The Hellenistic Period

Ancient Greece was arguably one of the most influential cultures throughout world history, creating its greatest impact in the realm of art and architecture. DEspite commonly being perceived as a single, uniform time period, there were several distinct periods of artistic styles including the Geometric, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. Each period is marked by distinctive characteristics that set it apart and often also reflect the historical and mythological aspects of Greek society.
The Geometric period was one of the earliest period of Greek art, lasting from the ninth till the end of the eighth century BCE. Its name is utterly descriptive of the art created during this phase. Pottery decoration moved beyond simple shapes to also include
323-30 BCE) extends from the death of Alexander until the death of Cleopatra, when Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire. The great cultural centers of the era were no longer the city-states of Archaic and Classical Greece but royal capitals such as Alexandria in Egypt and Pergamon in Asia Minor. Both architects and sculptors broke most of the rules of Classical design, creating figures that were more realistic and avoiding the long upheld proportions that had been used when depicting people. Hellenistic sculptors explored new subjects—Gauls with strange mustaches and necklaces, impoverished old women—and treated traditional subjects in new ways—athletes with battered bodies and faces, openly erotic goddesses. Artists delighted in depicting violent movement and unbridled emotion. A prime example of this time period is a 7’ 10” marble sculpture of “Laocoön and his sons” by Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydoros. Found in Rome, Italy this piece has been dated back to the early 1st century CE; as Rome conquered Greece and many Romans paid for Greek art work allowing the Hellenistic style to live on in Rome. This piece depicts sea serpents attacking Laocoon and his 2 sons, while Laocoon is sacrificing at the altar. The most striking aspect of this sculpture is the massive amount of emotional charge it carries, as the viewer can clearly see the agony in the carefully structured face of Laocoon, who is the center of the work. Additionally, we can see that the golden proportions of the classical era have given way to a more realistic depiction of the human figure, making them appear as if they are truly