From the first time a Neanderthal man held a lump of clay aloft, contemplating what he could use it for, he likely posed the question: functional or decorative? Clay figures have been around for a very long time, and I believe their first use was for some idolatry. The forms of Greek Antiquity's figure sculptures were idealized and geometric rather than naturalistic. Figurative art is founded on a subconscious understanding of abstract shapes. This has been referred to as the " Egyptian method," in which there was a preference for what was already known rather than what was observed. This idealization eventually gave way to observation, and by 480 B.C., Classical sculpture had evolved into a figurative art that balanced idealized geometry with greater realism. The Greeks called this reliance on visual observation " mimesis. " This figurative art style, distinguished by attempts to reconcile these opposing principles, persisted until the time of the Impressionists.