ancient greek

Alma-Tadema, The Roses of Heliogabalus, 1888. Oil on canvas.
Rose Symbolism Throughout Art History
If one symbol represents love, power, royalty, beauty, sensuality, and mysticism–it is the rose. This slide show will focus on the prominence of roses in Western art from the first millennium BCE to…
Marie-Denise Villers, Young Woman Drawing, 1801.
8 Essential Neoclassical Works of Art
Focused on simplicity and symmetry—principles valued by classical artists, Neoclassicism was an antidote to Rococo and Baroque excess. Neoclassicists painted everything from ancient myths to…
The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
A Brief History of the Trevi Fountain
Rome’s Trevi Fountain is the city’s largest Baroque fountain and a symbol of the revival of Ancient Roman technology and aesthetics. Connected to the city’s awe-inspiring ancient waterways, the…
George Petrides, The Refuge, installation photo
George Petrides’ Hellenic Heads in Venice: Portraying Family and Greek History

Hellenic Heads: George Petrides, A Personal Exploration of Greek History and Culture Over 2,500 Years is…

Venus of Willendorf as shown at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, in January 2020.
A Brief History of the Female Nude: From Willendorf to Kardashian
This list spans approximately 25,000 years of art-making and is by no means comprehensive. Although this history is complex, the manner in which the female nude appears through the ages is sometimes…
Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation, c. 1472.
The Golden Ratio Revealed in 7 Masterpieces
For artistically-minded people, the golden ratio—or better yet, the divine proportion—might be easier to understand visually. Here are several examples of how the golden ratio can be applied to works…
Promotional poster for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (detail)
The True Story Behind the Antikythera in Indiana Jones 5

This year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny finds Harrison Ford in his final adventure as the legendary …

The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens reconstructed between the late 19th century and today.
The Acropolis As We Know It Today Never Existed

The Acropolis of Athens is often seen as a symbol of the city’s ancient and wonderous past. The Parthenon, constructed in the 5…

Statue of the so-called “Old Market Woman.” Roman copy of a Greek Hellenistic original, ca. 14-68 CE.
Hellenistic Sculpture: Realist Art in Ancient Greece
The ancient Greek body is perhaps one of the most recognizable and influential forms in art history.
Medusa Second Century relief sculpture
Medusa's Many Faces: The Mythical Figure in Art History
Medusa, like many other classic Greek myths, has become a cultural icon. She was one of the three Gorgons, meaning creatures who resembled human females save for their heads, from which snakes…
Still Image of Persephone
Lore Olympus Reimagines and Reframes Ancient Myths in Webcomic and Graphic Novel
Rachel Smythe’s insanely popular webcomic now turned graphic novel (and future Netflix animated series), Lore Olympus, is a recent iteration of this trend – one that combines both the art of…
Arnold Böcklin, Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle, 1872. Oil on canvas. Nationalgalerie der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin.
Death Symbolism & Personification Traced Through Art History
Regardless of gender, ethnicity, creed, or political ideology, one thing for certain is we are going to die. Death is the inevitable fate in the plight of man and the great equalizer to all.…