But from the end of the 5th century onwards, a new trend towards realism in portraiture gained momentum. More and more emphasis was laid on features of physiognomy and psychography. There had already been painted portraits - by Polygnotus and by Dionysius from Colophon. The first Athenian sculptor to put their principles to use was Demetrius from Alopece, nicknamed "anthropopoios" ("maker of human beings"). Demetrius' best-known work was a portrait of Socrates. Other portrait sculptors of the time included Pauson, of whom Aristotle wrote that "he sculpted human beings worse than they really were"; Polyeuctus, who made a statue of Demosthenes; and Silanion, who is credited with busts of Corinna and Plato. In about 340 B.C.,in the archonship of Lycurgus, statues of the three great tragic poets were set up. Unfortunately we do not know who sculpted these.

The finest of the portraits by famous sculptors are Leochares' ones of Isocrates and Sophocles, and Lysippus' ones of Aesop and Socrates. These two sculptors and their colleague Euphranor also did many portraits of Alexander the Great and other Macedonian notables.