March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Chapter 5:
Greece-
Part One:
Geometric / Archaic Vase Painting
Code =
GFA
J
G
H
Groenewegen -Frankfort
Janson
Gardner
Hartt
Art of the Ancient World.)
Partly due to the survival of pottery
Pottery serves as no other artistic medium can,
to link the very late Mycenaean
(sub Mycenaean) period
with that of historical Greece
Can trace a continuity from Sub-Mycenean period to
the classical 5th c BC
entirely in terms of figurative decoration
of Greek ceramic ware
which shows artists confrontation
with radically new ideas and problems
and some equally radical interpretations
and solutions
241-1-07G1-8
Well scene at
Lascaux
G4-28
Vaphio Cups
c 1500 BC
In past have seen numerous examples of how
humans are represented
Well scene at Lascaux - falling stick figures
Vaphio Cups - agile Minoans
Kamares
c 1800 BC
Minoan
Now we can study
evolving human form
not based on convention
but on
carefully accumulated increments of knowledge
In Greece
these changes were formed into a
tradition of technical procedure that did not
backslide
as happened in Egypt after death of Akhenaton.
c 1100 - 700 BC
formative phase of
Greek history
c 800 - emerge
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
In Archaic vase panting,
the human figure became the
subject of intense analytical study
for the first time.
As the Greek philosopher
questioned human nature and purpose,
the Greek artist began to inquire
how humans look
in the world of optical experience.
The conceptual way of
placing the figure and enumerating its features
was replaced by a methods of
painstaking observation of pose
and notion of the body in life.
HUMAN FIGURE = PRINCIPAL MOTIF
in Greek art
Proto-Geometric
1000 - 900 BC
Geometric
900 - 700 BC
Archaic
700 - 480 BC
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
3
Proto - Geometric
Extra
15728
Chariot Scene
Late Mycenaean
1358 BC
from Cyprus,
MetMus, NYC
X6-5
Proto Geometric
Lekythos
GFA175
G5-1
Proto-Geometric
amphora, from
the Dipylon
cemetery, 10th c
BC. Apx 16 1/2"
high. Keramikos
Museum, Athens.
Proto- geometric pottery fromthe 10th c BC
(GFA 175)
probably still echoes late Mycenean vases
in shape and decoration.
Amphora
Two handled jar for wine or oil
Borrows the decorative devices
of earlier Sub-Mycenaean style
Neater and more painstaking execution
New Motif= concentric circles
(using compass)
Concentric circles
contrast the casual brushstrokes
on the shoulder of the vessel
28214
Geese
ca 725 BC
Athens
At first
pottery decorated only w/ abstract designs
Amphora
2 handled jar for wine
and oil or othe
provisions such as corn
and honey
means "two carry on
both sides"
With an opening large
enough to admit a ladle
and usually fitted with a
cover.
Lekythos
oil flask with long
narrow neck adapted
for pouring oil slowly
used cheifly in funeral
rites.
Oenochoe
eh-NUK-oh-ee
from Greek "to pour out
wine",
a wine jug, the lip
pinched into
Krater
With development of Geometric style,
Minoan stock of curvilinear forms
was gradually replaced by rectilinear shapes
organized in tight bands
to cover most of the vessel surface
March
08
G4-16
The Octopus Jar
from Phlaikastro,
c 1500 BC
Amphora
apx 11" high
ArchMus,
Herakleion
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
--- stil --G5-1
Proto-Geometric
amphora, from
the Dipylon
cemetery, 10th c
BC. Apx 16 1/2"
high. Keramikos
Museum, Athens.
Illustrate the change from Minoan to Greek
Geometric by showing how the tentacles of
Minoan Octopus Vase disolve into wavy lines
in a Proto-Geometric vase.
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Geometric Period
900 - 700 BC
5
9th - 8th c BC
Homer's Illiad and Odyssey were
written at this time
c 750 BC
G5-2
Dipylon Vase
Geometric Amphora
61" high
mid 8th c BC
X6-6
Early Geometric
Vase
Known only by painted pottery
and small scale sculpture
At first decorated only with abstract designs,
triangles
circles
concentric circles
later human and animal figures
appear in geometric framework
Geometric
900- 700 BC
Monumneal
architecture and
sculpture did not
appear until the 7th c
BC
March
08
G5-2
Dipylon Vase
(Geometric
amphora),
from the Dipylon
cemetery, 8th c BC,
apx 61" high.
NatArchMus, Athens
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Dipylon Vase
Grave monument
Bottom has holes through which liquid
offerings could filter down to dead below
This vase=
Key moment in Greek Art
1. reintroduction of human figure
2. and figures used as a vehicle for pictorial
narrative.
Amphora
2 handled jar for wine
and oil or othe
provisions such as corn
and honey
means "two carry on
both sides"
With an opening large
enough to admit a ladle
and usually fitted with a
cover
New forms of warriors and horses
abstract geometry of dipylon vases.
