Various topics have been discussed about ancient religions, cultures, and leaders. This essay will compare arts of ancient India and Greece. It will differentiate the ways the gods and the people were portrayed in the art work of both cultures. Additionally, it will recognize the cultural principles and ethics that these arts show in both cultures. Finally, it will put forward a recent instance that goes or does not go against the cultural values.

Evaluating the ways the gods and the people were portrayed in the images of both cultures using various examples.

There are some differences and similarities in the art work of the Indian and Greek culture. Although Indians and Greeks live far away from each other, they depict the same topic of the gods, animals, and myths. In sculptures, Greece used stones while India uses other materials like gold. The paintings made by India and Greek are somehow similar in design, but the architecture was different. However, the major difference between the ancient Greek and Indian sculptures is in the way their gods are depicted. For instance, the Greek culture has a god for every activity like war, agriculture, water, and earth among others. The images of the gods in the Greek society are sculpted like they are regular human beings. The pictures of the gods in Greek resembled the humans with arms, legs and one head (Lapatin, & Paul Getty Museum, 2015). The sculptures depicted human form because the Greeks mythology believed that various gods were walking among the ordinary people and that is why some of their gods are mainly half god and half mortal.

The cultural values and ideals that these art works reflect in both cultures

Art in the Indian culture has always been an important part of India. For instance, the Indian mask art portrays the various moods embossed on the people's faces when we get emotional. This art was used for ritualistic purposes or in dances like a martial dance. The paintings of their gods and those containing religious influences convey the message and preaching of their religion and cultural values. The Mughal miniature painting is a unique blend of Indian art which reached its pinnacle. The art of Mughal miniature paintings reflects the day to day life and its cultural value of a Mughal emperor in the Indian culture (Singh, 2011).

The art is known well for its values of simplicity and its possession of a unique aesthetic nature. It is after the decline of Mughal in north India the painting style was adopted by Rajputs. Rajputs worship nature, and therefore the painting has the theme of nature hence making the art to reflect deserts, sunset, and wildlife. The sculptures, the paintings, and the art have always acted as a medium to preach teachings and lessons to masses in the Indian culture. Additionally, the sculptures in the Hindu temple dedicated to the glory of deity reflect the four cultural values of life on earth. The four goals include wealth, sexual love, righteous living and spiritual salvation (Varadpande, 2006). Also the temple walls in the Indian culture feature images of women and a loving couple called Mithunas which reflects cultural values like abundance, prosperity, and growth.

In the Greek culture, the men within the society hold their head high, and they are competitive and assertive. This is portrayed in sculptures of the gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Aries according to how they are shown in the arts and how they are in the Greek mythology. In comparison to the women in the Greek society, they are considered the polar opposite. The women in Greek are said to be modest and humble. This is depicted in the cultural mythology stories and some statues of their gods like Artemis and Demeter Hera (Lapatin, & Paul Getty Museum, 2015).

The sculptures of the gods in the Greek culture provide cultural values like courage and humility. The art in the Greek culture reflects the human qualities because the gods are powerful, sneaky, jealous and lustful. In contrast with the Indian sculptures of the gods that provided and helped and engendered a literary tradition, the sculptures, and art in Greek provide stories to reflect cultural values like passion and vulnerability

Recent situation of artistic expression and the ways it portrays cultural values

A status of artistic expression that counters cultural values is the Isis attacks that have been going on in the United States. Isis is an Islamic religion which originally was an al-Qaida group in Iraq. The reason why I say it is the prevailing situation that does counter cultural values is how they do things they do in the name of Allah. Within the areas they control, they have created a reign of terror. They have as well established slavery and rape.

Besides they have performed genocide and ethnic cleansing of Christians in the territories they control. This situation is countering the prevailing values of the Islamic culture within the