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“Painting is silent poetry and poetry is paint that speaks”
-Plutarch
During the golden age of Greece, art flourished. From sculpture, to theater, there are many examples of amazing entertainment from Ancient Greek culture. All of these art forms heavily influence art today.
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The first art form in Greece was sculpture. Dating all the way back to Archaic Age (750 B.C.E-500 B.C.E), Greek statues prove that Greece was a sophisticated civilization. The defined sculptures that Greece is known for weren’t created until the Classical Period (500 B.C.E-320 B.C.E). Greek sculptures were often representations of gods or goddesses like Zeus, Demeter, and Hephaestus. One of the most notable greek sculptures is the statue of Zeus at Olympia. Rumored to be 40 feet tall and placed in the temple of Zeus in 457 B.C, it portrays Zeus seated on a throne. Early Greek sculpture was created from bronze and porous limestone and sometimes painted. Today, most statues remaining from ancient Greece are limestone because of the sudden need for bronze during the Peloponnesian war. Modern sculpture is similar to the greeks style of sculpting. Modern sculptures are even carved with similar implements. Even now, people work to make their artwork as realistic as possible, in order to capture the human form in their work. This love of the human profile derived from the greeks.
After the Greeks had mastered the art of carving they transitioned from sculpture to paint. The first greek paintings that are known are from the Minoan culture on the island of Crete. Most of the things that we know about greek paintings are based on written description because most didn’t survive until modern day. Also known as classical art, the majority of Greek art that we know of today was created during the Golden Age of the Greek Empire. The Greeks used tinted pigments combined with melted wax to paint their warships. Later the Romans adapted this technique to create paintings.
A Greek artist would create his paints from mud or water. Even though artists today don’t paint with mud some aspects of Greek painting remain today. Greek paintings often reflected the current events at the time the painting was created, which is also happening now. Some people give the credit of signing artwork to the greeks. People today often choose to use painting as a medium to express their emotions and views, just like the Greeks did.
Greek Theater
In addition to greek paintings, early Greek theatre also influenced art today. In fact, even the word “theater” comes from the Greek word “theatron”, meaning “seeing place”. Theatre began in the 6th century BCE. They were open air, and often included competitions between playwrights and actors. They began with tragedy plays during religious ceremonies like the worship of Dionysus. After tragedy plays were created comedy plays were born, the first comedies were just men mocking each other. Performances commonly included a narrator to help the audience follow the story, a concept that we still use today. If there were minimal members of the theatre, one actor would use masks to depict multiple parts. Some theaters used simple engineering to perform special effects. Modern theatres still share the same architecture as the round theatre. Round theatres are proven to improve sound quality, which the Greeks knew while constructing their theatres. Like greek theatre, modern theatre uses a variety of masks and costumes create a more realistic character. Some people say the Greeks created the first competitions for theatre, which we still have today.
Another important aspect of greek culture is architecture. Many buildings were created as temples for worshipping Greek deities, like the Acropolis built for Athena. Some consider massive structures like these part of the most notable landmarks in the world. A recurring factor in greek architecture is detailed columns. Some examples of different kinds of columns in greek culture are Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. By looking at these columns we learn more about the culture in the time period. Another type of greek architecture was colonnade.
Conclusion
This was a row of columns supporting a roof, a style that is still surviving today. The preferred material in the city-states was limestone. Modern architecture is strongly influenced by ancient architecture. For example, the white house, designed for the president the white house is a symbol of our country. Unlike the Acropolis, which is made of limestone the white house is made from sandstone. Other buildings inspired by Greek architecture are the Lincoln Memorial along with the Capitol Building.