Figures hardly more than symbols made of
diamond and wedge shapes
These "figure symbols" fit the severe, regular,
geometric characteristics of the banded
decoration.
Panel on shoulder of the vessel-
= funeral scene,
mourners attending the deceased
(laid out on a bier)
name from the cemetery near Athens where
found
Geometric
900- 700 BC
9th - 8th c BC
funerary vase which was set up over a grave
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
HIGH artistc quality
bands enlarge as you go up to figurative panel
Above the figurative panel they gradually
decrease in size
Repeated sequence on neck
If major problem of painter is to adjust design to
the shape of the vessel then this is a high
point
Design bands
closely bound to the shape of the vessel
which seems to not only contain
but also compress the form.
G4-19
The Harvester
Vase
from Hagia
Triada,
c 1500 BC
Steatite, apx 5"
wide
ArchMus,
Herakleion
Minoan
G5-3
J156
Geometric krater,
from the Dipylon
cemetery, 8th c BC
apx 40 1/2" high,
Met, NYC
Compare the Dipylon Krater to
the Minoan Harvester's Vase
Dipylon Vase
rigid formality and schematization
Harvester's Vase.
freer, more naturalistic and lively forms
Harvester's Vase
Minoan
Krater
(from the Greek "to
mix", a bowl for mixing
wine and water, the
usual beverage of the
Greeks.
7
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08
X6-9
detail of
G5-3
Geometric krater,
from the Dipylon
cemetery, 8th c BC
apx 40 1/2" high,
Met, NYC
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
J156
G5-3
Geometric krater,
from the Dipylon
cemetery, 8th c BC
apx 40 1/2" high,
Met, NYC
Geometric krater,
G5-3
Grave monument
bottom has holes through which liquid
offerings could filter to dead belowKrater
has larger body and wider mouth than the
amphora
Deceased lying in state
flanked by figures - arms raised in gesture of
mourning
8
Krater has larger body
and wider mouth than
the amphora
Krater
from the Greek
"to mix",
a bowl for mixing wine
ans water, the usual
beverage of the Greeks
Poss same date or later than Dipylon vase G5-2
Compared to amphora- loss of refinement
geometric ornament becomes secondary.
fascination with figure
overwhelms geometric pattern
same order & restraint dominate design
Regimented figures = incapable of escaping
from the two bands in which they placed.
Subject = funerary procession,
with horese drawn chariots
carrying warriors with sheilds
Old conventions:
Both chariot wheels shown
all horse legs shown
warriors stand behind front view shields
Spacing of bands = width and density = subtle
relationship to vessel
lozenges = legs of man and chairs
No reference to afterlife
purely commerative
Realm of dead = colorless, ill defined region
where souls ("shades") led feeble & passive
existence w/o making demands on living
Greeks - marked & tended graves, pour libations
over them
in spirit of remembrance,
rather than satisfy needs of the dead.
Greeks did not adopt elaborate burial customs of
MYCENAE
Figures are
ornament
part of all over
texture
Figure size relates to
area being filled
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
9
March
J157
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
J144
Octopus Vase
Shipwreck
J157
Drawing after a Geometric vase
in the Museum at Ischia
8th c BC
Contrast with Minoan view of Marine life
Not simply a pattern/ design
boat upside down
biggest fish has seized head of 1 of the men
Swasttikas
ornamentalizzed starfish
or abstract space fillers
rigid order dissolving
repres and narrative dmeand greater scope than
the style of Geo vase ptg can provide
10
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
While Homeric themes were collected in the
Great epics of the Geometric period.
Geometric
900-700 BC
Geometric pottery found in
Greece
Italy
Near East
X1A - 39
Phoenician Alphabet
Greek traders well estabilish throughout eastern
Meditterean in 8th c BC
Homeric epics
c 750 BC
Orientalizing
c 735-650 BC
Archaic
700-480 BC
Had already adopted Phoenician alphabet and
reshaped it for Greek
inscriptions on vasess
The Orientalizing
marks their diffusion and
acheivement of the universal popularity
in Greece.
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X6-17
Odysseus Blinding
Polyphemus and
Gorgons
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
G5-4
J158
Odysseus Blinding
Polyphemus and
Gorgons
Orientalizing Period
c 735 - 650 BC
Period of experimentation and transition
"Eleusis" Amphora
"Eleusis" Amphora
Proto- Attic
Amphora.
c 675-650 BC
height 56"
Proto- Attic
Amphora.
c 675-650 BC
height 56"
Geometric Period succeeded by the
Orientalizing phase of the Archaic period
Time of marked commercial
and colonial expansion that
= Greeks in closer contact w/Near Eastern civs
(Egypt and Near EasT)
Geometric
so Oriental animals &composite monsters
on Greek vases
900-700 BC
Motifs familiar to us from Mesopatamia and Egypt
= lions, sphinxes , griffins, and centaurs.
