Greek Vases

Drew Gilmore

Art History 201

Section 302

Fall 2013

A period of vase crafting emerged in Ancient Greece during the sixth century BCE. Many different techniques were used to create the various vases. Specifically, the black-figure technique was used to create the Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora of 520-500 BCE attributed to a Chuisi painter, and was also used by a Goltyr painter in Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora of 564-550 BCE. By first looking at the shape and composition of the vase done by the Chuisi painter, and then comparing it to the Goltyr painter’s vase, one can find the meaning and function of the Ancient Greek vases.

The Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora of 520-500 BCE attributed to a Chuisi painter can be examined through shape, composition, and technique. The shape of the Chuisi painter’s is skinny at the bottom, then bulges out in the middle of the vase, and returns to a skinnier circumference on top. The vase has two handles on either side. The decoration of the vase shows Herakles fighting Appolo for the Delphic Tripod on one side, and Herakles fighting Triton on the other. The figures dominate a majority of the composition. Simple shapes surround the bottom of the vase, while more intricate shapes are around the top. These shapes provide contrast and bring focus to the main figures. The figure style shows much detail and provides a proportional anatomy. The technique of the vase is the black-figure technique, which uses black silhouettes painted on a red vase. This vase is similar to many Greek vases of the sixth century, like Exekias’s amphoras (pg. 120), which were also done with the black-figure technique and had two figures that dominated the composition. By examining the shape and composition of Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora of 520-500 BCE attributed to a Chuisi painter, one can reveal that such a vase could have been made for a temple or a shrine.

The Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora of 520-500 BCE attributed to a Chuisi painter is...