m Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by

geometric motifs in vase painting, that flourished towards the end of

the Greek Dark Ages, it was 900 BCE to 700 BCE. Its centre was
in Athens, and it was diffused amongst the trading cities of
the Aegean. It·s divided in 4 stages: Protogeometric, early, middle
and late metric periods.
Neck ë
 


Amphora  ,
Late
Geometric

Protogeometric
Krater vase
m ë     During the Protogeometric period (1050-900 BC) the shapes of the
vessels have eliminated the fluid nature of the Mycenaean, the form has become strict
and simple and they are divided into horizontal decorative bands with a few written
geometric shapes within, usually concentric cycles or semicircles engraved with a
caliper.

i   In the Early geometric period (900-850 BC) the height of the
vessels has been increased, while the decoration is limited around the neck until the
middle of the body of the vessel. The remaining surface is covered by a thin layer of
clay, which during the cooking takes a dark, shiny, metallic color. That was the
period when the decorative theme of the meander added to the pottery design,
the most characteristic element of geometric art.
 
At the Middle geometric period (850-760 BC), the decorative zones
appear multiplied by creating a laced mesh, while the meander
dominates and is placed in the most important area, in the metope which
is arranged between the handles

  
While the technique from the Middle Geometric period was still
continued at the beginning of 8th century BC some laboratories
enriched again the decorative organization of the vases, stabilized the
forms of the animals in the areas of the neck and the base of the vase,
and introduced at the main metope between the handles, the human
form. This was the first phase of the Late Geometric period (760-700 BC),
in which the great vessels of Dipylon placed on the graves as funeral
monuments, and represent with their height (often at a height of 1.50 m)
and the perfection of their execution, the highest expression of the
Greek geometric art.
m A striking change appears in Greek art of the seventh century B.C., the
beginning of the Archaic period. The abstract geometric patterning that was
dominant between about 1050 and 700B.C.is supplanted in the seventh
century by a more naturalistic style reflecting significant influence from the
Near East and Egypt. Trading stations in the Levant and the Nile Delta,
continuing Greek colonization in the east and west, as well as contact with
eastern craftsmen, notably on Crete and Cyprus, inspired Greek artists to
work in techniques as diverse as gem cutting, ivory carving, jewelry making,
and metal working.
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m The art of the Classical Greek style is characterized by a freedom of
movement, freedom of expression. During this period, artists begin to
expand the formal aesthetic boundaries while they worked in
expressing the human figure in a more naturalistic manner. They
were able to replace the strict asymmetry of the figure with a free
flowing form more true to life, while they approached an ideal
aesthetic vision through stone and bronze

discobolis
parthenon

ë 

zeus
m The Hellenistic period begins in 323 with the death of Alexander the Great and ends with
the battle of Actio in 31 BC. While Philip of Macedon conquered and united the Greek
city-states, his son Alexander the Great embraced on a campaign that found him the
conqueror of a vast empire which included Greece, Persia, the Near East, and Egypt.
During this period the city-states begin to give way to a more global culture, and the
entire Mediterranean sea and the Middle East flourish in a background of conflict,
commerce, and cross-cultural influence, with the Greek ideals and language
dominating the scene.
 Laocöön
Dying
Gaoul

Winged Victory of Samothrace Sleeping

Satyr