Why Greek Art??

Many people asked me that question. Why are you teaching Greek art? How does this Art style (or period) suit your philosophy of free art without rules?

 

The answer is not that simple, but I am going to explain.

Let's start looking into the history of greek art:

During the Archaic period (100 points if you can pronounce this word without a struggle) the statues were simple, no detailed muscles, no difficult postures. Everybody  loved those statues and they were used for decorating houses and even temples (and keep in mind, only the best for the gods).

 

But then it took one passionate sculptor (his name was Polykleitos) to make the  brave decision to design his statues in a realistic way.

He wanted his pieces as dynamic as possible and he became really zealous about his goal.... and to be quite honest... I'm sure he never had a teacher telling him the he was bad at making sculptures.

 

He had the freedom and mindset to try and practice. 

 

Thats why I think Greek art is a wonderful starting point for teaching our students that everybody is an artist! Really!