Late Classical

Refers to the last phase of the Classical period and style, from around 400 BCE to around 330 BCE. It was initiated by the end of the Pelopponesian War and ended after the Greek states lost their independence to Philip of Macedon. It is characterized by a movement away from the perfect, ideal canons of style to a greater focus on the depiction of individual human beings and the real world, and by a diversity and inventiveness among various artists. Notable innovations in sculpture include the depiction of female goddesses in the nude, figures that are less austere and more sensuous, poses and gestures that thrust out of the confined boundaries of the ideal Classical pose, and body proportions that are more slender than in High Classical art.