Ancient Greek and Egyptian art played a significant role in modern day artwork and culture. Pieces from these times were often used to worship higher powers, whether that be a god, a king, or just someone that held significant importance to the people. Both cultures favorably used three-dimensional artwork such as ceramics and sculpture, as ways to display this worship. Greek vase painting was popularly used for storytelling, through the scenes painted on the vases. Egyptian sculpture was used to recreate and idealize individuals that were important to history. These pieces of artwork help us to know and retell the stories of these times.
Greek vases had specific structures and designs that were dependent on the actual use of the vessel itself. Some of shapes were hydria, used to pour and carry water; stamnos, used to mix water and wine; kylix, a drinking cup used for special occasions; and an amphora, which was used to store water or food or even used as a grave marker. When an amphora was used as a grave marker, it usually depicted scenes of animals and people and usually of the person buried in that grave.
This design on this Amphora is very intriguing to me because of how much of the surface area is covered with designs. It was quite common for pottery from Ancient Greece to be fully covered with designs and not leave any empty spaces.
Dipylon Amphora found in the Diplyan Gate in Athens Greece. This pot is five feet and one inch tall, and it is used to mark the grave of a woman. We can tell this by the figures painted on the pot, there is a woman lying on a grave with people crowded around her that look like they are in mourning.
Greek vase painting consisted of many techniques that we still used in modern day pottery, but we have also advanced in terms of technology. One example of this is the way that ceramic artwork was fired; the process included three lengthy steps to ensure that the pot came out how the artist wanted. The last step of this process included firing the pot at a high enough temperature so that the slip used would provide a glossy finish. Slip is a clay-based paint that artists used to illustrate designs on the pots and when it is fired properly, it forms a glossy coating and turns black. Today, a firing can take as little time as 12 hours, which may seem like a long time but compared to the time it took to fire the pots in Ancient Greece, we have made significant improvements. Also, as modern artists we use a similar type of ceramic paint called glaze. Although, this glaze can be multiple colors and have different properties, it still fires the same way as the slip and has the same effect.
Gondek, Dr. Renee M. “Greek Vase-Painting, an Introduction.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/greek-pottery/a/greek-vase-painting-an-introduction?modal=1. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
Zucker, Dr. Steven, and Dr. Beth Harris. “Dipylon Amphora (Video) | Pottery.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/greek-pottery/v/dipylon-vase. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
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