Greece has a rich and varied artistic history, spanning some 4000 years and beginning in the Minoan prehistorical civilization, giving birth to Western classical art in the ancient period (and developing this during the Hellenistic Period), to taking in the influences of the East and the new religion of Christianity in the Byzantine period, continuing through the Renaissance with figures such as El Greco, absorbing Italian ideas in the Romanticist period (with the invigoration of the Greek Revolution), right up until the Modernist and Post-Modernist periods.

Ancient Period

Influencing Countries' Culture

The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture.

In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models.

In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures, resulting in Greco-Buddhist art, with ramifications as far as Japan.

Following the Renaissance in Europe, the humanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists.

Well into the 19th century, the classical tradition derived from Greece dominated the art of the western world.

There are three scholarly disctinctions of Greek art that correspond roughly with historical periods of the same names.

These are the

1. Archaic,
2. Classical and
3. Hellenistic.

The Archaic period is usually dated from c.1000 BC. The Persian Wars 480 BC to 448 BC are usually taken as the dividing line between the Archaic and the Classical periods, and the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC is regarded as separating the Classical from the Hellenistic period. Of course, different forms of art developed at different speeds in different parts of the Greek world, and varied to a degree from artist to artist.

There are many different categories of Greek art, however, in the physical sense it can be divided into main categories, which are:

1. Painting ,
2. Sculpture,
3. Architecture,
4. Coin design and
5. Pottery.

Byzantine Period

Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire from about the 5th century until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. (The Roman Empire during this period is conventionally known as the Byzantine Empire.)

The term can also be used for the art of states which were contemporary with the Byzantine Empire and shared a common culture with it, without actually being part of it, such as Bulgaria, Serbia or Russia, and also Venice, which had close ties to the Byzantine Empire despite being in other respects part of western European culture. It can also be used for the art of peoples of the former Byzantine Empire under the rule of the Ottoman Empire after 1453. In some respects the Byzantine artistic tradition has continued in Greece, Russia and other Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day.

Byzantine art grew from the art of Ancient Greece, and at least before 1453 never lost sight of its classical heritage, but was distinguished from it in a number of ways. The most profound of these was that the humanist ethic of Ancient Greek art was replaced by the Christian ethic. If the purpose of classical art was the glorification of man, the purpose of Byzantine art was the glorification of God, and particularly of his son, Jesus.

In place of the nude, the figures of God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints and martyrs of Christian tradition were elevated, and became the dominant - indeed almost exclusive - focus of Byzantine art.

One of the most important forms of Byzantine art was, and still is, the icon: an image of Christ, the Virgin (particularly the Virgin and Child), or a saint, used as an object of veneration in Orthodox churches and private homes.

Modern Period

The Modern period begins with El Greco technically, however, due to the Ottoman occupation of Greece there was very little artistic output during this time, so the birth of modern Greek Art began in defacto terms after the end of the Revolution in 1829 and took on board a number of Romanticist influences, as stated, most notably in Italy.

Greek Art evolved beyond this and took in a variety of influences from the Romanticist period, most notably Italian (and as mentioned more specifically, Venetian), the culmination of this was the distinctive style of Greek Romanticist art, inspired by revolutionary ideals as well as the geography and History of the country.

Modern Greek has moved beyond this and has become a key area of focus of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

The major figure of the Modernist period is Fotis Kontoglou. His diverse contribution to Modern Greek Painting could be summarised into three manifestations. His creative painting work, which was based on the Byzantine technique; his hagiographic work, which brought orthodox painting back to our churches; and, finally, his teaching, either direct or - mainly - indirect, which was one of the strongest factors which altered the course of Modern Greek Painting towards the discovery of the pictorial but, also, of the more substantial spiritual values of the Greek traditions that thet used when they were worshipping.