Fighting animals
winged monsters
combat scenes
c 750 BC
Homeric epics
Orientalizing
c 735-650 BC
Archaic
700-480 BC
Reached Greece mainly via imports of
ivory carvings
from
& metalwork
Phoenicia
or Syria
Reflect Egypt or Meso infl
these imports found on Greek soil
Fantastic forms come in from the Orient during the
Orientalizing period.
12
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X6-17
Odysseus Blinding
Polyphemus and
Gorgons
"Eleusis" Amphora
Proto- Attic Amphora.
c 675-650 BC
height 56"
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
G5-4
J156
The Blinding of
Polyphemus and
Gorgons (proto-Attic
amphora), from
Eleusis, c 675 - 650
BC.,apx 56" high
Archeological
Museum, Eleusis
Orientalized
Geometric
900-700 BC
Homeric epics
c 750 BC
Orientalizing
c 735-650 BC
Archaic
700-480 BC
Vase of Eleusis
The Blinding of Polyphemus and Gorgons
13
this vase =
Proto Attic
Typical of Orientalizing Period
= complete &radical break w/orderly Geometric
Figurative decoration
occupies most of the vessel
Loose arrangement of motifs , almost casual,
shapes mostly curivilinear
Almost intentionally throwing off
Geometric strait jacket
in order to focus on
the representation of narrative scenes
-- some from Homeric legends
The gorgons on the Blinding of Polyphemus
(5-4)
show both the fantastic creatures and
the new, free painting style.
Human figures
are derivative of Geometric period
but more rounded, filled out, active,
and cover the largest area of the vessel
spirals
interlacing bands
palmettos
rosettes
Figures+
partly as silhouettes
partly as outlines
Interest in articulation of
body beyond limitations
of Geometric style.
Shoulder=
freize of fighting
animals dervied from
repetory of Near
Eastern Art
Ornament retreats to smaller areas
in the neck, shoulder, handles, lip and base
Major areas= NARRATIVE dominant element
Two myths portrayed:
1. Main scene on body
= Gorgons pursuing Perseus
after he had beheaded Medusa
2. Neck =
= Ulysses is blinding the
one eyed giant Polyphemus
Oriental lions/
Monstrors=
Appeal to Greek
imagination
Embodied forces of life
faced by hero
Gorgons= sisters of
snake haired Medusa
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Greek Myths/ Legends
Result of mixing local Doric & Ionic Deities/
Heroes into pantheon of Olympian Gods/
Homeric Sagas
Repres comprehensive attempt to understand the
world
Internal meaning of events in terms of fate &
human character rather than history
Little interest in history before 500BC
Focus on explaingin why legendary heroes fo
past seemed comparatively greater than men
of the presenet
some= HISTORICAL
HERAKLEZS= King of Mycenaen TIRYNS
All = descendents of gods
often human behavior
children w/ mortals
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
By the Geometric period, in the 8th c BC,
there were several flourishing centers of pottery
production.
X6-10
Map of Greece
Divided into two groups:
1. Mainland
2, Eastern Greece (East of Mainland)
The most important were
Athens = Attica (Attic)
Corinth = Peloponnessos (Corinthian )
GFA177
c. 700 BC,
GFA178
c. 700 BC,
J159
Proto- Corinthian
Perfuem Vase
c 650 BC
height 2 "
Musee du Louvre,
Paris
Corinthian ware (c. 700 BC, GFA fig 177 and 178)
of the period is characterized
by small size and high quality
Proto- Corinthian
Perfume Vase
Spirited animal motifs
Particulary close links with Near East
Perfume vases- some moulded in shape of animals
Owl = animated in pose & expression
After 550 BC
Athens became the principal ceramic center
and the largest exporter of vases
in the Meditteranean
Gardner only deals with Athenian
Proto-Attic
Eleusis Amphora
Proto-Corinthian
perfume vase
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
16
Basic shapes of vessels
G5-5
basic Greek vase
shapes
6 or 7 basic shapes,-(each have 4 - 5 variations)
developed out of specfic usuages
(entirely functional)
Hydria
hydria (water jar),
HIGH-dree-a
Hydria
(from the Greek for
"water"), a water jar
with three handles, two
for lifting and one for
carrying
Lekythos
lekythos (oil flask),
L
an oil flask with a long,
narrow neck adapted
for pouring oil slowly,
used cheifly in funerary
rites
A38
Greek,
Athenian Vase with
geometric design,
9th - 8th c BC
X6-29
Hc14c2
Euphronios Vase
krater (for mixing wine and water),
Krater
KRAY-ter
Krater
X6-112
Geometric Amphora
mid 8th c BC
Lekythos
amphora (storage vessel),
a
means "two carry on both sides"
(from the Greek "to
mix", a bowl for mixing
wine and water, the
usual beverage of the
Greeks.
