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Greek Art. Mythology & the Greek Vase. Greek Art. Very few Greek painted pictures have survived the 2500 years since they were painted. Most of what we know about Greek art comes from the pictures they painted on pottery. . Greek Vases.
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Greek Art Mythology & the Greek Vase
Greek Art • Very few Greek painted pictures have survived the 2500 years since they were painted. • Most of what we know about Greek art comes from the pictures they painted on pottery.
Greek Vases • The Greeks used ceramic vessels in every aspect of their daily lives: • storage, carrying, mixing, serving, and drinking, and as cosmetic and perfume containers. • Elaborately formed and decorated, vases were considered worthy gifts for dedication to the gods.
Greek Vases • Pots were covered with mythological scenes • No paint was actually used, but rather something called slip • The clay found near Athens has a lot of iron in it, so it looks black when it is wet. • But if you fire it in an oven where there is plenty of air getting in, the clay rusts, and turns red. • If you fire it in an oven with no air getting in, the iron can't mix with oxygen, and the pot stays black.
Technique: Archaic Period • Make a pot, and let it dry a little ("leather-dry"). • Then mix a little of the wet clay with a lot of water, to make a kind of paint (called slip), which you use to make the black part of the picture. • Let the whole thing dry and fire it in a kiln: • First give it a lot of air, so the whole pot turns red, slip and all. • Then shut off the air supply, but just for a little while right at the end of the firing. • When the air runs out, the fire sucks oxygen right out of the clay of the pot. But the places where there is slip, the slip is thinner and easier to suck air out of. So the slip turns black!
Technique: Classical Period • Instead of painting the people black, why not paint the background black and leave the people red? • Harder because artist has to paint the background rather than the actual images.
Archaic vs. Classical Black Figure Vase Painting Red Figure Vase Painting
Archaic vs. Classical Black Figure Vase Painting Red Figure Vase Painting
The Hydria • This object is known as a hydria. • Decorated vases such as this would have been used when fetching water. • Made of bronze or pottery, a hydria has three handles: two for carrying and one for pouring.
Amphora • Today we give cash bonuses to athletes. We film them endorsing their favorite products. But in early Greece, victors in the Pan-Athenic games were awarded oil...and the oil was stored in large ceramic vessels called amphoras.
The Dinosa • Dinos were also given as a prize during Greek competitions. • It is a deep bowl without handles. • Often a dinos was rounded on the bottom, and therefore needed a stand for support.
Kantharos • Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, is often depicted as he drinks from a kantharos. • Deep cup with two vertical handles which often extend high above the lip of the cup.
Lekythos • A lekythos is a tall flask that held precious oil and was used in funerary rituals. • The vessels were then left on graves or buried with the deceased.
Loutrophoros • The loutrophoros was used to hold water during marriage and funeral rituals, and was placed in the tombs of the unmarried.
KYLIX • A fine gift for the Greek who has everything would be a kylix, or an elegant, highly decorated drinking cup. This vessel might have been decorated on the outside walls, and also in the circular inside area, or tondo.
Pyxis • Where to keep your lipstick and small change!!!? A small box-like container with a lid, might be the Greek solution. This container is usually round, but might have a number of many different vertical profiles. • It's common to see illustrations of weddings or funerals on a pyxis
Krater • It was considered uncivilized to drink wine straight... so mixing it with water was a social ritual. The early Greeks used a krater for this process. It's a large bowl with a wide mouth.
Meandros …Or (meander) • Decorative border constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif • Frequently seen on Grecian urns
The Water Jar • There are two figures on this water jar fighting a many-headed snake-like creature known as the Hydra. • The figures on this water jar are Hercules, to the right, attacking the Hydra with his club, and his companion Iolaos, who is cutting one of the heads off of the monster.
Side View • Looking at the side of the jar, one can see a crab pinching Hercules’s foot. Next to the handle is a sphinx, a winged creature with the body of a lion and a human head. • There are also decorations inspired by nature. An ivy vine circles the shoulder of the jar, while palmetto and lotus patterns decorate the lower portion.
Comparing the Myth to the Vase • What has the artist added to the story? • What has he left out? • Which moment in the story would you have chosen to focus on if you were going to illustrate it on a vase? • The Greeks liked to decorate their vases with repeated patterns. Examine the use of pattern on the vase: • What shapes are repeated and where are they located on the vase?
Greek Architecture • Temples & Government Buildings in the ancient Greece were architectural wonders • Modern examples that copy this style? • Washington, D.C.
The Parthenon The Supreme Court
Lincoln Memorial The Hephaisteion, in Athens
Three Architectural Orders • Architecture was a city-state’s chance to show off its wealth and artistry! • Doric Architecture- mainland Greece • Ionic Architecture- - western coast of Asia Minor • Corinthian Architecture- - attributed to a sculptor and architect known as Callimachus from the city of Corinth
Doric • Rather sturdy • Columns feature a very simple stone capital (its top) in two pieces • Plain • Mainly used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. Capital
Ionic • Thinner and more elegant • Its capital is Decorated with scroll-like design • Underneath block is a decorative pattern Horns of Ram Egg and Dart
Corinthian • Its capital is very elaborate and decorated with leaves. • Thinner column • Rarely used
Which Type of Order? Temple of Apollo at Didyma Ionic
Which Type of Order? Temple of Zeus Corinthian
Which Type of Order? P A R T H E N O N Doric
Background • The Greek drama began as a religious observance in honor of Dionysus and grew to include stories of other gods and of the ancient heroes • Audience knew how it was going to end • Portrayal of characters was the focus • Explored ethical and moral issues
Theatrical Genres • The Athenians were the first to write dramas • Tragedy- serious story that usually ends in a disaster for main character • Comedy- stories that made fun of well known citizens and politicians; also made fun of customs
Theatrical Setting • Took place in large hillside amphitheaters called theatrons • Few characters, never more than three speaking actors allowed on the stage at once • Chorus of men and boys served as the storytellers • Anywhere between 3 and 50 • Sang and chanted a Dithyramb (= Drama) • Provided emphasis on importance of events and also comic relief
The Stage • Skene – Portion of stage where actors performed (included 1-3 doors in and out) • Orchestra – “Dancing Place” where chorus sang to the audience • Theatron – Seating for audience
Actors & Attire • Actors wore masks to indicate the nature of the characters played. • Men played women’s roles • Wore a strange-looking wooden sole called a cothurnus or buskin, about six inches high • Same actor appeared in several parts. • Of the hundreds of Greek tragedies written, fewer than 35 survive.
Greek Playwrights • Aeschylus: wrote the oldest surviving plays - began competing in 449 at Dionysus Theatre. • Most of his plays were part of trilogies. • Wrote: Agamemnon, Eumenides, The Persians, Prometheus Bound, The Seven Against Thebes
