Ancient Greek Art Essay

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The three types of Ancient Greek art were a progression of styles than began in approximately 700 BCE under the Archaic style. The Archaic style was very primitive and can be likened to Ancient Egyptian art and sculpture. The Archaic style would display the human body in very rigid and unnatural forms. Archaic sculptures were also well known for the “Archaic Smile”. Historians believe that the Greeks displayed their human sculptures with a smile to signify that they were representing someone who was “alive”. The Classical style followed the Archaic style and began as early as 480 BCE. The Classical style occurred during the “Golden Age” of Greece and that can be exemplified in its art and sculpture. The art and sculpture represented …show more content…

The statue is very typical of the style and portrays a naked man taking one step forward with his arms held stiffly beside his body and his fists clenched with his thumbs pointed forward. The face is more rounded and more proportional than in earlier Daedalic sculptures, but still remains an unnatural representation of the human body. Kroisos has the “Archaic Smile” that was typical of the period which portrayed that he was alive. This is very different from the later periods as it is a very unnatural and imperfect representation of the human …show more content…

It is a depiction of Vergil’s account of the death of Lacoon and his sons in the Aeneid. The Trojan priest (Lacoon) and his sons are being strangled by sea serpents sent to punish him from the Greek Gods that favored Greece’s victory in the Trojan war. This is done in typical Hellenistic fashion where the anguish and pain that Lacoon is experiencing is clearly depicted on his face. One of the serpents is seen biting into is wrangled left hip as Lacoon yelps in pain. Also, although the scene is horrific, the eroticism of the period is still displayed as Laccon is portrayed with his legs wide open. The work differs very much from the other periods in its emotional depiction as well as depicting a twisted human

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