Greek Art

We already know that the ancient Greeks enjoyed music, but what did they think about other kinds of art? Keep reading to learn more.

What kinds of art did the ancient Greeks enjoy?

The ancient Greeks enjoyed all different kinds of art. They are especially famous for their sculptures, including their statues and vases. The vases often had scenes from the Olympics or pictures of musical instruments painted on them. The best artists in ancient Greece sculpted statues of important people in Greek history. If you look at the slide show below, you will see some Greek vases and sculptures.

art slideshow

slide show courtesy of All Souls School British Museum, Ancient Greeks Virtual Tour

Would I have been able to watch television?

Since there was no television, the ancient Greeks had to find other forms of entertainment, usually related to art. Greeks were well known for their participation in outdoor theaters like the one pictured below.

Greek theater

photo courtesy of Antony Mason

Theaters in towns were used for festivals, usually for a holiday or to honor a god. On these days, everyone in town except the slaves went to the theater to watch four plays that were comedies, funny plays, or tragedies, sad plays. Actors in the plays played more than one character in each play. They wore different masks so that the audience knew which character they were playing. The masks were very important because all of the actors were men, and they had to play both men's and women's roles.