During the Geometric period (800-700 BCE), Greek art and architecture featured geometric patterns in its iconography. Ceramics and pottery also became very popular during the Geometric period. Some examples of this are the invention of fifteen different types of vases, and the three classical orders, as seen above. These kinds of vases were invented to each serve different purposes in functionality, such as beverages, food, storage, beauty products, or for cultural traditions and rituals. The three classical orders were created to organize a system in architectural design, based on location and symbolic importance.
During the Orientalizing period (700-600 BCE), we start to see other worldly influences in Greek art and architecture, such as styles from Egypt, the East, and Asia Minor. Floral and animal motifs are used often, such as the one used in the architecture of Temple A at Prinias (right image), but one specific style that catches our attention is one from the Isthmus of Corinth in Athens called Proto-Attic. An example of the Proto-Attic style in ancient Greek art is the depcition of the three painters, Analatos, Mesogeia, and Polyphemos (left image). The Orientalizing period is important because it was a prominent era where different places took inspiration off of Ancient Greece in their artwork and vice versa
During the Archaic period (600-480 BCE), Greek art and architecture honored motifs and stories from not Greek mythology, but mythology from other backgrounds and parts of the world also. When depicting mythology, many creatures such as griffins, sphyxes, and sirens were displayed. Another commonality of the Archaic period was their male and female sculptures, like the New York Kouros (male), and the Lady Kore of Auxerre (female). These sculptures were made of materials such as limestone, marble, and more. Experimentation in detailing, such as black-figure and red-figure decoration/outlining, were also seen in artwork and architecture during the Archaic period.
During the Early Classical period (480-450 BCE), the usage of marble was introduced in Greek art and architecture. Overall, the Early Classical period in Ancient Greece was also known as the Severe Style, with painters focusing more on perfecting technicality of anatomy, perspective, and composition in their artwork. During the High Classical period (450-420 BCE), sculptures in Ancient Greek times traditioned from just one or two set styles, to a variety of such. During the Late Classical period (420-323 BCE), Athens, Sparta, and their mutual allies were in the middle of dealing with the Peloponnesian War, a conflict. Due to this conflict, we see more militant and traditional themes in ancient Greek artwork. We see all of these changes into effect in multitudes of sculptures and buildings, such as the Parthenon, the Erechthenion, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the Acropolis, etc.
