Greek painters used water-based colors to paint large murals or decorate vases. Potters formed vases freehand on the potter's wheel; when the vase was dry; it was polished, painted, and fired. .
Greek art & architecture was largely influenced by the Mesopotamians & Egyptians but the root of Greek art & architecture was the Aegean art. Their art was remarkable for the naturalistic pictorial style that originated in Minoan Crete. The movement and variety seen in Minoan art, even in its earlier abstract phases, suggest living things. From Crete, this style spread to the other Aegean islands and the Greek mainland, where it was modified by geometric tendencies. Among the earliest examples of sculpture from the Aegean are the highly schematic early Cycladic figures. Most of their sculptures took the form of statuettes and figurines in various materials. The Aegean artists excelled in the carving of ivory figurines to which secondary materials were added to enhance their effect. Stone sculpting was done on a large scale; however, it is best represented by the Mycenaean's, who embellished their architecture with reliefs. Then development of pottery was considered as a luxury art. Employing the same three-part firing technique which was later used by Greek potters, Aegean artists created splendid vases of numerous shapes and a seemingly endless variety of colorful decorations. In the later periods, the decoration included naturalistic motifs, such as floral forms and the well-known Marine style like dolphins, octopus, etc. Aegean pottery was imitated on the Greek mainland, where it gradually evolved in both shape and decoration into harsher, more disciplined forms. E.g. The vase of the Aegean civilization (c. 1600-1500 BC) may have been used for water; It is decorated with a stylized image of a dolphin, a motif that was used repeatedly in pottery and frescoes. The famous sculpture of this period was the Cycladian Idol dated from 3rd millennium BC made from island marble.