Greek Vase Painting

Geometric Period The Earliest Greek Vases were decorated with bands of simple geometric patterns covering most of the vessel. Funerary Vase: 8th Century B.C.

A tall ancient Greek jar with two handles and a narrow neck. Amphora A tall ancient Greek jar with two handles and a narrow neck. Vase with Ajax and Achilles Playing Dice. 540 B.C.

Figures are more lifelike and were placed in Storytelling scenes Amphora Figures are more lifelike and were placed in Storytelling scenes Exekias was an ancient Greek vase-painter and potter who was active in Athens between roughly 545 BC and 530 BC. Exekias worked mainly in the black-figure technique, which involved the painting of scenes using a clay slip that fired to black, with details created through incision. Exekias is regarded by art historians as an artistic visionary whose masterful use of incision and psychologically sensitive compositions mark him as one of the greatest of all Attic vase painters. Signed his artwork. Vase with Ajax and Achilles Playing Dice. 540 B.C.

The earliest Artist to sign his name was Sophilos in 580 B.C.

The Evolution of Greek Sculpture

Artists to Meet Myron Phidias Polyclitus You’ll be able to explain how Greek sculpture changed over time from the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Periods

Archaic Period 600-400 B.C. The first main period of Greek art; became less rigidly stylized and more naturalistic. Calf Bearer – c. 570 B.C.

600 to 480 BC young male god or athlete Archaic Greek sculptures Kouros – 600 B.C. male youth Kore – 530 B.C. Maiden (female) - Originally painted - Left foot forward 600 to 480 BC young male god or athlete Archaic Greek sculptures 1345–1337 BC

Korai – clothed women, often goddesses The Hera of Samos Stone cylinder Stiff pose like kouros Bent left arm Symbol of authority

Classical Period 510-332 B.C. The 2nd major period of Greek Life Besides war and conquest, in this period of Ancient Greece, the Greeks produced great literature, poetry, philosophy, drama, and art. Classical Greece includes the period known as the Age of Pericles

Contrapposto A pose in which the weight of the body is balanced on one leg while the other leg is free and relaxed. S-curve The marble Kritios Boy or Kritian Boy belongs to the Early Classical period of ancient Greek sculpture. It is the first statue that we have that uses contrapposto   c. 480 BC.

Myron’s Discus Thrower Classical Period Bold new ideas More skill Abandon the stiff monoliths Figures move in space 450 B.C.

Myron Chief material was bronze Never worked in marble All original bronzes were melted down long ago What is known today of Greek works comes from copies made later by the Romans

Phidias Athena Parthenos 42 Feet Tall White Ivory Over 1 ton of gold Precious stones for eyes

Phidias Continued Procession of Horsemen Interactive 350 people 125 horses Religious parade 440B.C.

Polyclitus’s Spear Thrower 440 B.C. Appears lifelike Confident Athletic Compare to Michelangelo’s David

Hellenistic Period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire  3rd period of Greek Art- filled with expression and emotion Extremely skillful and confident Beauty was less important than expression Lack precise balance and harmony of Classical sculptures

Pathos A quality that causes people to feel sympathy and sadness Represents an appeal to the audience's emotions

The Dying Gaul- 240 B.C. The white marble statue — which may have originally been painted — depicts a wounded, slumping Celt with remarkable realism and pathos, particularly as regards the face. A bleeding sword puncture is visible in his lower right chest. The figure is represented as a Celtic warrior with characteristic hairstyle and moustache and is nude save for a torc around his neck. He lies on his fallen shield while his sword, belt, and a curved trumpet lie beside him.

The Nike of Samothrace 190 B.C. Made to look like the prow of a ship Fabric appears to blow in the wind and cling to the skin

The Seated Boxer 50 B.C. Appeals to emotionalism

Laocoön and His Sons The figures are near life-size (6 ft 7 in) showing the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus being attacked by sea serpents. The group has been "the prototypical icon of human agony" in Western art

Summary Archaic Archaic period – The Kouros, the stiff and solid sculptures were created during a time when artists were seeking greater control of their materials

Summary Classical By the Classical period, sculptors had achieved near perfection in balance, proportion and sense of movement. The Discus Thrower demonstrates the sculptor’s ability to create realistic work. The Spear Thrower is an example of balance, harmony, and beauty.

Summary Hellenistic During Hellenistic times, sculptures, such as the Seated Boxer reveal the artist’s interest in more dramatic and emotional subjects

Compare the three Periods

Gothic Sculpture ca. 1220-1230 AD Archaic Sculpture 480 B.C.

Renaissance Sculpture 1504 AD Classical Sculpture 440 B.C.

Hellenistic Sculpture 200 B.C. Baroque Period 'Ecstasy of Saint Theresa' (1647-52) in Cornaro Chapel, Rome by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernin