Greek Sculpture

Sculpture is one of the most ancient and also one of the most permanent forms of art. Nearly all cultures throughout the ages have left us sculptural history to study and learn, but the five hundred years of Greek culture that flourished along the coast of the Aegean Sea is of special interest. Greek sculptures were very influential in the development of Western art. The Greeks believed what Aristotle states, that "all men by nature desire to know,"

this philosophy was held by Greek sculptors as well.

During the Classical period, Greek sculptors focused their energies on the human figure. Centuries after the fall of the Greek Empire, the rediscovery of Greek art and its drive for perfection of the human form resulted in the resurgence of classical tendencies in other cultures. Never in any other era has the art form evolved and developed as rapidly and as beautifully as was seen in ancient Greece. The first Greek sculptors carved small statuettes. Following small stone sculpture came the era of monumental marble sculpture. In ancient Greece, the prosperous city of Athens served as the sculptural hub of the small nation state. The method for casting bronze sculptures catalyzed the Greek sculptural revolution. The versatility of the new medium of bronze was both stronger and lighter. Today, over two thousand years later, art historians are still continuing to piece together this ancient past with the few remnants of Greek sculptures we are left with.