Amphora
2 handled jar for wine &
oil or othe provisions
such as corn and honey
With an opening large enough to admit a ladle and
usually fitted with a cover
gr2-6
Exekias
Dionysus in Sailboat
c 550-525 BC
Kylix
Oenochoe
kylix (drinking cup), and KYE-liks
Kylix(from the Greek "to
roll", referring to th vase
being turned on the
potters wheel, cheif
form of the drinking cup
oenochoe (pitcher).
eh-NUK-oh-ee
Oenochoe
(from the Greek "to
pour out wine"), a wine
jug, the lip pinched into
March
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
As narrative vase painting developed,
it drew its subject matter
increasingly from Greek myths and legends,
emphasizing the role of fate
and of human or superhuman powers
rather than recording history.
A fascination with demonic powers, often
exemplified by exotic monsters, can be seen in the
images of sphinxes (GFA 199, 200, CP 22), which
began to appear on Athenian vases shortly before
700 BC.
GFA133-GFA134
GFA135
This fascination with the horrific was incorporated
into epic scenes which were inspired by Oriental
art. (compare GFA133-GFA135)
Certain tales became prototypical, such as the
Combat Between Herakles and Nessos (c 680 BC,
GFA 209), the centaur who tried to assault the
hero's wife Deianeira after carrying her across a
river..
Extra
17
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GFA210
early 7th c BC,
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
GFA211
c 675-650 BC,
Corinthian vase painters also adapted their abstract
style (early 7th c BC, GFA210) to oriental motifs,
investing them initially with bold form and taut
energy (c 675-650 BC, GFA211), .
541H
substitute Early
Corinthian
amphora, 7th c
BC
______________
_
GFA241
c 625 BC,
(GFA212)
before settling primarily on finely executed but more
static scenes with grazing animals derived from
Eastern metal vases (c 625 BC, GFA241)
Corinthian pots with human figures, while not
numerous, were important contributions to
narrative art, and probably reflect a major school
of monumental painting which is known from
documents to have been active in the city.
18
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X6-12
MAXIMILLAN
PAINTER
Chigi Vase (c 640
BC, GFA213,
GFA214, GFA215,
CP24)
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Geometric
---------------------
27107
MAXIMILLAN
PAINTER"Hare Hunt'
Chigi Vase;
Detial , Corinthian
Oenochee,
c. 650 BC, Rome,
di Givlia
c 640 BC,
MACMILLAN PAINTER
900-700 BC
Chigi Vase
(c 640 BC, GFA213, GFA214, GFA215, CP24)
Homeric epics
pioneered pictorial techniques
that were far in advance of his time,
including the use of outline drawing,
incised details,
and an overlapping of elements
which suggests spatial depth (CP24).
The main scene depicts
the Lion Hunt on Mount Ida (GFA214),
which occurred at the same time
as the Judgment of Paris,
the event that led to the Trojan War.
c 750 BC
Orientalizing
c 735-650 BC
Archaic
700-480 BC
oenochee
eh-NUK-oh-ee
19
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
20
Archaic Vase Painting
Orientalizing phase represents a complete and
radical break with the orderly
stable
Geometric.
consistent
Geometric
900-700 BC
Homeric epics
c 750 BC
The figurative decoration occupies most of the vessel, Orientalizing
arrangement of motifs is loose, shapes mostly
c 735-650 BC
curvilinear.
3/4 8th c - 2/4 7th c BC
Archaic= emergesd
upon assimilation of Eastern influences
of Oriental phase.
As well defined as Geometric
infinitely greater range than Geometric
Unfolding of artistic genius of Greece
not only in vases but in monumental
architecture and sculpture
Archaic lacks balance,
sense of perfection of Classical of later 5th c BC
but has freshness
that gives strong appeal for us.
Unlike architecture
no break in tradition from Geo-- Archaic
Decorated pattery
= value as archaelologists tool
rarely enters mainstream of history of art
Archaic
700-480 BC
March
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Archaic Vase Paintingamong most ambitious works of art of their day
Great emphasis on pictorial subject;
mythology,
legend
everyday life
Many are signed by the artist after mid 6th c.
21
Geometric
900-700 BC
Homeric epics
c 750 BC
Orientalizing
c 735-650 BC
Archaic
700-480 BC
Indicates pride taken in creation and in
individual style
Archaic vases gives us
first defined personalities in history of art.
Can recognize some artist's styles
some artists= dozs of pots
one > 200 vases
so can trace master's dev as artist
Can see by Archaic Greek vases
that man has for first time become
the subject of intense analytical study.
Other Painting
Murals and panels.
