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Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Art - Coggle Diagram
Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Art
The three Aegean cultures were the Cycladics, Minoans, and Mycenaeans
The earliest Aegean culture was the Cycladians, which flourished from 3200-2000 BCE in the Cyclades, a group of islands in the Aegean Sea
They made simplified, geometric nude female figures and decorated pieces of pottery such as marble bowls and jars
Pottery: 
The Minoans reached their peak in the 2nd millennium BCE. They were centered around the city of Knossos on the island of Crete, where the legend of the Minotaur originated. In reality, the maze the Minotaur prowled was actually a royal palace
Minoan art depicted sea life and statues of a female snake goddess. Minoan artwork were characterized by a naturalistic pictorial style. Major art forms include frescoes on palace walls and pottery designs. Minoan architecture was also impressive as they constructed 4 unfortified palaces in an organic, light, and flexible style
Minotaur:
Snake Goddess:
The pinnacle of the Mycenaeans coincided with the fall of the Minoan culture, implying that the Mycenaeans may have been responsible for the fall of the Minoans. The Mycenaean culture was centered around the city of Mycenae on the Greek mainland.
The Mycenaeans built elaborate tombs, and their burial methods allowed for their art to be preserved. Their art involved a lot of gold and surprising mastery of goldsmithing. Mycenaeans were also well known for their relief sculptures
Goldsmithing mastery:
Relief Sculpture:
The Middle Classical Period witnessed important advances in architecture. The Parthenon is a great example, which was restored in 447 BCE after being destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE
Parthenon:
The art of the Etruscans is seen as the transitional period from the ideals of the Greek to the pragmatism of Rome. Etruscan culture arose in Italy in the first millennium BCE. They were well known for their tomb decorations. Nothing remains of Etruscan civilization as they built their buildings from wood and brick. Ceramic models depicted temples with tiled, gabled roofs supported by Greek columns. Extant Etruscan artifacts include sarcophagi lids and other art forms made of baked clay, and bronze works. The only paintings of Etruscan culture that remain are those found on the walls and ceilings of tombs. These paintings were done is bright flat colors and show figures playing music and dancing as a part of funeral celebrations.
Etruscan bronze work:
The Archaic Period (660-475 BCE), drew inspiration from Egyptian and Mesopotamian stone sculptures and made their sculptures out of marble and limestone. They used the Egyptian frontal pose and placed greater emphasis on depicting realistic human features. They also built temples using columns from the early Doric and Ionic decorative styles.
They also created vases: some portrayed black silhouetted figures, Corinthian style set figures against a floral ornamented background, Athenian vases used black figures but were more linear and larger in scale, and red-figure vases had red figures standing out against a black background.
Corinthian vases:
Athenian vases:
The best-known Greek art came from the city-state of Athens from the Classical Period. During the Early Classical Period, temples were made with sturdy Doric columns. Majority of Early Classical Period art did not survive but Roman copies have filled in the gaps. The sculpture style was characterized by its solemnity, strength, and simplicity of form and mainly focused on a figure or scene before an important event or after. Many human sculptures didn't have the same stiffness as the Archaic Period but were more natural and life-like
The "contrapposto", or counter positioning, was invented to show the body to its best advantage. In contrapposto, the standing figure is posed with its weight shifted onto one leg for a more natural relaxed experience. Greek sculpture has inspired Western art styles such as Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical styles from the 15th through early 19th centuries
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Architecture declined in the Late Classical Period as Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian War. Temples in this time period were still built using a simple Doric column, but the use of highly decorative Corinthian columns became more popular.
The Hellenistic Period saw an increasing influence from Eastern civilizations as Greek styles blended with those of Asia Minor. Notable works were freestanding sculptures such as Venus de Milo and the Laocoon Group, which were designed to portray ideals of beauty.
Venus de Milo:
Corinthian columns:
Early Roman art reflected Etruscan art. By the 2nd century BCE, Roman artwork began reflecting Greek culture and the standards for idealized presentation for Romans rulers reflected that of Greeks as well. The Roman discovery of early concrete allowed Romans to fill the spaces between their stone walls with rocks and rubble bound by concrete mixture. With this, Romans were able to to build huge domed buildings and the curved arch, used to build bridges and aqueducts, which were part of a paved road system, making communication and control effective in the Roman Empire. Two famous buildings of Rome include the Colosseum (72-80 CE) and the Pantheon (126-128 CE).
Romans would top their arches with relief sculptures portraying Roman Emperors or military victories. Relief sculptures were also made for funerals, tombs and sarcophagi were also decorated with reliefs. The Romans also sculpted portraits that ranged from tiny busts to huge statues. During the Roman Republic, it became common for members of a funeral procession to carry small carved images of the deceased family members. Later, statues in memory of a great statesman or other noble figures were constructed in public areas. Those statues are depictions of people were not shown in a naturally. Instead, they were idealized to show Roman ideals.
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Colosseum:
Pantheon: