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Dane Modeste

Grantham University

AR310: Ancient Art: Tombs & Treasures

Assignment 5

July 6, 07, 2020

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Geometric Period:
The Greek Art Geometric period ended from 900 BC to 700 BC. Art from this era

appears to be, adherence to the name of the time, mostly abstract, confining itself to depictions

and repetitions of forms rather than the more concrete practice of the earlier ages. Types of

humans and animals are fairly uncommon and show much of the same architectural features

when they do happen.

The most common tool during the Geometric Era was painting on vases. A few limited

sculpture and bronze casts works however survive. The Greek area was not yet completely

recovered from the Dark Period, which had effectively killed most cultures of Mycenaean and

Minoan. During this period the vacuum of influence meant that Greek Art began to distinguish

itself from earlier art styles.

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High Classical Period

The Greeks, especially the Athenians, came to dominate the Aegean region around 480

BC, after the defeat of the Persians. This dominance would lead to the next important period in

Greece: the Classical period.

As many people talk of Greek sculpture, it is the depictions of the Classical Era that come

to mind right away. Around this period, from around 510 BC to 320 BC , the Greeks reached

their greatest degree of craftsmanship and pushed for the discovery of shape and perception in

sculpture to meet heights well outside their preceding boundaries.

The Greek rulers also used their newly acquired findings outside of sculpture. The

Greeks, as architects, used the nature ratios to ensure their buildings were in harmony with their

surroundings. The most prominent proof of this may have been with the Parthenon. Bearing in

mind the Golden Ratio, the famous hilltop building was built, and that is not all. The columns of

the temple are built using a method called entasis; a reduction in diameter at the top of each

column creates a slight convex curve. Optical illusions can make straight columns look askew, so

architects from the Parthenon used entasis to make sure each column looks perfectly straight

when viewing the temple from the outside.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of classical art is its perfection of the human form in

sculpture. While several Greek parts are now missing, Roman versions and written documents

from both Greek and Latin reveal us of how the Greeks viewed the human body to the

contemporary observer. A favorite motif was the athlete's, as the Greek style easily loaned itself

to musculature portrayals. Additionally, for the sake of art, Greek artists undertook the scientific
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study of the human form; they found several ratios, including the Golden Ratio, which informed

proportions throughout their work.

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