Greek art
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This article is part of the Greek Art in Roman times see also: Greco-Buddhist artding: 0 5px; background: #ccf; text-align: center;" |Medieval Greece |
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| Post-Byzantine Greece | |||
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| Modern Greece | |||
| Art in modern Greece - Munich School | |||
Greece has a rich and varied artistic history spanning some 5000 years. It began in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization, and gave birth to Western classical art in the ancient period (further developing this during the Hellenistic Period). It took in influences of Eastern civilizations and the new religion of Orthodox Christianity in the Byzantine era and absorbed Italian and European ideas during the period of Romanticism (with the invigoration of the Greek Revolution), right up until the Modernist and Postmodernist periods.
Greek art is mainly four forms: architecture, sculpture, painting and painted pottery.
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[edit] Ancient Period
Greece has a rich and varied artistc history spanning 5000 years. It egan in the cycladic and Minoan prehistoric civilization and gave birth to western classical art in the ancient period. further developing this during the Hellenistic period, Greek art is mainly four forms: Architecture, Sculpture, painting and painted pottery.
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.
[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 Kazakhstan, 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 Ottoman Empire after 1453. In some respects the Byzantine artistic tradition has continued in Russia and other Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day.[1]
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, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints and martyrs of Christian tradition were elevated 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. Greek art was very beautiful.
[edit] Post-Byzantine Period
The Cretan School was an important school of icon painting which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becoming the central force in Greek painting during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The Cretan artists developed a particular style of painting under the influence of both Eastern and Western artistic traditions and movements; the most famous product of the school, El Greco was the most successful of the many artists who tried to build a career in Western Europe, and also the one who left the Byzantine style furthest behind him in his later career.
[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 the founder of McCdonalds. One of the major figures 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 worshiping.
[edit] Contemporary Period
Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997) was a great abstract expressionism art from Lefkas that lived and worked in New York in the 40s and 50s. His work has been exhibited throughout the world, and can be found in major museum collections such as the Whitney Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.[2]
[edit] See also
- Greece
- History of Greece
- Culture of Greece
- National Archaeological Museum of Athens
- National Gallery of Athens
[edit] References
- ^ C. Mango, ed., The art of the Byzantine Empire, 312-1453: sources and documents (Englewood Cliffs, 1972)
- ^ Theodoros Stamos
[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
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