The subject matter in ancient Greek music was often the Greek gods of antiquity but the instruments used, like the lyre, kithara, pan pipes and hydraulis, are very similar to the ones used now. The kithara has developed into a guitar, the hydraulis into an organ and piano, while the pan pipes and lyre are still produced in much the same way. Unlike other European countries, Greek music rarely incorporates the English language and has scant regard for modern pop culture. Themes are typically traditional, concerning subjects like love, loss, friendship, loyalty and tragedy. A cultural cornerstone, Greek music is a large part of modern Hellenistic life, reflected by the effervescent popularity for Greek dancing and folk music. Modern Greek singers include Maria Callas and Nana Mouskouri, two of the most popular musicians of the 20th century.
Usually associated with ancient Greece, theater also plays a large part in Greece's modern cultural environment. Contemporary programs are often reproductions of classical material, of which Greece has a large abundance. From the original Dionysia festival, established several centuries B.C., to the later Hellenistic period, the catalog of Greek theater includes works from Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Menanda, Thespis and Aphareus. Tragedy is the theme most commonly linked with Greek theater, although comedy is also an integral, if less well known, part of its make-up.
Greek art, including that produced during the Byzantine and Ottoman eras, is an important part of Greek society. Classical Greek artistic methods were adapted in the Byzantine era and then slowly lost during the Ottoman Empire. That classical Greek art should still have such relevance today, despite Greece's turbulent history, is the reason it is a source of pride for Greek people. Modern Greek art is not considered as important or as influential, although it does still have a famous name associated with it. Theodoros Stamos, a member of the Greek diaspora, was an abstract expressionist painter like Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. Many of his works are on display in the National Greek Art Gallery in Athens.
A relatively unsuccessful scene compared to other European countries, Greek cinema nevertheless has produced some notable classics. "Stella," produced in 1955 by Mihalis Kakogiannis, is considered the best Greek film, although its popularity with modern audiences has waned. The most successful modern Greek productions are "Eternity and a Day" from 1998, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and "Ulysses' Gaze," which also won an award at Cannes.
The most famous museum in Greece is the Acropolis. Not to be mistaken for the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Acropolis of Athens, which is very close by, the Acropolis museum is an independent archaeological museum, founded in 2008. In Crete, a Greek island, there is a renowned collection of Minoan art in the Heraklion Museum. Perhaps the most famous site in ancient Greece, Delphi, home of the notorious oracle, is where the Delphi museum is based. Also an archaeological museum, it has a plethora of artifacts from ancient Greece.