Visual Analysis Paper - Greek Pottery

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Visual Analysis Paper-Greek Pottery
Introduction
The Dark Age refers to a period in Greece when Dorian troops invaded the Mycenaean empire and gained control over a large area, in the process acquiring huge tracts of land and slaves (Tanner 23). Mycenaean downfall led to the disintegration of all knowledge on painting, construction, reading, writing, and sculpture as invaders were determined to assimilate their culture into their captives. However, one form of art, pottery, persisted through this period particularly vase painting. Vase painting marked the commencement of graphic art in Greece and other parts of the world, and it was seen as the most durable form of art due to its ability to survive for a longer period compared to other types of artwork. During the 8th century, independent city-states started to emerge in Greece, a period that was marked by the formation of colonies to facilitate trading between Greece and other regions of the world such as Egypt and Asian countries (Tanner 23). The interaction between Greece and other countries during trade played a key role in the transformation of Greek art regarding techniques and styles, and these changes were noticeable and apparent in all pottery works done in subsequent centuries. This essay will present a comprehensive analysis of the similarities and differences contained in pottery vases that existed in different periods of ancient Greece (Tanner 24). The pieces that will be analyzed include those that were made in Geometric, Orientalizing, Archaic and classical periods. Specific vases from each period will be evaluated putting much emphasis on how different techniques and styles such as red and black figure were developed because of cultural integration with the neighboring regions.
I. Geometric Period---Heron Class Olla (c. 750 BCE)
The Heron Class Olla picture is the first form of vase painting that will be analyzed in details. The piece was first introduced in 750 BCE, a period referred to as the geometric period, and it is the first period of Greek pot painting. The term “Geometric period” originated from the fact that artists utilized geometric shapes such as squares, spirals, triangles, and diamonds to paint their vessels. In most of the times, vases made during this period were used to pay tribute to the dead, and they were usually found in cemeteries. Water and wine were poured into the geometric period vases as a form of offering to the dead. Also, these vessels were used for storytelling where the narratives were portrayed in sections that surrounded the vessel and were divided into registers.
The “Heron Class Olla” was used as a food storage vessel and was first made in a region known as Etruria by artists who were working for rich Etruscan patrons. Despite being a simple vessel, it is easier to identify the features depicting the Greek culture within the schematic patterns and design used on the pot. The vase has distinctive lines running from the tip of the pot to its base. On the other hand, the pot has distinct lines running across its width as bands in different thicknesses where the thinner lines are located close to the middle, whereas the thicker ones at the base and the neck of the vase. As indicated above, the use of lines of different breadths signifies the application of registers in dividing vases into various distinctive sections that had various meanings.
Moreover, the use of equal spacing between the lines together with the irregular squares on the upper register reveals the application of a geometric style. In addition to decoration, another defining feature used in early geometric period is silhouettes to represent animal life. In this piece, there is a clear indication of a transformation from Greek to the Etruscan culture whereby birdlike silhouettes have been inserted in the middle register. The birdlike creatures look like herons, which are a unique characteristic of decoration found in Etruscan pottery. The beautiful short vertical lines located right below the heron-like figures could be representing life in the form of plants. A figure that resembles a horse is painted on the top register feeding on what appears to be shrubbery.
One of the prominent features about the horse is its fragile torso area which is a technique that resembles the one utilized on one of the sculptures called Bronze Horse during the geometric period. It is apparent that the Bronze Horse was made with a skinny torso revealing a close relationship between the sculptures and pot artists during the Geometric period. These individuals used similar ideologies found during this period. The application of bright hues in the paintings was one way in which geometric paintings stood out. It is important to note that, the use of human-like images or figures did not show up until the later stages of the Geometric era.


II. Orientalizing period Perfume Flask (c. 600 BCE)
The Orientalizing period is an era between 700 and 600 BCE, which was characterized by a tremendous increase in population, colonization, and trade. During this period, there was also a pronounced cultural interchange between Greece and other countries such as Assyria and Egypt and Greek Artists were inspired to integrate the styles of art used by these civilizations into their pottery work (Tanner 27). Coincidentally, the Greek alphabet was invented and as such recording traditions of Greek heroic novels using Egyptian papyrus was made possible unlike in the previous era. The perfume flask below is one of the vases that were crafted during the Orientalizing period. The work portrayed in the perfume flask reveals the transformation of geometric period art to a new type. The focus now shifted from using more of the motifs to utilizing more of life forms with mythical features (Tanner 28). The perfume flask has ro...