A Discussion on Rationalism of Ancient Greek Art and Its Influences in History

Abstract

Western civilisation originated in the age of ancient Greece. The general characteristics of western civilisation have ever suggested their original source from ancient Greek culture, in which, the idea “rationalism” has been viewed as the main property of cultural foundation. This very idea was not only showed upon the western ancient philosophy, the principles and the applications of modern science and technologies, but it also unfolded its ray in the region of western literature and arts. Particularly, the tendency of “rationalism” revealed itself in many periods of western art history. Under a brief historical review and the method of morphological research in visual form, this discussion tried to clarify the idea of “rationalism”, which embodied itself in many masterful works of different historical ages or presented its effects on such aesthetic standards as “imitation” and “ideal” in history. As the result, it will be exhibited clearly the historical evolution of this idea and its relationship with the development of western art and culture.