By: Shawn Cox
Submitted: 2010-05-26 05:22:17 | Word Count: 438
The history of sculpture in Ancient Greece dates back to the times, when Romanized civilizations dominated (approximately, 500 B.C.) and stretches up to the tragic failure of Rome at the end of the 5th century A.D. (Greek Landscapes). Traditionally, historians and archeologists divide ancient Greek sculpture into the three distinct periods: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. The three periods reflect gradual changes and evolution of Greek sculpture and exemplify the ways, in which sculpture changed its forms under the influence of various cultural trends.
The Archaic period in Greek sculpture covers the period from 600 to 480 B.C. and is associated with the rapid development of statue art as the means of praising the virtues and achievements of the deceased (Greek Landscapes). For the first time in the history of Greek sculpture, secularism becomes a distinctive feature of artistic expression, with the names of artists presented on sculptures (Greek Landscapes). The Kouros statues can be fairly regarded as the key elements of the Archaic art – these are either male of female figures used to decorate religious buildings or used for religious purposes. The statue of Kouros dated 600 B.C. is the bright example of how then artists created their works: the statue follows a specific carving formula “that divides the human body into proportionally pleasing geometric entities” (Greek Landscapes). As a result, the whole period of Archaic art in Greek sculpture is about making easy sculptures according to a set of universal carving principles. Stone abrasives and punches are the dominant materials in Archaic Greek sculpture. These do not leave much room for flexibility of inventiveness and, naturally, result in rather opaque appearances in sculptures similar to that of Kouros (Greek Landscapes). The Archaic period signifies the striving of the Greeks to artistic perfection. The dedication to the virtues of the deceased and the commitment to the carving formulas in sculpture are associated with the gradual transition to the classical cultural revolution in Greek sculpture. The latter became the source of the most sophisticated and exquisite sculpture the world could ever create (Greek Landscapes).
Traditional
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ly, “the art of the Classical Greek style is characterized by a joyous freedom of movement, freedom of expression, and it celebrates mankind as an independent entity” (Greek Landscapes). In distinction from the stable and rather static vision of sculpture in the Archaic period, the creations of the Classical period are more flexible, natural, and fluid (Greek Landscapes). The Classical period is the triumph of the human body and the human nature, and immovable statues of Korus give place to statues in effortless movement (Greek Landscapes).
