The Amazing True Colors of Ancient Greece

During the Classical period of ancient Greece (around 5th century BCE), colors played a significant role in various aspects of life, including art, clothing, and architecture. Contrary to the popular modern conception of Greek statues and temples as pristine white marble, many were originally painted in vibrant colors.

1. **Polychromy**: This term refers to the art of painting in several colors, especially as applied to ancient pottery or sculpture. There's evidence that many of the white marble statues and temples we see today were once adorned with colorful paints.

2. **Colors Used**: Through various methods such as pigment analysis, researchers have identified several pigments used by ancient Greeks, including:
- **Blues and greens**: Obtained from azurite and malachite.
- **Reds and yellows**: Made from ochres and oxides.
- **Black**: Typically from burned bone or charcoal.
- **White**: From lead or chalk.

3. **Statues**: They were not just painted in flat colors. Rather, the paintwork on statues was detailed, with shaded effects, intricate patterns, and lifelike colorations. Clothes, hair, eyes, lips, jewelry – every detail could be painted.

4. **Temples**: Architectural sculptures and elements like metopes, friezes, and pediments on temples were also brightly painted. This added a dimension of vivacity and richness to these structures.

5. **Discovery and Evidence**: The idea of polychromy in ancient Greece isn't just speculation. Traces of paint have been found on ancient sculptures and buildings. Ultraviolet light and other specialized tools have allowed researchers to identify places where paint remains or where it once was.

**Why the Misconception?**

The perception of white marble as the standard for Classical Greek art largely began during the Renaissance. As Europeans rediscovered Greek and Roman art, they found statues and buildings that had been stripped of their paint over time. The idealized white form became synonymous with classical purity and was thus admired and emulated in neoclassical art and architecture.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, when many museums were founded and collecting antiquities, the aesthetic of the time was still very much in favor of the pure white statue. Sometimes, if a statue still had traces of color, it was even cleaned off to match this ideal.

In recent years, the understanding and appreciation of the polychromy of ancient Greek (and Roman) art have grown. Reconstructions and research projects have aimed to show the public just how colorful and vibrant these pieces would have looked in their prime.

[SK-ltso]

This reminds me of how many of the cathedrals of Europe degraded over time.
As they became dark and gloomy, people assumed they were designed this way.
Once people started to "clean them up", they realized they were bright, colorful places.

[abdullah.a.nahyan]

Upon learning that those elegant Greek and Roman statues were actually rocking a vibrant color palette, Renaissance artists would likely have thrown their sculpting tools in the air and exclaimed, "Our entire life was wrong."

[williamogilvie]

A cousin of mine lived in a fraternity during his years at university. In January each year all the fraternities in that part of town would create ice sculptures, as part of the Winter carnival. One year my cousin and his friends made ice sculptures after the classical style, like some shown in this video; in all cases dispensing with clothing. They even went so far as to color them with food dyes. This created quite a stir.

[carlinglin]

Fascinating. I think I've read occasionally that statues were painted, but this really demonstrates what it looked like. Thank you.

[krimokrimov]

Even historical films, many of them fall into the same error, they depict the cities of ancient times without any colors, while they were full of colors from Egypt to Mesopotamia to Greece to the Romans

[flamencoprof]

In 1996 in the British Museum exhibit of the Elgin Marbles, I asked an attendant about the colouration. I was taken to a side room where he showed me smaller fragments on which the pigments could still be seen. IDK why, but I specifically remember blue.
On the way to Europe I had already seen extant Hindu temples in Singapore with tiers of brightly coloured statues climbing to the heavens.

[mikeifyouplease]

The marble statues are so beautiful and intricately made. Why to "modern colorists" slap on a thick flat coat of paint, and think that that the Ancient Greeks would not have put as much skill in painting their statues with shades and various hues of color to match the beauty of the statues upon which they were placing the paint?

[necronomitom]

I have a hard time believing the people capable of carving such high quality statues would paint them with such little skill as these museums seem to always show.

[jamuherbal]

Video good beautiful my friend good evening my friend 👍👍👍👍 4:37

[chiptenor]

I'm an artist (fine art and decorative painter) who also loves history, particularly antiquity. Thus, I loved your video. Very informative and picturesque. Thanks.

[gwenbernecker]

I really enjoyed seeing all the bits of polychrome paint adorning so many statues in the Acropolis museum. The color must have been stunning.

[perlefisker]

It's interesting how the colouring of the marbles makes them appear rather camp and 'cheap' - and likewise interesting how the 'pure white' marble makes the details stand out much better and its shadows emphasizing the 'softness' of skin.

[momogato]

Even as a child, I refused to believe that these gifted artists would do everything monochromatic, when other Hellenic works of art, such as vases, urns, frescoes and mosaics were vibrant in coloring.

[keboonplumeria]

It is really mesmerising. Love Greece ❤

[cafedutempsperdu]

Good day. It's very interesting video-clip. Thank you very much. Good luck!

[bwalker]

What I would give for a time machine that let me visit Ancient Greece at its peak...

[mikeifyouplease]

By-the-way, just to add...I have seen only one Ancient Greek stature that was repainted so well and so exquisitely, that the statue completely superseded its previously
white marble base appearance. The statue came alive with the skin tones of the woman's arms showing through the translucent sleeves. It took my breath away!
THAT'S probably CLOSER to what the Ancient Greeks saw! People in today's world should feel cheated!

[simonwaldock]

Thank you, a fascinating glimpse into a vanished world.

[kimberlyperrotis]

The Ancient Romans stripped most of the fine bronze statues from the Greek world, made inferior marble copies, then melted the bronze originals down for the value of the crude metal. What Philistines they were! They adored and emulated everything Greek, but destroyed the inherent quality of these fine works of art. It’s like the current practice of copying older, beautiful, high-quality clothing in cheap plastic (polyester) look-alikes. Or copying fine jewelry into base metals. When the inherent quality of a material is destroyed, the art loses not only its intrinsic value, but much of its artistic value, too. One can always tell a Roman copy of a Greek bronze by the addition if those clumsy tree stumps, etc. Well-made bronze statues were self-supporting, they didn’t require those awkward devices.

[Wanamaker]

It would’ve been thoughtful if you had given the PMA Philadelphia Museum of Art its due credit for the completed pediment and the sculptors name….don’t you think?