Hand-painted sculpture “Greek Owl” on a stone base, cast stone, Proto-Corinthian

Classical Culture (5th and 4th centuries BC): The beginning of Greek Classicism coincides with the reign of the great statesman Pericles, under whose democratic rule Athens became the center of cultural life and artistic creation in ancient Greece. Classical architecture refined forms and proportions to perfection. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens, and other important temple buildings were constructed. In sculpture, the era of the Severe Style began. The rigid forms of earlier times were broken down, and the human body was studied anatomically. Among the masterpieces of the Severe Style are the Charioteer of Delphi and the Poseidon of Cape Artemision, which fishermen recovered from the sea. The High Classical period brought a further advancement. Sculptors such as Myron, Phidias, and Polykleitos created sculptures that continue to influence sculpture to this day. (Discus thrower, Athena and Marsyas group, the Heroes of Riace, etc.) In the 4th century BC, a romantic approach prevailed. Praxiteles and Lysippus shaped the art of the time. Sculptures such as Hermes with the infant Dionysus, the pouring satyr, and especially the Aphrodite of Knidos are magnificent examples of the artistic philosophy of Greek Classicism.