Greek+Art

The Power of Influence By: Miranda

As we study History, we learn about the traditions, cultures and even religions of the world, and we question how we have gotten to where we are today. One of the topics we are taught about is art, which changes throughout cultures and nations. Some of the earliest art was found in Greece, as it continued to develop, it seemed to inspire other countries, through influence, creating a type of art that the Greeks themselves did not know would develop across many parts of the world. Greek art has a great influence on the people and culture of its time, while also influencing and inspiring the present and future. We can change the worlds through ways we did not even know existed, inventing and creating new ideas that spark the future of our generation, and those to come.

Ancient Greek paintings were discovered in the1400s BC by the people of Crete, an island off of Greece. The Minoans introduced art in the mainland of Greece, through the paintings on temple walls, people would paint the events that went on during athletic tournaments onto walls of Greece like a form of graffiti. It was common to do this during ancient times, but with development came pottery, which the Greeks used to display their art. Also, as time passed the medium became fragile, and the temple paintings chipped away and lost color, while a lot of Ancient Greek pottery is still surviving to this day. El’ Greco was a renaissance, Greek painter, popular during the 1500s. He commonly used vases as his canvas, sketching the action filled, “heroic” scenes throughout Greek culture, such as “Ajax and Achilles”. He created a Greek style of art by combining the arts of Byzantine and Venetian, creating dark color contrasts. [|(History of Greek Art)]

Art was highly valued in Greece, much like in any other culture, but the significance of art is what changes throughout cultures. Many Greek gods were worshiped through art, displaying their powers, evil and good, and their effects on Greece. Mythology was a practiced religion in early Greece, most artwork was revolved around the idea of gods and goddesses, it served as a purpose to paint. The artwork often told stories, and taught the Greeks in interesting ways their tradition, and beliefs. The significance also changes throughout the culture itself, choosing what is important to the Greeks, and how the art affected their own lives. Secular artwork is not only important to Greece, it displays evidence to those of other cultures, Greek tradition, style and fashion.[| (Influence)]

Greek art and art in general is made to influence the audience to feel the way the artist feels. The Mythology involved in Greek paintings may influence the people of Greece to become more involved in the religion. Paintings can also inform people about their cultures history through interest. By showing emotion and true perspective in art, it convinces and persuades people to see the way you see. Influence depends on the way you look at something, and how you interpret it, so how does art influence the people of Greece? Through passion and topics and interest. Appreciating art creates its significance and value to the viewer, taking the time to understand and comprehend the art is what allows it to influence our lives. The main idea of the paintings, which could be a person, location or maybe an object often symbolizes something else, a bigger picture, this is when you have to apply comprehension. When you do understand this main idea, your opinion on the topic can be what influences you, inspires you, and possibly carries the idea through time.

Different nationalities and cultures share different religious beliefs, and that is what makes them special, and not like the other. Greek Mythology was not practiced anywhere else but Greece because it is their tradition, making the artwork that was produced during that time unique and creative. Religion plays a main role in a culture, the subjects of the paintings and the interpretation of them change the whole meaning of the paintings, and makes them hard to understand to certain people. The colors and textures used in their art was different in itself, due to even the materials used to create the painting. A huge factor that contributes to the unique characteristics of Greek art is pottery. Picturing paintings often concludes in oil canvases, or murals on walls, but Greece decided to use their hand crafted pottery as a canvas for their art. Taking a leap of faith can often lead to a great landing, this idea of two arts together, changed how we think of art today. [|(Artwork)]

Modern art is often influenced by previous styles of art, but the motive seems to change as time goes by. Values change as our society progresses, we change our priorities, and things that were important in the past could no longer be appreciated, or they could be appreciated even more. The art we find on modern pottery comes from Greek art, they often used vases and other pottery as a canvas, mentioned previously. This unique type of art completely changed the idea of what art can be, or what it could become. This shows the interconnection between cultures and how one idea sparks another, leading to reproductions and even creating new types of art. The locations where art can be found have extended greatly, in modern times we can find art almost everywhere, which could have been made possible with the help of the Greeks. In a different perspective, the dedication to religion is often found today, although mythology is not the religion most people are a part of, but how we represent the God or gods we worship is frequently repeated. The physical art itself is not always the most important part of the piece, the underlying message is what is passed on for generations, inspiring current artists and influencing those that view it.

They say it only takes one person to change the world, and it truly only does take one. We may recognize the whole country of Greece for some artistic inventions and changing art, but really each idea came from a single person, coming together with others to inspire the world with their passion towards art. Greek art is an example of the power of influence within its own nation, and how it changed the world. This in itself can inspire you to take a leap of faith, make a difference and change the world, with art.

Work cited:

Contrast, By. “Sculpture and Art in Ancient Greece.” //Ancient Greece – History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture.// Web. 09 Dec. 2010. [].

“HISTORY OF PAINTING.” //HistoryWorld – History and Timelines//. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. [].

Kelley,, By M. “History of Greek Paintings | EHow.com.” //EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles//. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. [].

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