The Development of Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Sculpture Compared to Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque

In Ancient Greece, sculpture underwent a profound development in style over the course of several centuries in what came to be known as the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. The universal, emotionless, and often rigid poses of the Archaic eventually gave way to the idealized beauty and blossoming realism of Classical, before the distinct naturalism, emotion, and dynamism of Hellenistic sculpture fully developed. This cycle from rigid to real to dynamic was then repeated over a millennium later in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque movements. Medieval statues often lacked the particular details of specific people, instead preferring to idealize a universal pose or body posture. Renaissance art rediscovered Classical Greece, and its sculptures were made to suggest ideal beauty in a more natural, graceful way. Baroque art, like Hellenistic, finally sought to capture the dynamic human spirit - movement and emotion - in highly-detailed sculptures, which (like the Hellenistic) were further distinguished by the increased technical skill of the sculptors in suggesting light, shadow, and weight in the marble. History has shown that development in art can be a cyclical process; fortunately, the works produced continue to delight the eyes and minds of their beholders, while inspiring artists and audiences alike to both welcome and challenge the movements yet to come.