The Horses of Saint Mark

Minoan Culture, Mycenean Culture
Cretan art is also called Minoan art, named after the legendary King Minos.

Cretan-Minoan art is the art of Crete from about 2900 to 1600 B.C., the Mycenaean art from Crete and the Greek mainland from about 1600 to 1100 B.C., continuing in Crete until 1200 B.C.

In the shaft graves of Mycenae, which reached their peak in the 14th and 13th centuries B.C., the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered significant evidence of this culture. One preserved monument is the Lion Gate from the 13th century B.C.

Splendidly decorated vases are the artworks of ceramics that have best survived the turmoil of millennia. The famous Snake Goddess (around 1500 B.C.) is a faience statuette that has been recovered from the ruins of the Repositories Temple of the Knossos palace. Bronze vessels from that time were primarily used in the household. Daggers, swords, and armour were also made of bronze.

The jewellery of the Cretan-Mycenaean women was made of gold, rock crystal, lapis lazuli, ivory, faience, and glass.

Geometric Culture
As a continuation of Late Mycenaean art, geometric art developed on the Greek mainland towards the end of the 11th century B.C. Replacing the naturalistic Crete-Mycenaean forms, geometric art introduced a mathematically ordered style. Another new feature was the use of the ruler and the compass. Jewellry from this time is also based on strict geometric principles.

Archaic Culture
Temple architecture in the 8th and 7th century B.C. developed significantly. Initially, mudbrick and wood were used for building, later the forms were transferred to stone. A monumental style developed in sculpture. Materials such as marble, bronze, clay, and limestone were used. The nude young male figure type was used to represent gods, heroes, and victorious athletes. However, gods or other consecration figures were portrayed as clothed.

In addition to freestanding sculptures, relief art developed, which was preferably used for decoration of temples.

Statuettes made of clay and bronze first appeared in the 6th century B.C., depicting humans, animals, and mystical beings, all of high quality.

Classical Culture (5th and 4th century B.C.)
The beginning of the Greek classical art coincides with the time of the great statesman Pericles. Because of his democratic politics, Athens became the centre of cultural life and artistic creation in ancient Greece.

Classic architecture refined the shapes and proportions to perfection. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens, and other major temple buildings were built in that time.

In sculpture, the time of the Severe style began. The rigid forms of the earlier period were outdated, the human body was studied anatomically. Top works of the Severe style include the Charioteer of Delphi and the Artemision Bronze, which was recovered from the sea by fishermen.

The high classical period saw further progress. Sculptors such as Myron, Phidias, and Polykleitos created sculptures that affect the statuary art to the present day (e.g. "Discobolus," "Athena-Marsyas Group," and "Riace Bronzes," etc.)

In the 4th century, a romantic conception prevailed. Praxiteles and Lysippos determined the art of the time. Sculptures such as "Hermes and the Infant Dionysus," "Pouring Satyr," and especially the "Aphrodite of Knidos" are magnificent examples of the artistic conception of Classical Greece.

Hellenistic Art
With Alexander the Great's conquests, the Greek art dominated the Mediterranean and the Orient. In temple architecture, the Ionic and Corinthian style prevailed.

The Hellenistic sculptural period was initiated by Lysippos. Temple complexes, such as those in Pergamon, were richly decorated with statues. At the beginning of the 2nd century B. C., The "Winged Victory of Samothrace" was created, and towards the end of the century, the "Venus de Milo." The period of Hellenistic sculpture reached its final peak with "Laocoön Group". The painting of that time was determined by Apelles. The Hellenistic painters depicted themes such as historical events, portraits, and genre paintings.