Archaic_Greek_sculpture | TriviaQuestions.online

⭐ In the context of Greek sculpture, the Archaic period is primarily distinguished by its position as…

The Archaic period in Greek sculpture, spanning roughly 650 to 480 BC, represents the initial significant phase in the development of large-scale bronze and stone sculptures, establishing foundational artistic conventions.

⭐ Core Definition: Archaic Greek sculpture

Archaic Greek sculpture represents the first stages of the formation of a sculptural tradition that became one of the most significant in the entire history of Western art. The Archaic period of ancient Greece is poorly delimited, and there is great controversy among scholars on the subject. It is generally considered to begin between 700 and 650 BC and end between 500 and 480 BC, but some indicate a much earlier date for its beginning, 776 BC, the date of the first Olympiad. In this period the foundations were laid for the emergence of large-scale autonomous sculpture and monumental sculpture for the decoration of buildings. This evolution depended in its origins on the oriental and Egyptian influence, but soon acquired a peculiar and original character.

For a long time considered a mere prelude to Classical Greece, today the Archaic period is seen as a moment of intense intellectual, political and artistic activity, during which decisive achievements were made for the consolidation of Greek culture as a whole, and the sculpture of that time has great merits of its own, being a vehicle of specific and fundamental meanings for the society from which it was born through the development of unique forms.

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Archaic Greek sculpture in the context of Ancient Greek sculpture

The sculpture of ancient Greece is the main surviving type of fine ancient Greek art as, with the exception of painted ancient Greek pottery, almost no ancient Greek painting survives. Modern scholarship identifies three major stages in monumental sculpture in bronze and stone: Archaic Greek sculpture (from about 650 to 480 BC), Classical (480–323 BC) and Hellenistic thereafter. At all periods there were great numbers of Greek terracotta figurines and small sculptures in metal and other materials.

The Greeks decided very early on that the human form was the most important subject for artistic endeavour. Since they pictured their gods as having human form, there was little distinction between the sacred and the secular in art—the human body was both secular and sacred. A male nude of Apollo or Heracles shows only slight differences in treatment from a sculpture of that year's Olympic boxing champion. The statue (originally single, but by the Hellenistic period often in groups) was the dominant form, although reliefs, often so "high" that they were almost free-standing, were also important.

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