Greek Vase Painting: Greek Vase Painting
Slide2: Vase Shapes hydra
used for water “bell” krater
used for mixing
amphora
used for wine
Slide3: Vase Shapes (cont.) lekythos
used for oil kylix
used for drinking wine at a symposium Click here for more on Greek vase shapes.
Geometric Krater by the Dipylon Master from the Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, GR ca. 740 BCE 3’ 4 1/2” high The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY: Geometric Krater by the Dipylon Master from the Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, GR ca. 740 BCE 3’ 4 1/2” high The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY Q 1.1: Characterize the art of the Geometric period.
Q 1.2: What is the narrative on this krater?
Q 1.3: How is the human figure portrayed on the krater?
Q 1.4: What is ameander, meander, and how is it used on this krater? 1
Françoise Vase (Attic black-figure volute krater) Kletias and Ergotimos from Chiusi, Italy ca. 570 BCE approx. 2’ 2” high Museo Archeologica, Florence, IT: Françoise Vase (Attic black-figure volute krater) Kletias and Ergotimos from Chiusi, Italy ca. 570 BCE approx. 2’ 2” high Museo Archeologica, Florence, IT This krater is known as the “Francois Vase“.
Q 2.1: What narrative, if any, is represented on the krater 2
Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game (detail from black-figure amphora) from Vulci, Italy Exekias ca. 540 - 530 BCE whole vessel approx. 2’ high Vatican Museums, Rome, IT: Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game (detail from black-figure amphora) from Vulci, Italy Exekias ca. 540 - 530 BCE whole vessel approx. 2’ high Vatican Museums, Rome, IT Q 3.1: How does this painting reveal Ajax and Achilles as great warriors? How does it humanize them?
Q 3.2: What kinds of weapons and armor did these great Greek warriors have at their disposal?
Q 3.3: Examine Exekias' Achilles and Queen Penthesilia. How does the portrayal of Achilles differ in this painting? 3
Signature of Exekias black on red Louvre, Paris, FR: Signature of Exekias black on red Louvre, Paris, FR 4.1: This signature of Exeklias reads thus: “Exekias made me.” (Note: The Greeks did not put spaces between their words, as we do in English.) 4
Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game (Attic bilingual amphora) from Orvietto, Italy Andokides Painter ca. 525 - 520 BCE black-figure side (left) red-figure side (right) approx. 1’ 9” high Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Achilles and Ajax playing a dice game (Attic bilingual amphora) from Orvietto, Italy Andokides Painter ca. 525 - 520 BCE black-figure side (left) red-figure side (right) approx. 1’ 9” high Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Definition: bilingual pottery
Q 5.1: What might account for the emergence of bilingual pottery?
Q 5.2: Why might an artist prefer the bilingual style?
Q 5.3: Eventually, the bilingual style becomes unfashionable. What might account for this? 5
Oedipus and the Sphinx Achilles Painter ca. 440 - 430 BCE red-figure amphora Staatliche Antikensammlugen, Munich, Germany: Oedipus and the Sphinx Achilles Painter ca. 440 - 430 BCE red-figure amphora Staatliche Antikensammlugen, Munich, Germany Definitions: red-figure pottery
Q 6.1: The Achilles painter is considered to be one of the finest red-figure painters. What formal and content advancements does the red-figure style allow that the black-figure style doesn't? 6
Web Resources: Web Resources Wikipedia's entry on Ancient Greek Pottery
The Beazley Archive: Classical Art Research Centre [Note: Beazley is known as the first significant scholar of Greek pottery after Wincklemann.]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's web page on Athenian pottery – both black- and red-figure pottery is discussed.