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Greek Pottery The pottery of the ancient Greeks are important for the styles of decoration and for the information it gives about Greek art (Sparkes 4). Because fired clay pottery is highly durable, few or no Greek art works that were made in wood, textile, or wall painting have survived (Sparkes 7). The painted decoration of pottery has become the main source of information about how the Greeks used pottery to solve many problems because in that time period other materials where either unknown or too expensive (Sparkes 13). The Greeks used pottery mainly to store, transport, and drink liquids such as wine and water.
Smaller pots were used for containers that held perfumes and spices (Sparkes 16). Greek pottery was first developed from a Mycenaean tradition, copying the pot styles and decoration (Walters 3). The earliest stylistic period is the Geometric (a pattern of regular lines and shapes), which lasted from about 1000 to 700 BC (Walters 13). In this period the surface of the pot was completely covered with an arrangement of fine patterns of circles and arcs which were the main style. This abstract style was later improved by meanders (winding pattern), checkers, triangles, herringbone's (zigzag pattern), and swastikas. Most of the pottery had a geometric style that had the appearance of animal and human figures.
Figures were always shown from the side, in outline (Walters 26). The pots that where made in this time period were the earliest in Greek art to show narrative scenes from popular myths, especially about Heracles (Walters 30). Greatly expanded Greek trading activities, during the late 8 th and early 7 th centuries BC, led to a growth of influence on Eastern Greek pottery painters (Cook 2). This oriental phase is first seen in works made in the city of Corinth in about 700 BC.
At this time Oriental images found their way onto all makes of Greek pots (Cook 6). Curvilinear patterns (curved lines) replaced the older rectilinear ones. New subjects appear, especially monsters such as the sphinx, siren, griffin, and gorgon, as well as exotic animals such as the lion (Cook 9). The Corinthian painters created a silhouette technique where figures painted in the black glaze were cut in the surface to show detail (Cook 11). Athenian painters used black-figure pottery style around 630 BC using human figures instead of Oriental animal images for their themes (Sparkes 4). The high quality of their clay, color, and decoration quickly lead the Athenian artists to overtake those of Corinth.
From 600 BC on, Athens greatly became the center for Greek pottery, eventually exporting its pottery throughout the Mediterranean world (Sparkes 9). It was during this time period that the potters and painters first began to sign their pots (sparkes 11). Athenian pottery of the 6 th century BC often shows narrative scenes that included black figures painted on a light background with the surrounding pot surface in a dark black (Sparkes 14). Red-figure pottery, invented in Athens about 530 BC, is just the opposite of the black-figure style. This is where the reddish figures look light against the black background on the pot surface (Sparkes 22). Details of the figures, eyes and interior lines were painted in black (Sparkes 23).
The red-figure technique give it a more realistic image of human figures (Sparkes 23). Around 500 BC Greek artists abandoned the way of using only outlined views and began to use three-quarter frontal views, and also shortened the size by carefully overlapping one figure on another (Sparkes 25). The drawing on Greek pottery of this time period was the highest quality, and it shows the most information with its detail on Greek life and thought (Sparkes 28). Greek artists provided their figures with mood and character, as well as the ability of action. The body of subjects were made larger, using scenes from everyday life and the regular heroic and mythological stories. Greek pottery began to become less in quality and quantity surprisingly early, in the mid- 5 th century BC (Vickers 1).
Many attempts to show depth into their designs failed. After 430 BC pottery painting had seemed more and more less important (Vickers 6). Drawing became careless, and groups of figures on the pot were crowded together without meaning or interest. By the 4 th century, the figured decoration of pottery had a less important art, and it had died out in Athens by 320 BC. Alabastron has a narrow neck, used as a perfume or spice container. The Greek albatron has no handles but mostly has lugs (ear-shaped objects), but sometimes had holes for string.
There are three types of classical albatron. There is a basic Corinthian that has a roundish shape that is about 3 to 4 inches high and appeared in the 7 th century BC. Then there is a long, pointed version found in eastern Greek, it is called Etruscan. Lastly there is an Attic, which ranges from 4 to 8 inches high, with a rounded base and sometimes has two small lugs, lasted from the late 6 th to the early 4 th century BC.
Amphora is one of the main shapes in Greek pottery. It is a two-handled pot with a neck that is more narrow than the body. There are two types of amphora. There is the neck amphora, where the neck meets the body at a sharp angle, and the one-piece amphora, where the neck and body form a nonstop curve. The first is common from the Geometric period (900 BC) to the decline of Greek pottery. The second appeared in the 7 th century BC.
The height of amphora varies from large Geometric pots of 5 feet, to 12 inches, or even smaller (the smallest are called amphoriskoi). The average normal height is about 18 inches. Amphora, which survive in great numbers, were used as storage and transport containers for olives, cereal, oil, and wine (the wine amphora measures to about 41 quarts). They were also used for funerals and as grave markers. Another use for them was the painted ones were used to give out as prizes. Hydria is a large water vessel in Greek pottery in the Archaic period (750480 BC) and the Classical period (480330 BC).
It was made in both black-figure and the red-figure pottery styles. The hydria is very different because it has three handles: a pair of small, horizontal handles at the sides for lifting and a large, vertical handle at the neck for dipping and pouring. Kantharos, also spelled cantharos, is a drinking cup in Attic Greek pottery from the period of the red-figure and black-figure styles. The kantharos has the style and form of a deep cup, with loop-shaped handles that rises from the bottom of the body and lasts until high above the rim. Kraters, also spelled Crater, is an ancient Greek vessel used for diluting wine with water. It usually stood on a stand or tripod in the dining room, where wine was mixed.
Kraters were made of metal or pottery and were usually painted. The Greek historian Herodotus describes many enormous and costly kraters dedicated at temples or religious ceremonies. Kraters are large, with a wide body and base and usually a wide mouth. They may have horizontal handles placed near the base, or vertical handles rising from the shoulder. Kylix, also spelled Cylix, is wide-bowled drinking cup with horizontal handles, it is one of the most popular pottery forms from Mycenaean times through the classical Athenian period. There was usually a painted wide horizontal band around the outer surface, showing a story from mythology or everyday life.
Oinochoe, also spelled Enochoe, was used as a wine jug from the classical time period of Greek pottery. A graceful vessel with curved handles and a curve shaped mouth, the oinochoe was brought back during the Renaissance and during the Neoclassical period of the 18 th century In conclusion, most of the pottery styles, shapes, types, and designs have come from the Greeks. Much of the modern pottery has been created by mimicking some form of Greek pottery style. Throughout all of the centuries of pottery it ended up dying off.
Although the art of Greek pottery had lost its importance during the 5 th century BC, some peoples heritage like the Mexican culture have continued on making pottery because it is a way of honoring family tradition, but for what ever reason, we should still acknowledge its importance. Everything that was in perenthisies and had a number next to it means that it is a cite that came out of a book. example; (smith 12) the word smith is the last name of the author and the number 12 is the page number that the info was found on.
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