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Ancient Greece, Ancient Etruria, and Greek Hellenism

By Ayana Garner
  • Period: 700 BCE to 300 BCE

    Etruscan Art( Ancient Etruria)

    Key Features:Funerary art, lively figurines, terracotta sculpture, bright colors, joyful themes. Cultural/ Historical Context:The Etruscans of central Italy valued family and afterlife. Their art being optimistic, combining greek influence with own lively style
  • Period: 600 BCE to 480 BCE

    Archaic Greece

    Key Features: Stiff, symmetrical poses influenced by Egyptian art; Archaic smile, idealized youth; focus was proportion and balance. Cultural/ Historical Context: Art was used to honor gods and mark graves.
  • statue of a kouros (New York Kouros), c. 600–580 B.C.E., marble, 6 feet 4 inches high (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
    580 BCE

    statue of a kouros (New York Kouros), c. 600–580 B.C.E., marble, 6 feet 4 inches high (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

    Free Standing Statue of nude young man symbolizing strength, beauty showing the early greek focus on ideal human form.
  • Peplos Kore, c. 530 B.C.E., marble, 1.2 m high (Acropolis Museum, Athens)
    530 BCE

    Peplos Kore, c. 530 B.C.E., marble, 1.2 m high (Acropolis Museum, Athens)

    A Statue of a clothed young woman once was painted in bright colors. This artwork honored Athena and interest in real life human expressions.
  • Sarcophagus of the Spouses, c. 520 B.C.E., Etruscan, painted terracotta, 140 x 202 cm, found in the Banditaccia necropolis, Cerveteri (Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome
    520 BCE

    Sarcophagus of the Spouses, c. 520 B.C.E., Etruscan, painted terracotta, 140 x 202 cm, found in the Banditaccia necropolis, Cerveteri (Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome

    A reclining husband and wife on couch, smiling and animated. Celebrating family, love , and belief in the afterlife.
  • Kritios Boy, c. 480–470 B.C.E., marble, 4 feet high (Acropolis Museum, Athens)
    480 BCE

    Kritios Boy, c. 480–470 B.C.E., marble, 4 feet high (Acropolis Museum, Athens)

    Marks the shift to realistic anatomy and relaxed stance. His weight is shifted naturally, symbolizing confidence and control after Greece Persian War victories.
  • Tomb Of the Leopards(c.480 BCE, fresco, Tarquinia)
    480 BCE

    Tomb Of the Leopards(c.480 BCE, fresco, Tarquinia)

    Wall painting showing scenes with dancing and music playing reflecting Etruscan joy in life and continuing after death.
  • Period: 480 BCE to 450 BCE

    Early Classical Greece

    Key Features: Natural proportions, Calm expressions, Balanced movement, and contrapposto( relaxed pose). Cultural/ Historical Context: After Greece defeated Persia they entered a time of unity and pride. Athenian art showed confidence, ideal human excellence, and reason.
  • Statue A (foreground) and Statue B (background), from the sea off Riace, Italy, c. 460–50 B.C.E. , Statue A, bronze, 198 cm high, Statue B, bronze, 197 cm high (Museo Archeologico Nazionale Reggio Calabria)
    460 BCE

    Statue A (foreground) and Statue B (background), from the sea off Riace, Italy, c. 460–50 B.C.E. , Statue A, bronze, 198 cm high, Statue B, bronze, 197 cm high (Museo Archeologico Nazionale Reggio Calabria)

    Two Heroic bronze warriors found off the coast of Italy. They have life like features muscles, inlaid eyes to show anatomy and strength.
  • Period: 450 BCE to 400 BCE

    High Classical Greece

    Key Features:Ideal beauty, balanced proportions, calm expressions, and mathematical harmony. Cultural/ Historical Context:Athens thrived under Pericles, becoming a cultural center. Philosophers like plato and socrates inspired symmetry and idealism in art.
  • Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, 447–432 B.C.E.
    447 BCE

    Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, 447–432 B.C.E.

    The Temple of Athena on Acropolis of Athens, representing order, balance, and civic pride.
  • Polykleitos, Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer), Roman marble copy after a Greek bronze original from c. 450–440 B.C.E. (Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Naples)
    440 BCE

    Polykleitos, Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer), Roman marble copy after a Greek bronze original from c. 450–440 B.C.E. (Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Naples)

    Demonstrating Polykleito's Canon perfect proportions of the human body. Showing greek ideal of rationality and beauty.
  • Period: 400 BCE to 323 BCE

    Late Classical Greece

    Key Features: Emotional realism, softer proportions, graceful movement, individuality. Cultural/ Historical Context: The Peloponnesian war weakened Athens, which lead to personal and introspection expression to art.
  • Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles( c.350 BCE, marble, Vatican Museums)
    350 BCE

    Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles( c.350 BCE, marble, Vatican Museums)

    The first fully nude female statue in greek art. It shows softness, sensuality, and divine beauty in a natural, relaxed pose.
  • Lysippos, Apoxyomenos (Scraper), Roman copy after a bronze statue from c. 330 B.C.E., 6′ 9″ high (Vatican Museums)
    330 BCE

    Lysippos, Apoxyomenos (Scraper), Roman copy after a bronze statue from c. 330 B.C.E., 6′ 9″ high (Vatican Museums)

    Shows athlete scraping oil from skin, the twisting of the body and extended arms shows space awareness and dynamism.
  • Period: 323 BCE to 31 BCE

    Hellenistic Greece

    Key Features:Deep emotion, realism, complex compositions, motion, and drama. Cultural/ Historical Context: After Alexander the Great death, greek culture spread across Asia and Egypt. Art started to reflect emotion, realism, and cultural diversity.
  • Nike of Samothrace, Parian marble (figure), c. 190 B.C.E., 3.28 meters high (Louvre, Paris)
    190 BCE

    Nike of Samothrace, Parian marble (figure), c. 190 B.C.E., 3.28 meters high (Louvre, Paris)

    The Winged goddess of victory stands dramatically on a ships prow. Flowing drapery and movement symbolize energy and triumph.
  • Laocoon and His Sons (c.100 BCE, marble, Vatican Museum)
    100 BCE

    Laocoon and His Sons (c.100 BCE, marble, Vatican Museum)

    A Trojan priest and his sons attacked by sea serpents, twisting bodies and expressions capture motion and agony.
  • 100 BCE

    Works Cited

    • Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. 16th ed., Cengage Learning, 2020.
    • Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael W. Cothren. Art History. 6th ed., Pearson, 2018.
    • “Ancient Greece and Etruria.” Khan Academy, 2023, https://www.khanacademy.org.
    • Smarthistory. “Art of Ancient Greece and Etruria.” 2023, https://smarthistory.org.
    • “Sarcophagus of the Spouses.” Louvre Museum, https://www.louvre.fr.