THE GREEK PERIOD

There are three academic distinctions of later ancient Greek art that match roughly with historical periods of the same names. These are the Archaic, the Classical and the Hellenistic.
The art of ancient Greece has exhibited aesthetic and high technical standards, which inspired generations of European artists.

Pottery

The Ancient Greeks made pottery for everyday use, not for display. Some forms of vases were used as a vessel for drinking, like the amphora. Larger versions of amphora vases were used as storage unit for water or wine. Greek urns were also created to contain the remains of dead persons. On top of the utility of these vases, their exterior was either painted or embellished with relief sculptures (sculptures which project from the surface halfway). The subjects or themes of paintings or sculptures found on these vases were abstract designs, human figures, usually representing the gods or the heroes of Greek history and mythology, and battle and hunting scenes.

Sculpture

As to Ancient Greek free-standing sculptures, they were mostly made of two types of material. Stone, especially marble or other high-quality limestones were used most frequently and carved by hand with metal tools. The Greeks thus decided very early on that the human form was the most important subject for artistic endeavour. Seeing their gods as having human form, there was no distinction between the sacred and the secular in art. Kouro was the name of the most important sculptural form in the Archaic Period. The female version of the Kouro is called Kore. They look like Adam and Eve standing very stiffly, with hands resting on the lumbar area of the body. Since Greek society did not permit the public display of female nudity until the 4th century BC, the Kore was considered to be of less importance in the development of sculpture.
In the classic Period actually Art was more a “product”. The interest was in producing perfect “idealistic” sculptures. The idealization grew in the heart of the Greeks, and so it reflected on their sculptures. This was in the High Classical style. However, In the Hellenistic Time a transition to more realism happened.

Architecture

The Greeks developed the three different orders in Classical Greek architecture. These orders were made up of columns which were usually seen on Greek temples. These three orders were the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Corinthian order was not used as widely as the Doric of Ionic. The reason being, is that the Corinthian order was fancier than the others, and had a lot more detail.
The most basic order for their temples would be the Doric order. It all starts with some wood shafts, which latter was replaced by stone. On the top of the shaft, were circular pads with a square block of wood over it. The vertical columns were used to support the beams. The finishing touches for the roof had to have a flat gables called pediments. The gutter ran along the top of the pediments and ended at a lion's mouth. This acted like a drain. The materials that were used for the roofs were thatch and the terra-cotta and marble. The of Doric temples were similar to those of the Ionic order in lay out and design.
The final order would be the Ionic order. Their columns were more slender than those of the Doric order. Their dimensions were eight to nine meters high, instead of four to five. The columns had a molded base which was placed under them and then sculpted figures on the lower part of the shaft were added. At the top of these shafts, were rectangular blocks of stone, which were carved in the shape of hair or other wave and line shapes.