Art

= = By Lilja Gudmundsdottir and Nila Chandra =Ancient Indian and Greek Art=

toc =Main Points=
 * Pottery, sculptures, and paintings were made from materials existing in the natural environment.
 * The art portrayed what was most valued in the culture of each of the two ancient civilizations.
 * The topics varied, with ancient Indians focusing on every day activities such as singing and dancing, while ancient Greeks portrayed more war activities with heroes and famous people getting most of the attention.
 * Both ancient civilizations made art to help in the worship of their gods and goddesses.

=Ancient India= Ancient Indian art is very marvelous because the ancient Indians used their resources cleverly. They use clay that is dug up from the ground instead of combining lots of chemicals together. Also, the ancient Indians used materials that were easy to find underground or in caves such as limestone and stones. Ancient Indian art is truly resourceful. The Ancient Indian art has three main categories: paintings, pottery, and sculptures. Each category has its own story. For example, pottery shows animals and plants and paintings showed stories of gods.

Pottery
In ancient India pottery was usually made out of terracotta. The ancient Indians painted the clay with black paint, which is made out of pure clay, to decorate it. When the ancient Indians fired the clay, it caused the clay to turn from brown to red. The ancient Indians would usually paint pictures of animals, plants, hunting or geometrical images on the pottery.

Paintings
The Ancient Indians painted using terracotta on the canvas. The paintings were very detailed and they often told stories about gods. The first Indian paintings started back in the time of the cave men, and were simply painted on the walls of the caves. This idea soon got converted onto canvases, which allowed the paintings to last longer. These paintings are treasured by Indians today because of their connection to ancient Indian culture.

Sculptures
The ancient Indians used a wide range of materials for their sculptures, such as silver, gold, wood, stone, bronze, clay, ivory, and limestone. There are also topics such as Gods, Goddesses, and people dancing and feasting. These sculptures were made so that people could worship the Gods and Goddesses without having to go to the temple. = = =Ancient Greece= There are many different types of ancient Greek art including pottery, paintings, and sculptures. They were used for many different purposes and they portrayed many different images.

Pottery
In ancient Greece the Greeks started putting paintings on the pottery in the late bronze age. On the pottery they painted pictures of war, gods, people driving chariots, or imaginary animals from Western Asian art. Usually the designs were painted in black on red clay. This pottery is especially good because it is easy to peice back together if it breaks. Ancient Greek pottery is made out of clay that is dug from the ground that turns red and hard after it is heated.

Paintings
Anceint Greeks made lots of beautiful paintings that had meanings just like the Indian paintings. Ancient Greek paintings usually tell a story of some sort. Most of the time, they tell stories about myths and legends. The earliest paintings were from the Minoan culture on the island of Crete. The paint they used on the canvas was made from wax.



Sculptures
The ancient Greeks also made sculptures that were somewhat different yet similar to ancient Indian sculptures. One part of an ancient Greek sculpture is the materials used. Some of the most common ones are limestone, marble, gold, wood, clay, and silver. Another part of a Greek sculpture is the topic. The usual topics are famous leaders, heros from myths, and gods. The last part is why the sculptures were made and what meaning they have. They were made to worship the twelve gods and goddesses and to recognize and remember famous leaders and heros both real and mythical.

=Similarities and Differences=


 * <  ||= **Ancient Greek** ||= **Ancient Indian** ||
 * < **Pottery Material** ||=  ||=   ||
 * Red clay ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Black paint ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * **Sculpture Material** ||=  ||=   ||
 * Limestone ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Gold ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Wood ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Silver ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Clay ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Ivory ||= No ||= Yes ||
 * Stone ||= No ||= Yes ||
 * Bronze ||= No ||= Yes ||
 * Marble ||= Yes ||= No ||
 * < **Topic** ||=  ||=   ||
 * Gods/Goddesses ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * Cultural Aspects ||= Yes ||= Yes ||
 * People Dancing ||= No ||= Yes ||
 * Heroes and Famous People ||= Yes ||= No ||

=Bibliography=

Website:

"Art in Ancient India." __Cultural India__. 04 May 2011. .

"Ancient Greek Art." __Kidepede__. 24 Mar. 2011. 04 May 2011. .

"Ancient Indian Art." __Facts About India__. 18 Jan. 2011. 04 May 2011. 

"Greek Art." __Ancient-Greece.org__. 04 May 2011. 

"Indian Art." __Kidipede__. 03 Mar. 2011. 04 May 2011. 

"Traditional Woodcraft in India." __India Heritage__. 2005. 04 May 2011. 

Books:

Birch, Jane, and Teresa Chris, et. al. //The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004, p.90-91.

Howitt, Carolyn. //500 Things to Know about the Ancient World//. London: The British Museum Co., 2007.

Images:

"Bronze Sculptures." __Crafts in India__. 16 May 2011. .

"White House honors woman who resurrected ancient Indian art form." __Mantaka American Indian Council__. 16 May 2011. .

"Zues Plaque." __Ancient Sculpture Gallery__. 04 May 2011. .