This paper will employ a close visual analysis of the White-Ground Lekythos, which is attributed to the Reed Painter circa 450-400 B.C.E. on ceramic with paint.
A lekythos is a specific type of ancient Greek vase that was used to store perfume or oil.
Lekythoi that were decorated with the white-ground technique were typically used as offerings for the afterlife that families placed in the graves of deceased loved ones (Gardener’s Art Through The Ages 75). This particular White-Ground Lekythos depicts a young man mourning the loss of a loved one.
“In Ancient Greece the word lekythos and its diminutive form, lekythion had a broader meaning than the modern, archaeological term ‘lekythos’. Not only in Athens, but also elsewhere in the Greek
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Lekythoi were decorated in several different ways, and each type of decoration was used for a specific purpose. Lekythoi decorated with the commonly seen ancient Greek black or red figures were used for storing oil. Pieces that are decorated with the white-ground technique; which gets its name from the powdery white slip that provides a background for the figures, were created specifically for funerary purposes and rituals (Gardener’s Art . The white- ground slips of these vases were commonly painted with depictions of the events of an ancient Greek funeral, the most popular being visitation of the grave, and the process of the deceased moving into the afterlife. Ancient Greek painters used a variety of rich colors to apply decoration of the funeral process and patterns.
The wide rimmed ring of space located at the top of the lekythos was commonly decorated with a pattern called palmette. Discovering a palmette pattern is not unusual to find on a lekythos, and many other types of ancient Greek pottery. The different variations in color, design, pattern, intricacy and brushstroke can help determine the ancient painter. Because the colors were not fired directly on the white-ground, they are not necessarily as permanent as the black gloss; therefore overtime the vivid colors and detailed decoration will
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The mourner’s role is expressed by his pose; he leans forward as if trying to communicate with the deceased. The mourning man is positioned so that the viewer will see him three-dimensionally, with his shoulders foreshortened so that his left shoulder is hidden from our eyes. The majority of the pigment on the White-Ground Lekythos has either flaked off or faded away over time. However, there remains a faint gray stain on the white-ground where detailed patterns previously existed. The man shown on the White-Ground Lekythos has been drawn as an outline, with details like his muscles and the outer borders of his clothing. This outline was created with a black pigment, which was also fired onto the vase. The stillness and calm body language of the man depict the ancient Greek values of restraint and
The authors talked about the two natural contexts that is used by prehistoric mud glyph artists: alluvial mud bank and thin clay veneers. The authors claim that they understand the used and the preservations of the alluvia...
A Greek funerary plaque, these often decorated the walls of ancient tombs, created in a beautiful terracotta medium. These are dated in the late sixth century BC. Often these plaques would show different funeral customs, myths associated with death, or events within the culture.
The difference between an archaic statue such as Kroisos (fig. 5-11) and a classical statue such as Doryphoros (fig. 5-42) may not seem very great in a single glance. In fact, you may not notice any differences in that one glance. Yet, if you were to look at them closely, you can see that these two statues actually have very little in common.
The Ancient Egyptian sculpture, “Statue of Nykara and His Family”, was sculpted during the late fifth dynasty. The sculpture is a depiction of Nykara, his wife, Nubkau, and son, Ankhma-Re. The statue is in poor condition with pieces of limestone missing and chips on the three subject’s faces and bodies. The painted limestone shows the conventional colors for the male and female subjects. There is a clear discoloration among Nykara and his son’s bodies. The brownish red color they once were has eroded to a light yellowish color, which resembles the purposeful color of Nykara’s wife. The hieroglyphs on Nykara’s seat insinuate that the sculpture is meant to be viewed from the front view. This is also evident by the way the three subjects are facing forward in frontal view. There are hieroglyphs on both the chair and base of the statue near Nykara’s wife and son’s feet.
Burckhardt, Jacob, The Greeks and Greek Civilization, St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10010, 1998.
Through the means of commemorating and remembering those of prestige and importance, tombs and sarcophagi are produced of these individuals. This funerary manner and distinctive burial practice was initiated Etruscan culture and it developed through the means of cremation and inhumation in earns. The concept of placing the remains of individuals in elaborate, thought out spaces was a valuable attribute of these people. The Etruscan objective of creating the best possible outcome in the afterlife dictated the way in which individuals ornamented and became portrayed in their tombs. Presen...
Throughout the history of Ancient Greece thousands of great works of art were produced. Works were created in many different media, ranging from life-size statues to larger than life architectural structures. One type of art that can sometimes be overlooked, though, is pottery. There are many examples of great Greek pottery, but the two that will be used as a sample are Artemis Slaying Actaeon and Woman and Maid. By considering the backgrounds of these works, and comparing them directly we are able get a taste not only of the artistic styles of the time, but also a taste of ancient Greek culture.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
During the third intermediate period, the symbolic images of servants were painted inside the tombs to aid the deceased in the afterworld. This practice developed into the usage of mummy-like statuettes known as Ushabti, which is a small statue, found to be in 22nd Dynasty, 800BCE; it was believed to turn into a servant after attaining the afterlife, therefore it was buried with the body (Stevens).
The pieces of sculpture are both carved using the subtractive method of sculpting from stone. However, the types of stone used were very different. The sculpture of Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II was carved from a stone called greywacke, a dark colored, very hard stone the Egyptians prized for sculpture despite the fact t...
The development of an empire is a change strongly emphasized in the Archeology as a radical departure from the Hellenic tradition, and consequently a major source of conflict among the Greeks. Prior to the adven...
Greek art is considered as a turning point for the development of all aspects of cultural art history, such as architecture, sculpture, pottery and painting. The ancient Greek civilization was famous for its mythical and aesthetic principle in the art culture. Renowned for the pottery, Greek had developed its unique painting technique called the black-figured. “Achilles and Ajax playing Dice” by Exekias is the most significant black-figure amphora for its iconography and that represents the ideal art principle and history of the ancient Greece.
"Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Lipton explains the color of her work, “I work exclusively in black and white because it is the color of memory, old movies, and ancient family photographs. It's moonlit and haunted. It echoes.” Lipton traveled and studied abroad for 36 years, and “when traveling around Europe as a student, she began developing her very own peculiar drawing technique building up tone.” To set the dreary tone of her drawings, Lipton uses cross-hatching lines which characterize the deficiency in color of her work. The root behind Lipton’s drawings exist because of the death of her mother who passed away battling cancer. In an interview, Lipton explains that “death is an ending. It makes life and people precious.” Lipton uses life experiences to reflect her dark humor and addresses that skulls tend to look like they’re laughing at us, showing a sense of acceptance and fearlessness in death. The young girl embraces the skeleton, showing the audience that death is not to be feared. The drawings done by Lipton express the characteristics of motherhood by portraying life experiences that resemble the darkness of death, but also the happiness in afterlife and unconditional love found in
In modern society, Greek pottery is considered an art which is regarded as much for its aesthetic splendor as its historical significance. However, the role of pottery in ancient Greek culture was far more functional as its primary use was for the transportation and storage of such liquids as water and wine (Encyclopedia Britannica). Due to the durability of the fired clay material, Greek pottery is the only remaining art form that allows us to explore the evolution of this ancient culture. Through that examination, three distinct stylistic periods have been unveiled: Geometric, Orientalizing and Archaic. This analysis will detail these distinct periods as well as three design techniques prevalently used: black figure, red figure and white ground