Human Figure In Greek Art Essay

The portrayal of the human figure in Greek art makes huge leaps from simple, human-like figures to some of the greatest, most anatomically correct pieces of art. These magnificent feats in the world of art are quickly forgotten when compared to artworks from the Late Roman Empire. When comparing the two artworks of the Spear Bearer and The Four Tetrarchs, it is easy to see how quickly the progress of the Greek artwork was forgotten.

The introduction of the human figure starts in the Greek Geometric period. In this period, around the year 750 BC, most of the artwork that featured the human figure were vases, where there is very little space left to the human figure. There is only one single register left to any kind of depiction of humans. These figures are drawn in a very minoan manner, meaning very simplified. They lack any kind of detail or anatomical correctness. The human figure makes quite a leap in the Orientalizing period where artworks, mostly statuettes, begins to show more interest in human anatomy. There begins to be more symmetry in the body, but the artists continue to rely heavily on geometric shapes to form the torso and the head. As time continues into the Archaic period, the

The Empire was quickly dying and so was the appreciation of good art. In the sculpture “The Four Tetrarchs” found in St. Mark’s Basilica, the degradation of the realism in art was very obvious. In this piece of art there is no sense of realism. There is no portraits, no definition in the muscles or in the anatomy of the body at all. It stands shorter than four feet tall and it is very cubistic. It is very easily seen that the Empire was focused on things other than beautifying the city with art. This piece of art does have a meaning, though. The Four Tetrarchs were made to try and show the unity of the Empire. This lack of attention in artwork is very different than what was happening in the Greek empire in the Classical time