Ancient Greek & Roman Art
Classical antiquity produced the artistic ideals that shaped Western civilization. Greek artists pioneered naturalistic human representation, while Romans excelled in portraiture, engineering, and monumental architecture. Together, they established standards of beauty, proportion, and artistic excellence that artists would return to for millennia.
Historical Context
Greek city-states, particularly Athens, developed democracy, philosophy, and unprecedented artistic achievement. Rome conquered the Mediterranean world, absorbing and spreading Greek culture while adding their own innovations in portraiture, engineering, and imperial propaganda.
Key Characteristics
- Idealized human form based on mathematical proportion
- Contrapposto pose creating naturalistic movement
- Development from Archaic stylization to Classical naturalism
- Roman veristic portraiture capturing individual character
- Architectural innovations including columns, arches, and domes
Related Art Movements
Explore Greek & Roman Artworks
10,000 artworks from 800 BCE - 476 CE available in our collection
Stray Horse
E. Drappier
1906
Houses at Murnau
Vasily Kandinsky
1909
Painting with Troika
Vasily Kandinsky
January 18, 1911
The Bewitched Mill
Franz Marc
1913
Woman on Rose Divan
Henri Matisse
1921
Apples
Henri Matisse
1916
Portrait of a Woman
Amedeo Modigliani
c. 1917/19
James Vibert, Sculptor
Ferdinand Hodler
1907
Head of Apollo
Emile-Antoine Bourdelle
1900–1909
Day (Truth)
Ferdinand Hodler
1896/98
Fisherman's Cottage
Harald Oscar Sohlberg
1906
Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray
Piet Mondrian
1921
Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons)
Vasily Kandinsky
1913
Woman before an Aquarium
Henri Matisse
1921–23
Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz
Amedeo Modigliani
1916
Still Life with Geranium
Henri Matisse
1906
Sawmill, Outskirts of Paris
Henri Rousseau
c. 1893/95
Painting with Green Center
Vasily Kandinsky
1913
Landscape with Two Poplars
Vasily Kandinsky
1912
Farm near Duivendrecht
Piet Mondrian
c. 1916
Hermine David
Jules Pascin
1907
Madam Pompadour
Amedeo Modigliani
1915
Composition (No. 1) Gray-Red
Piet Mondrian
1935
Terracotta lamp
Unknown Artist
5th century BCE
Showing 24 of 10,000 artworks
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Ancient Egypt
3000 BCE - 30 BCE
Ancient Egyptian art spans over three millennia, representing one of humanity's longest continuous artistic traditions. From the pyramids of Giza to the treasures of Tutankhamun's tomb, Egyptian artists created works of extraordinary beauty and symbolic power that served religious, funerary, and political purposes.
Medieval
500-1400
Medieval art encompasses nearly a thousand years of artistic production, from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance. This period saw the development of Byzantine mosaics, Romanesque monasteries, Gothic cathedrals, and illuminated manuscripts—all serving primarily religious purposes with a focus on spiritual rather than naturalistic representation.
19th Century
1800-1899
The 19th century witnessed revolutionary transformations in art, from Neoclassicism through Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism. This era saw artists breaking from academic traditions, exploring new techniques, and capturing modern life with unprecedented immediacy.