1. Greek Amphora Project
OPHS Art History

2. What do we know about Greek Amphoras?
What were the colors used to make Greek Amphoras?

3. Ancient Greek Pottery
Greek pots are important because they tell us so much about how life was in ancient Greece.
Ancient Greek pots were often beautifully decorated with scenes from daily life. Sometimes these scenes reflected what the pot was used for. Sometimes they depicted scenes of the lives of the gods. Although the pots were beautifully decorated, they were made for every day use.

4. Color use in Greek Amphoras
At first artist painted black figures on a background of red clay. Seventy years later, artists reversed the colors…they painted the background and all the details black and left the figures the color of the red clay.
Color use in Greek Amphoras
Why did the style change?

5. Because tastes change. The change in technique allowed for greater naturalism. The black on red scenes tend to be formal and stylized. The red figures on the black pots have more active poses and wear flowing garments.

6. Possible Subjects Daily Life Greek gods and goddesses
Greek designs (geometric shapes, vines…)

7. Daily Life

8. Gods and Goddesses

9. Greek Patterns

10. Black Figure: Stylized, not realistic.
Student Examples
Black Figure: Stylized, not realistic.

11. Red Figure: Realistic, not stylized.
Student Examples
Red Figure: Realistic, not stylized.

12. Create your Own Greek Amphora
Your Task
Create a red figure or black figure amphora.
Black Figure: stylized
Red Figure: Realistic
Create a design that the Greeks would have used (Daily life, gods or goddesses, designs and patterns)
Use precise and careful application of line and color
If you pick red figure, your drawing needs to be realistic, if you create black figure, it needs to be more stylized HOWEVER: You can use any two colors you want (pink and green, yellow and blue…) ONLY TWO COLORS!