<P> Hermes, possibly by Lysippos, National Archaeological Museum, Athens </P> <P> The transition from the Classical to the Hellenistic period occurred during the 4th century BC . Following the conquests of Alexander the Great (336 BC to 323 BC), Greek culture spread as far as India, as revealed by the excavations of Ai - Khanoum in eastern Afghanistan, and the civilization of the Greco - Bactrians and the Indo - Greeks . Greco - Buddhist art represented a syncretism between Greek art and the visual expression of Buddhism . Thus Greek art became more diverse and more influenced by the cultures of the peoples drawn into the Greek orbit . In the view of some art historians, it also declined in quality and originality; this, however, is a judgement which artists and art - lovers of the time would not have shared . Indeed, many sculptures previously considered as classical masterpieces are now recognised as being Hellenistic . The technical ability of Hellenistic sculptors is clearly in evidence in such major works as the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Pergamon Altar . New centres of Greek culture, particularly in sculpture, developed in Alexandria, Antioch, Pergamum, and other cities, where the new monarchies were lavish patrons . By the 2nd century the rising power of Rome had also absorbed much of the Greek tradition--and an increasing proportion of its products as well . </P> <P> During this period sculpture became more naturalistic, and also expressive; the interest in depicting extremes of emotion being sometimes pushed to extremes . Genre subjects of common people, women, children, animals and domestic scenes became acceptable subjects for sculpture, which was commissioned by wealthy families for the adornment of their homes and gardens; the Boy with Thorn is an example . Realistic portraits of men and women of all ages were produced, and sculptors no longer felt obliged to depict people as ideals of beauty or physical perfection . The world of Dionysus, a pastoral idyll populated by satyrs, maenads, nymphs and Sileni, had been often depicted in earlier vase painting and figurines, but rarely in full - size sculpture . Now such works were made, surviving in copies including the Barberini Faun, the Belvedere Torso, and the Resting Satyr; the Furietti Centaurs and Sleeping Hermaphroditus reflect related themes . At the same time, the new Hellenistic cities springing up all over Egypt, Syria, and Anatolia required statues depicting the gods and heroes of Greece for their temples and public places . This made sculpture, like pottery, an industry, with the consequent standardisation and some lowering of quality . For these reasons many more Hellenistic statues have survived than is the case with the Classical period . </P> <P> Some of the best known Hellenistic sculptures are the Winged Victory of Samothrace (2nd or 1st century BC), the statue of Aphrodite from the island of Melos known as the Venus de Milo (mid-2nd century BC), the Dying Gaul (about 230 BC), and the monumental group Laocoön and His Sons (late 1st century BC). All these statues depict Classical themes, but their treatment is far more sensuous and emotional than the austere taste of the Classical period would have allowed or its technical skills permitted . </P>

What figure popularized the taste for the austere works of ancient greece