Few fragments remain
Can get some idea what they look like based on
Etrus patgs of same time period
All archaic painting was essentially drawing
filled in with solid flat color
New motifs of Oriental -fighting animals, winged monsters,
scenes of combat
Generally a good bit
smaller than
Geometric or
Orientalizing
predessors
Grave ornaments
now made of stone
replacing Dipylon
vases.
March
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
So wall paintings looked much like vase painting
According to literary sources
Greek wall ptg did not come into its own
until after Persian Wars
c 475 - 450 BC
during 2/4 5th c BC
Until c 475 BC
good vase painters
= as much prestige as other artists
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
J 160
A Vase Painter and
Assistants Crowned
by Athena and
Vistories
Detail from an Attic
red-figured hydria
c 450 BC
A Vase Painter & Assts.
Crowned by Athena & Victories
Detail from an Attic red-figured hydria
c 450 BC
Athena & 2 Victories bestowing wreaths on a
vase painter & 2 male assistants
presumably he as winner of a contest
Scene includes a female asst (extreme right)
Earliest depiction of a woman artist at work
she prob = member of family workshop
Sappho = greatest of early lyric poets
Women artists in Greece
never acheived indiv fame
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G5-6
X6-19
ERGOTIMOS and
KLEITAS, The
François Vase (Attic
black-figure krater),
from Chiusi, c 575
BC. Apx 26" high.
Museo
Archeologico,
Florence
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
DETAIL
X6-20
ERGOTIMOS and
KLEITAS, The
François Vase (Attic
black-figure krater),
from Chiusi, c 575
BC. Apx 26" high.
Museo
Archeologico,
Florence
The heritage of the orientalizing motifs can be
seen in the sphinxes on the lower section of
the
François Vase
(G5-6).
Named after discoverer
most important vase of this period
24
Krater
(from the Greek "to
mix", a bowl for mixing
wine and water, the
usual beverage of the
Greeks.
Prob =finest extant example of an Archaic krater
Volute handle
Extraordinary vigorous shapes
Found in an Etruscan necropolis
Indebted to Etrus=avid collectors of Greek vases
many of best preserved found in Etrus tombs
Volutespiral scroll-like form
(as on Ionic capital)
Important because it was signed:
"Ergotimus made it"
"Kleitas drew it"
--- still --G5-6
ERGOTIMOS and
KLEITAS, The
François Vase
(Attic black-figure
krater), from
Chiusi, c 575 BC.
Apx 26" high.
Museo
Archeologico,
Florence
Signed vases appear 1st time in early 6th c BC.
pride in profession
their art increas popular /prestigous.
Subjects = 200 figures
organized in6 bands
varying widths
Widest band = on the shoulder of the vesselreturn to the discipline & formality of Geo
after casual permissiveness of Orientalizing
remarkable blend of the narrative art, philosophy,
& technical excellence
(even though the vase = misfired)
which were to make Athens the preeminent
center of vase painting for another century.
Represents almost
the entire Greek
pantheon
provides one of
our 1st pictorial
glimpses of form
and personages
of Greek religion
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Subjects:
Wedding of Peleus
(father of Achilles) with gods in attendance
Calydonian Boar Hunt
Ambush of Troilus
Funeral games for Patroclus
On the foot =
animated battle
between cranes and pygmies
above which rays felicitously augment
the swelling surface of the krater
Decorated in an
early form of the Black - figure technique
In Archaic Greek vases,
the human figure became
the subject of intense analytical study
for the first time.
CP25
Corinthaian Vase
c 600 BC
Extra
The entire production
is a remarkable blend of the narrative art,
philosophy, and technical excellence (even
though the vase was actually misfired) which
were to make Athens the preeminent center
of vase painting for another century.
25
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
26
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08
A40
EXEKIAS , Marriage
Procession
Attic black-figure
Amphoraaa & Cover
c 540 BC, 18 1/2"
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Black - figure pottery
"Best" example of Black - figure pottery
Dark figures silhouettted against lighter
background of the natural red clay
Details are scratched into the figures
to reveal the reddish clay underneath
Touches of white and purple add color to the
predominately monochrome design
(seen primarily on earlier examples)
the black is traditionally called a glaze,
it is neither a pigment nor a glaze
but an engobe,
a slip made of finely sifted clay
that is originally the same color as the pot
Black- Figure
3 phase firing process 1. oxidizing fire
turns pot and decortion red
2. reducing fire no oxygen turns both black
3. final oxidizing fire- t
urns the coarser particles of the pot
reabsorb oxygen and turn back to red but
the fine particles of the smoother silica laden engobe remain black
Greek potters developed a velvety jet black
"Glaze" of this kind.
Touches of white and purple were used even
more sparingly
to yeild a more contrasting pattern
against the background.
