Short AP Art History Essay #1
The differences between the art and architecture of the Classical period and the Hellenistic period
The Classical art period was highly stylized compared to earlier periods such as the archaic period. Classical statues were the dominant art form during those times and were characterized by simple and static poses with realistic anatomy and variety of drapery. The period also focused on artworks featuring gods and goddesses and scenes from mythology. The Greeks also liked to conceptualize people statue figures by applying qualities those similar to gods. An example of their use of portrayal was a hollow bronze cast statue from Greece made between 460-450 BCE that shows a male figure, Zeus, hurling a weapon with his arms extended out and a heel lifted from floor showing a full ideal naked body. Like Classical art, Hellenistic art also featured advanced understanding and showcasing of anatomy and poses, but instead of static poses, this period explores and experiments on how the body will look in certain poses or movements. This led to a flow of expressive works that were either was highly dramatic, in agony, angry or other emotions. The Seated boxers from Rome, Italy made around 100-50 BCE were an older, defeated boxer with a broken nose and swollen ear is represented in a very raw form. He is not a young idealized young man, one with a young body and young looking face. Instead he is in pain and suffering shown by his slouched posture and his