Individual Blog: Greek Vase Pottery

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/31.11.11

The Column-Krater is a Greek vase pottery that was created around 550 B.C. Lydos is the creator of the Attic vase painter. Lydos is known to have done a hundred vases and others follow his technique. On the Column-Krater are women, kids, and wine. They are apart of a symposium, which many people interpret as a drinking party. The Athenian and other Greek societies are known to have conducted the symposium. The women, kids, and the wine were ingredients in the symposium. In the symposium, the general public or citizens would gather together to conduct business and engage into a very serious dialogue. The wine was buffered with water before it was served.  The black-decorated vases tended to be mythological before the last quarter of the last sixth century. This Column-Krater is able to hold 19 gallons of wine it is one of the first revealed that depict women, kids, and wine. 

            The subject of the vase is Hephaistos, son of Zeus and Hera, returning to Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus s the home of the gods which Hephaistos was exiled from by his mother. Okeanos daughter took Hephaistos and tendered him. During that period he became a craftsman. He sent his mother a fabulous throne that trapped her because the springs relaxed not allowing her to get up. He was the only one that could get her off the throne. Hephaistos was subdued with wine by Dionysos was convinced to release his mother. There are twenty-seven satyrs and maenads inscribed around the vase.

Dionysos leads the procession on one side wearing long garments and Ivey garland on his head. Dionysos hold a drinking horn called a keras and a vine. He is surrounded by the satyrs which are shaggy creatures that have horse tails and ears. The maenads also follow which are female worshipers of the wine god that are wearing animal skins over their dresses. They all go in the same direction dancing in an energetic manner. Hephaistos rides a donkey in the occasion. He is wearing a small dress and takes a drinking horn. The satyrs are busy doing choirs like playing the aulos, another holding the drinking horn and others face the spectators. The form of each figure contrasts clearly with the background. The composition is a decorative design.  “Incised lines and added white and red glaze make livelier the black silhouettes.”

Source: Attributed to Lydos: Column-krater (31.11.11) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Group Blog; Egpyt Project

I do not know how to embed the Ancient Egyptian Art project on this blog but I have put a site that it can be reached at. 

http://prezi.com/pcei9bkrlofx/ancient-egyptian-project/

Individual Blog 8 Part 2----Floating in the Air

http://www.artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=3084

                                                             The Spanish Manner

                                                             Floating in Air

During Goya lifetime, he only made seven albums. These include painting and drawings. The drawings are kept in a box to protect them from UV radiation. His drawing generate a great amount of imagination. The drawing are finished and they look like paintings. Goya uses inscription in his drawing but they are more complicated than cartoon. The reason is that the drawing can be interpreted in different ways. The drawing allow Goya to comment on his life with their great imagination without really being understood by the wrong people. I am trying to say that he can hide a message in the drawing like political without being detected. 

            “The Spanish Manner,” Rogozijo is one of the drawings that Goya drew. It was drawn I was drawn in the 1816-20. Two heavy dressed humans are in the drawing floating in the air with no ground below them. There are clouds in the sky. They are free floating in the air like in a vacuum. The inscription says that they are in the air because they are experiencing pure joy. There are castanets in the hand of the upper person. At the time Goya did the drawing, the castanets stood for happiness. That is understandable that they are swept of their feet by joy.  Further examining it brings about different questions: Whys are they old people? Old people can experience joy, but there is an unattractive physical appearance displayed by the figures. Another question is, “Are they real people?” This is an open ended question. It depends on what the observer thinks. There is no exact answer provided for the question. Goya is very ambiguous in his drawing.  The drawing of the garments is done fine. He used shadow and light in the drawing like on the skirt.

             I agree with the author that Goya drawing do induce great amount of imagination. He is making the observer think in many ways to interpret the artist true intention. The thesis is that Goya drawings are open-ended in interpretation. The author explains his point through the article like the absence of the ground make one think that the figures are in the air, or maybe they are dead etc…. This reminds me of the Parthenon article about why they the architect made to curvatures. One can not know an exact intention of the artist or architect.

Individual Blog 8 Part 1---Funerary Krater

Funerary Krater

              Large Funerary vessels were made between 900 and 700 BCE as grave markers. Many grave markers have been found at the ancient cemetery in Athens. On the funerary, there is a pictorial record of the burial ritual that was performed. There is great detail depicted on the vessel. According to the Stockstad, the body is placed at the top of the vessel lying on the side ready to be cremated. There are people standing on each side with their arms over their head to imply the gesture of anguish and mourning. In this vessel, there are horse-drawn chariot and foot-soldiers who with their defined physical appearance, move in a glum procession. The shields can be a representation of a military person, or represent a very important person.  There are geometric figures used to represent humans in the picture. There are triangles used for torsos and head, round dots for the eyes, long and thin rectangles for the arms. The figures have tiny waists. Three dimensional form illusions taking over real space have been avoided. There is a rhythm of repeated features on the vessel to create a deep sense of human loss to many.  Opposed to the Egyptian death perspective, the Grecian dead enter an area of mystery and obscurity that a living human can not define.  

            The Funerary Krater caught my attention when it was discussed in class.  It is remarkable that the Grecian could create such an art work. I would not be able to create 1% of it. The depictions of the ceremony with the entire geometric figure in there are very well defined. The different views between the egyptians and the Grecian concerning death make me think about their different culture. They are very close to each other, so why not have similar death theories. This vessel reminds me of Narmer palette. The way that the lines are defines and how a story is told. This vessel makes me want one to be put on my grave when I am gone.

Blog 7--Group

This is the same blog as the downtown Presbyterian church blog