Favors a decorative - 2D style
27
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
G5-7
EXEKIAS , Dionysos
in a Sailboat (interior
of an Attic blackfigure kylix), from
Vulci, c 550-525 BC,
12" in diameter.
Staatliche
Antikensammlungen
und Glyptothek,
Munich
EXEKIAS
Dionysos in a Sailboat
"Best" example of Black - figure pottery
Story of Dionysus In a Boat
Homeric hymn
god of wine
Once abducted by pirates,
he caused vines to grow all over ship
& frighten captors until they
jumped overboard & turned into dolphins.
Seen here on his return journey
7 dolphins
7 grape clusters
for good luck
gratefully recalled by every Greek drinker.
28
KylixKYE-liks
(from the Greek "to
roll", referring to th vase
being turned on the
potters wheel, cheif
form of the drinking cup
Exekias
EK-ZEE-kee-ahs
Geometric
900-700 BC
Homeric epics
c 750 BC
Orientalizing
c 735-650 BC
popular subject on cups
sailing over the sea
carrying his gifts to mankind
Archaic
700-480 BC
Exekias
EK-ZEE-kee-ahs
Includes rendering of a sail
as it would look filled with air
rather than as conventional, trad symbol
that reads "sail"-possibly the result of
a new understanding of physical presence
of nature.
Composition adapts itself to circular surface w/o
becoming mere ornament
Exekias= both artist and potter,
has adapted the composition to the vase
unity between shape & elegant design.
Difficult compostiotional problem of fixing the
ship within the circular fram.
Partly solvd by down weighted branches of
loaded grape vines.
c 550 - c480 BC,
black- & red- figure
styles predominated.
March
08
J162
Psiax
Herakles Strangling
the Neamean Lion.
on an Attic blackfigured ampphora
from Vulci, Italy. c
525 BC
Height 19 1/2" (49.5
cm) Museo Civico,
Brescia.
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
J162
Psiax
Herakles Strangling
the Neamean Lion.
on an Attic blackfigured ampphora
from Vulci, Italy. c
525 BC
Height 19 1/2" (49.5
cm) Museo Civico,
Brescia.
Psiax
Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion
(c
BC)
Pushed black figure technique to its limits
Silhouetted black figure technique made study of
foreshortening difficult in some vases he tried
to reverse the technique
Grimmace and violence
heavy bodies locked in combat
almost a single ,compact unit
Economy of incised lines
subsidiary colors
to avoid break-up of massive black
3D quality of figures
Knowledge of body structure
ability to use foreshortening.
Only details such as the eye = trad combo of front
and profile view.
29
March
08
CP29
Exekias
Achilles and Ajax
Gambling
Amphora
c 550 BC
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
15224
CP29
Detail
Exekias
Achilles and Ajax
Gambling
c 550 BC
Exekias,
Achilles and Ajax Gambling
(c 530 BC, CP29)
perhaps the finest black-figure painter,
The scene is found on so many pots that it
probably originated in monumental pting
(see discussion below).
The generously proportioned figures,
hunched over in concentration,
have unrivaled psychological
and human presence.
This has been enhanced by the poetic
"breathing" space surrounding them in the
simple but monumental composition.
The decoration is highly detailed,
without sacrificing the masterful
description of essential forms
through expressive line.
The subject and its sensitive portrayal
mark a major change in Greek art.
548H
Exekias
Achilles and
Penthesilea
Neck Amphora
c 530 BC
G5-4
GFA208
Blinding of
Polyphemus
c 675 - 650 BC
GFA207
Perseus and the
Gorgons
30
Never before have we seen such keen observation
of human nature in its external appearance
and inner mood. The same penetrating
insight occurs in the Return of the Dioscuri
(GFA248) on the other side of this vase, and
the scene of the Departure of a Warrior (c 530
BC, GFA250) on the other.
The Scenes of the Blinding of Polyphemus (c 675 650 BC, GFA208) and Perseus and the Gorgons
(GFA207), both of which appear on a single
vase (J158), are linked not so much by theri
protagonists' relations to Achilles, teh "star" of
the Iliad, as by inner significance.
Both show a hero facing the unknown forces of
life, which are embodied by terrifying
mythical creatures
The same stories recur over and over agiain on
vases.
Exekias
EK-ZEE-kee-ahs
c 550 - c480 BC,
black- & red- figure
styles predominated.
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
31
March
08
X6-44
Red figure by
Andokides Painter
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Red-figure painting,
32
Andokides
Ahn-DOH-kee-days
invented c. 530 BC
reverses the color patterns of black-figure,
used to be credited to an accident of misfiring,
but the specific chemistry of the process,
which has only recently been understood,
makes such a hypothesis implausible.
Now figures = light against a dark figures
Major interior markings were rendered with
relief lines with a syringe like instrument
that squeezed out the black "glaze" material
evenly and smoothly
Human & animal
figures
= no longer dark
and earthy,
massive against
light ground.
