Archaic and Hellenistic Styles
Art in Greece went through three main periods after the Dark Ages, which epitomized the geometric style. The Grecian dark ages are usually attributed to around 1000 BC of which not much exists or been researched and hence the name. The three main periods post 7th century BC were the Archaic, immediately after Greece rose from the Dark ages; Classical, during the reign of the Persians leading to the Hellenistic periods which marked the reign of Alexander the Great.
Archaic Style
The Archaic style shows a vast difference from the earlier geometric styles that were classified under the Dark Ages. Although the architecture still came under the Doric order most temples during the archaic period transformed from the original Octastyle of Doric order to Hexastyle architecture. This meant that the Peripteral Colonnade or the outer Portico of the temples were 6:12 along the shorter side as against 8:16 in the Octastyle designs. This style is seen in the Temple of Aphaea in the Grecian Island of Aegina, which is considered one of the classic examples of the archaic period. The inner Naos which usually houses the deity or the prime statue of the temple was divided into a Cella which is the central hall, Pronaos or a portico with a 3 leading to it and balanced by a Ophisthodomos which was similar in style to the Pronaos, but with a wall but no doorway connecting to the Cella. It was mainly created to provide symmetry. This is very characteristic of archaic styles. The Cella or the inner sanctum had two rows of 5 columns with an additional row above it, which connected to the roof. The two rows of columns in the archaic style differ from the original Doric styling, which had a single row of double columns. All the columns except for three were monolithic. All the columns have the Entasis or the slight bulge towards its middle, which was characteristic of the Doric order. The Archaic period was known for its sculpture, which showed a marked transformation from the original geometric and unrealistic styles. The Archaic period was marked by sculptures of Kouros, young male and the Kore, female statues. These were often depicted with a smile, which became known as an archaic smile, devoid of any other emotion. It was known to depict the nobility of man who remained smiling despite all odds. The Temple of Aphaea has Kore statues on the Acroteria or the ornamental elements on the roof.
Hellenistic Style
The Hellenistic style was prevalent from 3 to 5th century BC and followed the reign of Alexander the Great. The architecture and sculpture of the times also reflected the prosperity that Greece enjoyed. The styles got more elaborate and embellishments abounded. Sculpture and expressionism was at its peak at the Hellenistic period. The Temple of Apollo in Didyma, modern day Turkey, is a good example for the study of Hellenistic style. The layout of the temples by the end of the Classical style had become Decastyle, 10 Peripteral columns. We see evidence of that in Temple of Apollo. The columns also got elaborate. All the columns in the Apollo temple belong to the Corinthian order. These followed the slender and elegant styles of the Ionic order. The Columns stood on a base with elaborate votive and floral embellishments in their capital. During the transformation from Classical to the Hellenistic period the Ophisthodomos was discarded and the Adytron or the inner chamber behind the Cella was introduced. The Adytron housed the cult God or the reining deity of the temple, which could only be accessed by the priests and the oracles. A wall blocked the access to the Adytron and a window at the top of the wall enabled the public to get a glimpse of the statue.
References
Fred S. Kleiner. (2008) Gardners Art through the Ages A global History.Wadsworth
Publishing. 013 edition
Suzanne Hill. “Three Periods of Ancient Greek Art”: The Archaic, the Classical, and the
Hellenistic. Aug 26, 2006, March 12, 2012.
http://suzannehill.suite101.com/three_periods_of_ancient_greek_art-a5827
