presentation on Ancient Greek Vases (Archaic period) essays

presentation on Ancient Greek Vases (Archaic period) essays What is the archaic period in terms of art? The archaic period is a crucial time in the evolution of greek culture and is well known for its innovations, especially in art. Artists were pushed to develop their skills in new ways and development from this time was continuous and unbroken. Trade was increasing and so the greeks had more contact with non-greeks and their artistic styles. They were influenced by the ornaments coming into greece from the near east and you can clearly see this in the new styles that formed. There was an increase in wealth in general and this lead to a greater show of splendour in festivals that could not be matched by the vase painters, therefore forcing them to adapt and improved their style. The style at the time was the geometric. See sheet for example. This vase is an amphora and is over 1 Â ½ meters high so a very impressive piece of art. It was used as a grave marker. Although the vase is huge the pattern on it is small and intricate. It has been split up into a series of friezes using strong black lines grouped into threes. In some places the patterns are very simple, like diamonds and triangles, whereas at other parts of the vase they get more complicated like some of the meanders you can see. The patterns are usually sharp and angular and the lines usually vertical or horizontal. The artist has used the patterning to emphasise the different structural parts of the vase, the cylindrical neck, expanding shoulder and wide belly tapering to the foot of the vase. There are two friezes on the neck that differ from the rest of the friezes. These depict grazing deer and reclining goats. Although these are representations of living creatures there is no hint of life or movement. The animals have been styalised into patterns and disciplined to fit into the decorative scheme. The focal point of the vase is between the handles. Here the frieze is larger and depicts mourners expressing thei...