Secondary lines such as those
representing hair, muscles, and
sometimes even shading,
were painted in "dilute Glaze"
(engobe with water) which could be
applied with a fine brush.
The style was free and more facile than the earlier
black figure style which it largely replaced
within two decades
Instead, the discovery -generally attributed to
the Andokides Painter,
who did "bilingual" vases
using both techniques must have been the result
of a conscious effort to
overcome the inherent limitations
of black-figure.
leaving figures red & filling in the background
end of 3/4 6th c BC
c 530 BC
Invention of red
figure ware by
Andokides Painter
Ahn-DOH-kee-days
March
08
J163
The Foundry Painter
Lapith and Centaur.
Interior of an Attic
red-figured kylix, c
490-480 BC
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
The Foundry Painter
Lapith and Centaur
c 490 - 480 BC BC
Interior of a Attic red-figured kylix
Details freely drawn w/ brush instead of incesed
Artist has less dependence on profile view
Artist able to exploit internal lines for
communication
show boldy foreshortened overlapping limbs
details of costume (pleated skirt)
New effects = fascinating
Figures= as large as possible
Part of Lapiths helmet = cut off
33
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Euphronios
Hercules and Antaios
34
Euphronios
You-FRO-ni-us
c 510 BC,
GFA258-260
Advantages of red- figure are readily apparent
Line, applied with a syringe or brush,
is no longer subordinated
to the overall decorative pattern.
A greater variety of poses can be depicted.
Space can be established by foreshortening,
rather than simply suggested by overlapping.
A41
Hc14
Red figure
Calyx - Krater
Death of
Sarpedon
Signed Euxitheos
and Eupronios
18" high
MetMus, NYC
Andokides Painter Ahn-DOH-kee-days
gets his name from the potter Andokides (vessels
signed) whose pots he painted
Sometimes considered to be a student of Exekias'
Andokides Painter used pictorial devices rooted
in the style of Exekias
In the amphora - illustrates Herakles and Apollo
Struggling for a Tripod -he shows interest in rich drapery ornament
and textural effects such as found in
EXEKIAS
Lacks some of wartmth and sympathy of Exekias
Because is more concerned with exploiting the
possibiities of newly discovered technique
experimented w/ color - uses both purple & white
Andokides
Ahn-DOH-kee-days
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
G5-9
Euphronios
Heracles
Strangling
Antaios
EUPHRONIOS
X6-30
detail
substitute
A41
Death of
Sarpedon
Signed
18" high
You-FRO-ni-us
By one of the most forceful of the red- figure
painters of the late 6th c BC
Was among the first to devote himself seriously
to the study of anatomy -famous for this even in his own time.
Here - 2 male figures in complicated wrestling
pose. One shown from side, 1 shown from
front
attempts radical experiments is:
the double underleg of Antaios and the
rendering of Antaios' face in white to suggest
impending death
Straining, powerful bodies with attention to
musculature although he is not totally
successful in correct representation.
Artists were quite conscious of their newly
gained abilities.
Euphronios
You-FRO-ni-us
35
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
EUTHYMIDES
U-THEEM-ee-days
= contemporary and competitor of Euphronios
also an experimenter.
G5-10
GFA257
EUTHYMIDES
Revelers, from Vulci,
c 510- 500 BC
Apx 24" high,
Staatliche
Antikensammlungen
und Glyptothek,
Munich.
Revelersc 510 BC, GFA257
by EUTHYMIDES
bears the inscription "EUPHRONIOS never did
anything like this."
The only kind of black-figure vases regularly
produced after c 500 BC
were Panathenaic amphorae,
which were traditionally given as prizes at
athletic contests.
EUTHYMIDES
U-THEEM-ee-days
Euphronios
You-FRO-ni-us
36
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
EUTHYMIDES
EUTHYMIDES
U-THEEM-ee-days
less concerned with anatomical description than
of foreshortening and showing figures from Euphronios
You-FRO-ni-us
different view points
The subject of the fairly tipsy dancers = popular
subject on Late Archaic/ Early Classical vases
Celebrates the Hellenic sense of the comic that
served as counterpoint to the Greek genius for
tragic art in drama.
This theme allows more freedom in informal
movement
acheived 3/4 view
The turning and twisting indicates that artist is
beginning to conceive of figures as 3D that
can occupy deeper space than the 2D plane.
a significant departure from Greek tradition
DOURIS achieved intensely moving dignity in his
monumental compositions of Jason Being
Disgorged by a Dragon ((c480 - 470 BC,
GFA272) and Eos and Memnon (c 490- 480 BC,
J164)
37
March
08
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
J164 Douris
Eos and Memnon
c 490- 480 BC,
DOURIS
Eos and Memnon (c 490- 480 BC, J164)
striving for monumental effect
harmonius results
one of master pieces of Late Archaic vase
painting
Goddess o fDawn holding the body of her son
who had been killed and despoiled of his
armor by Achilles
Moving evocation of grief
prohetic to Christian pieta
achieved intensely moving dignity in his
monumental composition
Expressive freedom of draughtsmanship
Flexible lines = sim to pen
Able to trace contours of limbs beneath drapery
Contrast vigorous, dynamic outlines with thinner
more delicate secondary strokes
anatomical details of Memnon's body.
