Art From Classical to Hellenistic

By Blythe Dawson

            With the rise of the Hellenistic age, art went through a transformation.  The world was changing in many ways and the world of art was not to be left behind.  The style known as Classical gave way to the new impressions of the Hellenistic era where sculpture and portraiture were revealed in new and often unexpected ways.  The changing environment of the artists was reflected in their work.

            The Classical style of art had a reverence for order and geometric patterns.  Organic harmony of structure was preferred to the anatomical accuracy found later in Hellenistic art.  Serenity, harmony, and balance were the accepted ideals of the Classical way.[1]  Subjects of sculpture and other art were depicted as perfect.  The body and face were smooth, muscular, and without imperfections.  If you were missing a finger, the sculptor would be sure to provide one for you in the finished product.

            Hellenistic art increasingly undercut these specified ideals.  Artists preferred to show the world as it was, rather than as it ought to be.[2]  The ideals of the Hellenistic age were passion, realism, and violence; to reflect life as it actually was.  The progressive loss of idealistic canons was also a factor during this age.  Divinities like Aphrodite were brought down into the marketplace for the entire world to see. 

            Aphrodite is an excellent example of the changing styles of art from Classical to Hellenistic.  She was always a very popular divinity, but during the Hellenistic age her popularity reached new heights.  One reason for this is that the subject of sex became popular as the era progressed.  Aphrodite was shown with increasingly less and less clothing until she finally appeared nude in a statue by Praxiteles.  This statue depicts the ideology of the time.  Heterosexuality was becoming more popular, steering away from the athletic warrior-like statues and homosexual idealism.[3]  Aphrodite was recognizable by the fleshy creases in her neck, also known as “Venus Rings”.  Her face especially went through a change during the Hellenistic age.  Her face and eyes softened, giving her a more realistic and emotional appearance.  Sensuality and greed reigned and the idealism of the old Classical art was being pushed away.[4]

The dawn of the Hellenistic age arrived with the death of Alexander the Great.  Before his expeditions opened the world up, people rarely left the areas in which they were born.  People had developed a view of life within the confines of a small city-state and were merged with the community.  Alexander’s excursions around the world enabled others to follow his lead and leave their small towns to live in strange new countries and cities.[5]  The reasons for all of this change can be broken down into three phases:  the Age of the Diadochoi, the Age of the Hellenistic Kingdoms, and the Greco-Roman phase.  These different phases helped to shape the sculpture and art of the Hellenistic period.  All of the political and religious changes that shaped the culture can be seen reflected in the art of the age.[6]  Like most transitions, the one from Classical to Hellenistic was a slow one.  The art did not change overnight, but rather slowly developed as the world around changed.   

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To read about Hellenistic Art try:

Athletics in the Hellenistic Age 

 Let's Go Gaul- Hunting