Ancient Greece Art And Architecture: Due to the advent of democracy, more and more naturalistic sculptures involving different human forms in different poses was the characteristic of the Classical period.

The Hellenistic period which witnessed the emergence of the Greco-Buddhist art whereby a fine blend of Greek art and Buddhist visual expression could be noticed.

Ancient Greece Art And Architecture: Timeline

In the 7th century BC, though coins were invented in Lydia, they were extensively used by the Greeks. However, coin design was not considered to be a major art form of ancient Greek culture.

Painting

Painting, on the other hand, constituted a major art form for the ancient Greeks. Panel paintings were the most important. However, since the material used in such paintings were wax and tempera, none of such panel paintings have remained.

Wall paintings emerged somewhere between the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Even these paintings have not survived. Polychromic or paintings on walls were done with bright hues. However, due to intense weathering, these colors have got somewhat faded.

Architecture in Greek Culture

The architecture of the ancient Greek culture can be witnessed as beautiful temples which are dedicated to glorifying Gods and Goddesses. This Greek architecture came to be extinct by the end of the Mycenaean period which was around 1200BC till the 7th century as around that time the urban life and prosperity recovered in which a public building could be constructed.

Greek Buildings

In the Archaic period and also in the early parts of the Classical period, Greek buildings were made up of wood or mud-brick. There are, however, no written proofs with regard to early architecture or description of buildings.

As far as the public buildings are concerned, Parthenon can be regarded as a model pattern. The building was either cubical or rectangular in shape. At that time, marble was an expensive material which was found only in Mount Pentelus in Attica.

Greek Architecture: Doric and the Ionic

Greek architecture comprised of two main styles: the Doric and the Ionic. While the Doric style which was formal and sober spread first in the territory of Greece and subsequently also to Italy where there were Greek colonies, a logic style which was more relaxed and decorative became prevalent in the cities of Lonia along with some other Aegean islands.

A subsequent development in the Ionic style paved the way to the Corinthian style. Examples of Doric style architecture are the Parthenon and the Temple of Hephaestus while the Erechtheum which is located next to the Parthenon is Ionic style.

What most of the people are not aware of with regard to the ancient Greek art and architecture is that the ancient Greeks spent several years in making their sculptures perfect and modifying their architecture. This is the reason why the ancient Greek art is so rich and still constitutes a major part of our history.