Ancient Greek Art: Theologies of Ancient Greek Religion

Ancient Greek Art
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Introduction
Art is a spectacular way of representing ones thought and a valued talent across different parts of the world. Research shows that most people think of ancient Greece whenever they hear the word art. Among the cultures that have spectacular artwork is the Greek. Its artwork is known all over the world and has been there long before colonization. The human body mainly inspired the art, and over the years, the Greek developed different works regarding their art. Among such works is pottery, metalwork, figurines, monumental sculptures, coin design, architecture, and painting. These works make the ancient Greek art famous and unique because most cultures specialize a lot in particular forms of art such as painting in the United States of America. On the other hand, Greek’s art is varied across the different forms mentioned above.[Eidinow, Esther, Julia Kindt, and Robin Osborne, eds. Theologies of Ancient Greek Religion. Cambridge University Press, 2016.]
Pottery
The Greeks are known to have made most of the vessels used in daily activities. The vessels are finely painted and come in different shapes and sizes. Regarding their ancient art, there is an approximation of one hundred thousand pieces in the current world that give and insight into different aspects of the Greece life. This pottery consists of the various vessels that are used for the storage of oils and perfumes, drinking liquids and as libation bowls among others. The vessels are made of two distinct styles which include the black and the red paintings. Also other colors were very rare to find in the Greek culture. Also, pottery was made to make grave goods and other items for exportation purposes. The poetry is normally signed by the potter, and sometimes the signing is done by the painter. The quality of the art varied from one region to another in respect to how wealthy the region was. A good example is the case of southern Italy which was a wealthy Greek colony. The poetry history was divided into five sections which included the Protogeometric, geometric, Archaic, Black figure and the Red figure.[Boardman, John. Greek Art (Fifth)(World of Art). Thames & Hudson, 2016.]
Metalwork
As well, metalwork was also a part of the Greek’s important art but the late works do not have a good representation of surviving pieces. The most substantial expression of the ancient Greek creativity was in the large production of metal vessels during the Archaic and the Geometric era. Some of the metalwork included the swords which were decorated with a precious metal to depict their worth. During the late archaic era, the Phidias did a good job in keeping the pace of different stylistic developments in various arts. A good example of the ancient Greek metalwork that can be found in today’s world is the bronze vessels that act as craters for mixing water and wine. As well, metals were also used in making gold, silver and bronze jewelry. This is also evident in today’s world since other cultures have copied the same from the Greek but use different designs.[Green, John Richard. Theatre in ancient Greek society. Routledge, 2013.]
Figurines
This form of art included the metal and terracotta figurines. Regarding the terracotta figurines, clay was the common material used in making idols long before the Minoan civilization and continued to be used even during the Roman period. These figurines are mostly associated with religion. Therefore, in the Hellenistic era, most of the terracotta figurines made then have lost their nature of being religious and are found to represent characters available in every day’s life. The use of molds to manufacture most of the figurines was a common technique. In addition to figurines representing today’s characters, a good example is dolls and fashionably dressed actors and ladies. Some of these figurines are the new subjects depicting a refined style of the ancient Greek art. As well, metal figurines were another common form of art which were made of metal and can be commonly found in most of the Greek sanctuaries such as the Olympia. They are developed by the use of the lost wax method which was the first stage in making Greek sculptures of bronze. During the Geometric error, the common figurines were deer, horses, cattle, dogs and other animals. Human figurines were not very common. The wealthy Greeks made a collection of the high-quality figurines, but a few of them can be traced in the today’s world.[Halliwell, Stephen. "BEAUTY. D. Konstan Beauty. The Fortunes of an Ancient Greek Idea. Pp. xiv+ 262, ills. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Cased,£ 19.99, US $29.95. ISBN: 978-0-19-992726-5." (2016).] [Weiss, Arnold-Peter C. "The Hand in Art: Ancient Greek Bronze Arm." Journal of Hand Surgery 39, no. 6 (2014): 1178.]
Monumental sculptures
According to the ancient Greek art, the human being was the most inspiring thing in art. Therefore, the human body was used as both sacred and as a secular object when sculpturing. The kouros was one of the most substantial sculptures during the archaic period. Sculptures were not made for the purposes of a display but were used as offerings, public memorials, and grave markers among others. The sculptures did not necessarily represent a particular person but were arts of honor, beauty and also sacrifice. Most of the sculptures were made by the use...