38
March
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
39
March
08
G5-11
BRYGOS PAINTER
Revelers, (detail from
kylix), from Vulci,
c 490 BC
Portion shown apx.
10" wide, whole
vessel apx 13" wide
Martin V. Wagner
Museen der
Universität,
Würzburg.
red - figured painters
substitute
x6-32
Brygos Painter
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Brygos Painter
Brygos
BRIG-ohs
incising details into the black glaze
makes black - figured forms much stiffer than
those of the red - figured painters
red - figured painters (5-11)
use a much more flexible brush to indicate
details.
c 490 BC
- Brygos Painter
took a significant step beyond
Euphronios and Euthymides
For 2500 years since the Palette of Narmer
painted figures and figures in relief advanced
the far leg to show stride -- which is the best if
torso is to be shown full torso with little
distortion.
Euthymides had broken this rule by advancing
near leg of a figure to show 3/4 view
But Brygos Painter, for the first time presents a
striding pose with near leg advanced and
shoulder turned diagonal toward the
observer.
The first true contrapposto
Figure is now understood
as an acting unit
not simply the sum of the parts.
This apparently superficial detail may be the
manifestation of an epoch making change in
the concept of what humans perceive.
c 490 BC
4/4 5th c BC
40
March
08
G5-7
EXEKIIAS , Dionysos
in a Sailboat (interior
of an Attic blackfigure kylix), from
Vulci, c 550-525 BC,
12" in diameter.
Staatliche
Antikensammlungen
und Glyptothek,
Munich
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
Compare the sixth century black figured François
Vase (5-6) and the work of Exekias (5-7) with
the much more elegant work of the fifth
century Niobid (5-60) and the Phiale painters
(5-61) who worked in the red - figured style.
G5-6
ERGOTIMOS and
KLEITAS, The
François Vase
(Attic black-figure
krater), from
Chiusi, c 575 BC.
Apx 26" high.
Museo
Archeologico,
Florence
11.
Describe the black - figure technique of
pottery decoration.
Describe the red - figure technique of
pottery decoration.
Name two painters who worked in the
black - figured style.
Exekias
Psiax
Name two painters who worked in the
red - figured style.
Brygos Painter
Euthymides
Euphronios
Andokides Painter
Who is generally given credit for the
invention of the red- figure technique?
Andokides
41
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
21.
The use of the white - ground technique
was most popular on vases known as
What were its advantage over the blackfigure or red-figure techniques?
What were its disadvantages?
G5-60
NIOBID PAINTER,
Argonaut Krater,
from Orvieto, c
455-450 BC.
Outline drawing
at right indicates
relation to whole
vessel. Portion
shown apx 15"
high, whole
vessel apx 21"
high. Louvre,
Paris.
G5-61
PHIALE PAINTER,
Hermes Bringing the
Infant Dionysos to
Papposilenos
(krater), from Vulci, c
. 440 - 435 BC. Apx
14" high. Vatican
Museums, Rome.
42
March
08
G5-8
ANDOKIDES PAINTER,
Herakles and Apollo
Struggling for the
Tripod , (detail from
amphora), c 530 BC.
Portion shown apx
11" high, whole
vessel apx 23" high.
Staatliche Museen,
Berlin
Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
G5-10
EUTHYMIDES
Revelers, from Vulci,
c 510- 500 BC
Apx 24" high,
Staatliche
Antikensammlungen
und Glyptothek,
Munich.
The growing understanding of the movement of
the body in space can be seen when one
compares the archaic conventions of profile
legs and head with full torso used by the
Andokides Painter for the figures of Herakles
and Apollo (5-8), with the back view of the
reveler painted by Euthymides about 500 BC
(5-10),
G5-61
PHIALE PAINTER,
Hermes Bringing the
Infant Dionysos to
Papposilenos
(krater), from Vulci, c
. 440 - 435 BC. Apx
14" high. Vatican
Museums, Rome.
However, up until the Hellenistic period forms
are essentially two dimensional and stay on
the surface of the vase.
During the latter period artists attempted to
create three dimensional effects, especially in
the depiction of architecture.
Compare the drapery conventions and the use of
contrapposto in vase paintings with sculpture
and use them to help estabilish stylistic
periods for the paintings.
43
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Chapter 5 - Greece: Geometric / Archaic Vases
44