The Art Motives of Greek
Neither the monarchy nor the priesthood commanded the service of the artist in Greece, as in Assyria and Egypt.
There was no monarch in an oriental sense, and the chosen leaders of the Greeks never, until the late days, arrogated art to themselves.
It was something for all the people.
In religion there was a pantheon of gods established and worshipped from the earliest ages, but these gods were more like epitomes of Greek ideals than spiritual beings.
They were the personified virtues of the Greeks exemplars and perfect living; and in worshipping them the Greek was really worshipping order, conduct, repose, dignity, perfect life.
The gods and heroes as types of moral and physical qualities, were continually represented in an allegorical or legendary manner.
Athene represented noble warfare, Zeus was majestic dignity and power, Aphrodite love, Phoebus song, Nike triumph and all the lesser gods, nymphs and fauns stood for beauties or virtues of nature of of life.
The great bulk of Greek architecture, sculpture and painting was put forth to honor these gods or heroes, and by so doing the artist illustrated the national ideals and honored himself.
In a sense it was a religious motive, but had little of that spiritual significant and belief about it which ruled in Egypt and later on in Italy.
A second and ever present motive in Greek painting was decorations. This appears in the tomb pottery of the earliest ages, and was carried on down to the latest times.
Vase painting, wall painting, tablet and sculpture painting were all done with a decorative motive in view.
Even the easel or panel pictures had some decorative effect about them,. Though perhaps they were primarily intended to convey ideas other than those of form and color.
The Art Motives of Greek
