed at different speeds in different parts of the Greek world, and varied to a degree from artist to artist [1].
The main physical categories of Greek art are painting (nearly all of which is now lost, except for copies in Pompeii), sculpture, architecture, coin design and pottery, all of which are discussed in depth in their relevant articles.
[edit] Byzantine Period
Byzantine art is the term created by the Eastern Roman Empire from about the 5th century until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. (The Roman Empire during this period is conventionally known as the Byzantine Empire.) The term can also be used for the art of states which were contemporary with the Byzantine Empire and shared a common culture with it, without actually being part of it, such as Bulgaria, Serbia or Russia, and also Venice, which had close ties to the Byzantine Empire despite being in other respects part of western European culture. It can also be used for the art of peoples of the former Byzantine Empire under the rule of the Ottoman Empire after 1453. In some respects the Byzantine artistic tradition has continued in Greece, Russia and other Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day[2].
Byzantine art grew from the art of Ancient Greece, and at least before 1453 never lost sight of its classical heritage, but was distinguished from it in a number of ways. The most profound of these was that the humanist ethic of Ancient Greek art was replaced by the Christian ethic. If the purpose of classical art was the glorification of man, the purpose of Byzantine art was the glorification of God, and particularly of his son, Jesus.
In place of the nude, the figures of God the Father, and became the dominant - indeed almost exclusive - focus of Byzantine art. One of the most important forms of Byzantine art was, and still is, the icon: an image of Christ, the Virgin (particularly the Virgin and Child), or a saint, used as an object of veneration in Orthodox churches and private homes.
[edit] Post-Byzantine Period
[edit] Modern Period
Due to the Ottoman occupation of Greece there was very little artistic output during this time, so the birth of modern Greek Art began in defacto terms at the start of the 19th century (the end of the Greek War of Independence was in 1829) and took on board a number of Romanticism influences, most notably from Italy. The culmination of this was the distinctive style of Greek Romanticist art, inspired by revolutionary ideals as well as the particular geography and long history of the country. One of the major figure of the Modernist period is Fotis Kontoglou. His diverse contribution to Modern Greek Painting could be summarised into three manifestations. His creative painting work, which was based on the Byzantine technique; his hagiographic work, which brought orthodox painting back to our churches; and, finally, his teaching, either direct or - mainly - indirect, which was one of the strongest factors which altered the course of Modern Greek Painting towards the discovery of the pictorial but, also, of the more substantial spiritual values of the Greek traditions that they used when they were worshipping.
[edit] Contemporary Greek Art
[edit] See also
- Greece
- History of Greece
- Culture of Greece
- National Archaeological Museum of Athens
- National Gallery of Athens
[edit] External links
- Ancient Greece website
- Art History Resources on the Web: Greek Art
- A History of Greek Art by Frank Bigelow Tarbell
- A History Of Greek Art by F. B. Tarbell online book
- Byzantine Art Charles Diehl
- National Gallery of Athens
- Modern Greek Painters
[edit] References
Art of Europe | |
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| Sovereign states | Albania · Andorra · Armenia1 · Austria · Azerbaijan2 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus1 · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia2 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan2 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia3 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey3 · Ukraine · United Kingdom (England · Scotland · Northern Ireland · Wales) |
| Dependencies, autonomies, and other territories | Abkhazia2 · Adjara1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Åland · Azores · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gagauzia · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Jan Mayen · Jersey · Kosovo · Isle of Man · Madeira4 · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · South Ossetia2 · Svalbard · Transnistria · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus1, 5 |
1 Entirely in Southwest Asia; included here because of cultural, political and historical association with Europe. 2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the definition of the border between Europe and Asia. 3 Mostly in Asia. 4 Entirely in the African Plate, included here because of cultural, political and historical association with Europe. 5 Only recognised by Turkey. | |
