Hellenistic Art

323 - 150 BC

The Hellenistic period began with the 323 BC expiration of Alexander the Great. After his death, the ruler's empire was in a sense "liquified" and split into several different kingdoms. This was all rather symbolic of the art which was created during the years that followed the break down...

The main characteristic of the painting, architecture and sculpture of Hellenistic Greece was exaggeration. Artwork during this time expressed pain, suffering, anguish, ecstasy and all the rest of the emotions. Athletic youths were a favorite subject as were the acts of those ever popular Greek Mythological figures. This period of art is of particular importance because it was during this time that folks began collecting the stuff ...

Important Hellenistic Work:

• Great Altar of Zeus, Pergamon

Image:
The wesern side of the Pergamon Altar as reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
© Raimond Spekking / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 & GDFL