Greek Art and Pottery

Archaic Greece

In Greece’s transition from the Dark Age into

the final stages of the Archaic period, artistic change accompanied political change.

DARK AGE Simplistic geometric designs on plain jars and

pitchers

Geometric Art

EARLY ARCHAIC AGE – 9th to 8th centuries

Vases 1.5m and more in height were completely covered with narrow encircling bands of small tight zigzags, triangles, diamonds, swastikas, and occasionally circles.

Geometric Art

MID ARCHAIC AGE – 8th century

Animal and human figures appear as a minor part of the decoration, usually in bands of repetitive little figurines, normally reduced to silhouetted geometric shapes.

Human figures with triangle torsos, blob like heads, stick arms and bulged legs.

Animals with this elongated necks and legs

Geometric Art

Gradually as Greek culture prospered, the stiff

geometric silhouette became looser, details appeared, and scenes began to develop which occupied more space.

Geometric bands soon swerved as borders for scenes with figures that slowly became more natural.

Evolution of Geometric Art

Vase painting throughout this period was in the

Corinthian black figure style, with figures painted in black on a surface which preserved the reddish colour of the clay.

The black colour was achieved through painting the clay with a slip which turned black in the heat of the kiln

Details were incised with a sharp tool, so a red line showed through the black.

Scenes included everyday activities such as men gathering olives as well as incidents from mythology such as Heracles.

Vase Painting – Black Figure

At about 530 BC, Athenian vase painters

began using a new technique, essentially the opposite of the black figure technique.

Figures were outlined on the red clay surface of the vase and the background was then filled with black.

Details were not scratched on, but painted on with a fine brush, creating firm lines.

Ultimately this would evolve into images of realistically drawn bodies with detailed costumes.

Vase painting – Red Figure