Greek Pottery: Neck-amphora

This amphora was created by the artist Exekias in around 540 BCE and used as an all-purpose storage jar. It is a black figure piece, which means that glaze was applied to the people and shapes and when fired, the glazed areas would turn black and the unfinished areas would be reddish orange. They would later finish the piece by detailing the objects and people and adding white and red glaze in certain areas over the figures. This really brings out the contrast of color and draws the eye in to the picture on the belly of the vase.

This particular piece is very detailed and decorated in almost every inch of the pot. It portrays a wedding scene with two people in the carriage that are being pulled by two horses. There are also three more figures in the picture; a woman facing the chariot, a man walking behind the horses, and a small scaled man leading the horses. The reverse side is very similar to this. It is unknown if this is a depiction of a marriage of gods or just regular people. It seems so divine and ornate that it could easily be applied to a union of gods.

Pattern and repetition are also used on the top and bottom of the amphora. On the top there is a repeated floral pattern on the neck and a battle scene surrounding the top of the vase. On the bottom there are repeated images of lotus flowers and the Greek keys. The work as a whole is very symmetrical and balanced by color and visual weight of the figures versus ground. 

The Modern Egyptian

The Modern Egyptian Link

The Dying Warrior

              The work I chose to write about this week is the Dying Warrior that we studied in class. The warriors are wounded on the ground and it appears that they are struggling to get up even though their wounds are beyond repair. Even though they are hurt so badly they still seem to appear to balance gracefully on their sides. On their faces there is a small smile known as the archaic smile that makes them look content even in near death. The texture of the skin is so much more realistic than ever before. It almost looks like silk because it’s so smooth. Also, the facial features and body types are much more proportional to real life. The materials used were a hard stone or marble. There are also many strong diagonal lines in these pieces that represent motion and movement.

            The sculptures come from Athena in around 490 BCE. They were made to be put on the west pediment of the Temple of Aphaia. It represents the struggles of ancient Greek and a tribute to the men lost in war. Since then they were taken down and are now seen as sculptures on their own. However at the time they were used to decorate architecture and to communicate a message of war and history to the people.

           

             

Art Brings Hope to Haiti

The article I read was about how art is being used in Haiti to bring up the spirits of those affected by the earthquake at the beginning of the year. It’s being used as a healing power and a therapy to convey emotions to express themselves. People of all ages are taking part in this process to take the focus off the devastation and put their energy into something hopeful and uplifting. Right now they are in between receiving help and financial aid so it’s a difficult time and art therapy is needed even more because of this.

            Personally, I really love the idea that they are using art as a form of healing and bringing it into a situation where so much as been lost. I think it sends across a powerful message. It also gives the people of Haiti a chance to respond and react to this natural disaster and get their feelings out in a beautiful format. The point is proven by giving many examples of people and colleges that are currently practicing this technique. In class we have studied art that was made for all kinds of purposes. The theme for these pieces of work seems to be hope and inspiration in an otherwise dark time.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1013/Art-lifts-hope-in-Haiti