What type of Greek art style features free-standing sculptures and rigid forms?

The chosen answer is correct because the Archaic Style of Greek art, which flourished from around 800 to 480 BCE, is characterized by its distinctive treatment of the human figure in sculpture. In this period, artists began to move away from the abstract forms of earlier art styles and towards more naturalistic representations, but sculptures of this time still retained a certain rigidity and stylization.

Free-standing sculptures emerged during this time, often depicting youthful figures known as "kouroi" (male) and "korai" (female). These sculptures typically exhibit a frontal pose with one leg slightly advanced, arms held close to the body, and a smile-like expression known as the "Archaic smile." This style emphasizes symmetry, formality, and the beginning of more naturalistic features, although the figures still exhibit a somewhat stiff and formal stance compared to the more relaxed and dynamic poses of later periods, such as the Classical and Hellenistic styles.

The Archaic Style serves as a crucial development in the history of Greek art, marking the transition from the rigor of earlier geometric representations towards a more expressive and lifelike artistic expression in subsequent periods.