The Greeks were widely dispersed around the shores of the Mediterranean, but the polis "city-state" remained the focus of political and social life. Athens was the largest with a territory of one thousand square miles. The population at it's peak was perhaps two hundred and fifty thousand, including slaves as well as freeborn. Given the size in the ordinary polis, most citizens knew each other personally. Thanks to a gorgeous climate most social and political activity was carried on in the open.

All this had a direct bearing on Greek art and artists, and so did the social institution of slavery. Manual labor was the lot of the slave. The free man could not look upon such labor as a vocation or a social good. This created a subtle distinction between the literary and visual arts. There were no slave poets or dramatists. There were many slave potters, stonemasons, and gem engravers. Some of the latter turned out work of such a high quality it was absoulutely impossible to tell whether it was to be attributed to a slave or a free craftsman. Nevertheless, even men of genius, were looked upon as remarkable craftsmen, not to be classed with the great poets. The Greeks discussed the nature of poetic inspiration, but not about the painters or sculptors. Their skill was widely shared by slaves as well as free men. The difference was only by degree.

"only the tongue was inspired by the gods, never the hand."

The Greeks had no word for art or artist for they concived no single word could cover the range of the artist's creative activities.

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* Reylari Socrates, Feb 24, 2004 - 05:18

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A La Greque (* Kallistos Alexandros, Jan 18, 2006 - 16:30 )
The Beauty Of Hellas (* Kallistos Alexandros, Oct 1, 2004 - 18:19 )
HELLENIKE PAIDEIA (* Kallistos Alexandros, Sep 25, 2004 - 08:44 )
Tanaquil's Greek School (* Reylari Socrates, Sep 25, 2004 - 04:16 )
The Painted Portico... (* Reylari Socrates, Sep 14, 2004 - 20:38 )
Parallel Lives (* Reylari Socrates, Sep 6, 2004 - 09:51 )
Coming of Age in Ancient Greece (* Reylari Socrates, Apr 5, 2004 - 17:19 )
When in doubt use blue_ (* Reylari Socrates, Mar 22, 2004 - 19:42 )
The Poet Pindar (* Reylari Socrates, Feb 24, 2004 - 06:58 )


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