Amphora with Scene from the Iliad - Essay Example

Amphora with Scene from the Iliad ‘Amphora with Scene from the Iliad’ is an outstanding exemplary piece of art traced back to the c.520 BC that has caught the public eye consisting of the art lovers who poured limitless admiration to the art piece. The ceramic artefact is the profound work of a Greek artist going by the name of Hattattt Painter and stands 10 5/16 ×5 ½ inches (Osborne 96). The legendary art piece tells of a story of war in the ancient Greece because the painting on the vessel depicts two soldiers in a battle with body armour and spears both wielded with expertise. The right hand holding the spears connoting to their willingness to fight to the death and shields on their left with Corinthian helmets showing the willingness to win and defend. The third character appears to be fleeing from the war scene is Paris, a prince disguising as a woman in a dress and carrying arrows that would lead to the demise of Achilles. The ceramic vessel- Amphora, symbolises a funeral mood because the vessel main purpose involved carrying ash of the dead even though the vessel was used a liquid jar as well. Museum of fine arts harbours the ceramic piece in its opulent art shelves located in Houston, Texas. Two important art techniques are noticeable in the piece; Greek pottery and Greek pottery painting. Examination of the combination of the two styles and techniques hold equally importance in analysis in detail of the ‘Amphora with Scene’ from the Iliad and the culture it gets associated with. The Amphora takes the shape of a slender and tall jar that its main aim was to store liquids and grains like water, wines, oils and grains depending on the home usage (Williams 87). The shape of the vessel told of Greece mode of economic activity showing intense trading of the commodities stored in the jar like olive oil and grains. Greek pottery is properly portrayed with the amphorae shape; however the main show of the versatility and expression was shown by the painting on the vessel. The amphorae shape was the most common shape in ancient Greek showing settlement and prosperity in trade. Archaeologist can trace the artwork back to the period 1050-550 BC a time characterized by transition of cultural ages and techniques the pottery art passed through (Marlowe & Nash 112). The stages are protogeometrical pottery, 1000-900 BC, orientalised pottery, 900-600 BC, and Black figure pottery, 600 BC (Williams 88). Protogeometrical pottery was a time of employing geometric principles in pottery decorations in ancient Greece (Sparkes 125). It involved the use of symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes. Amphora with Scene from the Iliad beauty originates from the symmetrical well organized geometrical shapes in black that go round the jar. This showed a culture with stability and peace because the brushes and paint used spoke out of well crafts man ship due to available time. Complex nature of the pattern design is a testimony of the Orientalised Pottery. The Black paintings of the two soldiers and the fleeing Paris captures the black figure technique that is used to elaborate on real or abstract image creation and enhancement of the technique visibility revolved around the story that is being told in this case the war scenarios created by the weaponry. The pottery Painting technique tells a story about Greece ancient cultures and values. ‘The Amphora with Scene from the Iliad’ captures four aspects, economic prosperity, religious beliefs, peace, and stability (Sparkes 150). The economic aspect tops the chart in terms of visibility because the decoration of the Amphoras or jars was an indication that business entities wanted to improve their trade capacity hence employing a technique hard to resist by the buyers. The purpose of the jar indicated some expected level of economic activity (Osborne 187). Grain is a highly trading commodity in any ancient history as well as olive oil so the jar could symbolize agricultural prosperity and trade advancement. Archaeologists adduce such information based on the remains found in the jar after running some tests. The sophistication of the Amphora with Scene from the Iliad bases on the complexity of the brush strokes tell of a high level of expertise hence such like items were traded for high prices or used as royal gifts in making high political establishments. A culture that embraced a belief in higher power by the Athenians is noticeable on the art piece because the jar symbolised a funeral churn that carries remaining ashes of the dead a symbol related to the religious belief of the Ancient Greeks. The abstract figures drawn on the jar like Paris and Achillies are godly figures in the Greek culture. These shows the ancient Greek were very religious and true to their gods by engraving their figure in their immediate surroundings and homes. Peace and stability are correlated (Williams 90). Stability is achieved with peace hence the ability to diversify techniques by the Greeks who were now enjoying peace. Leadership structure is also based the peace and stability advocated for by the leaders. The Greek pottery painting appeared to communicating alot about the Greece culture but as observed above it can be noted that the Athenians enjoyed political and religious goodwill. The significance of this piece is the exemplary work of pottery makings, paintings and finishes at the top of the vessel to act as decorations but also tell the whole world a history that once existed. The ability to use black design technique proved a plus as far as abstract art creation is concerned and also to act in a manner to praise their Greek gods. 500 BC showed high levels of early forms of civilization because the level of expression was high to that particular faction that existed at the time (Osborne 300). The complexity of the brush stroke and the pattern formation show the prowess of the artists, who valued art culture. The black design technique was borrowed and assimilated from commodities coming in from Africa. the two major design techniques used were Greek pottery and Greek pottery painting that characterized the bronze age -later than 1500, that clay used to make the jars were brought in from international borders (Sparkes 149). Political power was present as well in the pottery piece because the fine finishing of the geometry shapes and the black figure was used by the royal status as goodwill gift to their fellow emissaries. ‘Amphora with Scene from the Iliad’ is a piece that is rich in cultural history that is helpful in providing information in regards to the Greek culture and beliefs. This characteristic is given by observing the work with keen eyes to notice the profound details that show the prowess of the Hatttatt painter at that early age that was characterized by a lot of darkness (Osborne 269). The pottery vessel portrayed the values of the Athenians in ancient Greece with their elaborate source of income and life. The fact that the Hattatt painter of the amphora had used black technique to paint figures on pottery showed a satisfied life based on trade as economic activity from outside Greece that was very lucrative and must have enriched a few individuals that participated aggressively. The pottery painting techniques of the early ages in time brought about specialization and ingenuity that developed the art landscape hence kept producing renowned artists like Euphronios back in the 600 BC who employed the use of red figure technique, which was an advancement of the black technique, employed majority of the Athenians. The fine arts museum of Houston may appear to offer a safe storage for the Amphora with Scene from the Iliad but in real sense, it held in its shelves one the influential piece of art that man ever created. Works Cited Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nash. Troy, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and More. New York: Aftermath, 2014. Osborne, James F. Approaching Monumentality in Archaeology. New York: SUNY Press, 2014. Sparkes, Brian. The Red and the Black: Studies in Greek Pottery. New York: Routledge, 2013. Williams, Dyfri. "Ancient Greek pottery." Ian Freestone, David Gaimster. Pottery in the Making: World Ceramic Traditions. London: British Museum Press, 1997. 86-93. Read More