Volute Krater Made In Greece: Art Analysis

For this analysis, the artwork I selected a Volute Krater made in Greece during the 4th century B.C.E. The artist, The Underworld Painter, uses several lines, especially in the temple made for Atlas. The horizontal and vertical lines give the temple definite shape because of the thickness and they signify that a hero who has died, is the focal point on the back of the vase. The artist also uses curved lines at the top of the vase to show the richness of detail and drive the story further. The artist also uses the pointing hands of several figures to show a psychological point; Atlas on his throne and Selene driving her chariot. Another element the artist used was the use of red, black, and orange (by mixing red and yellow) colors. The black creates a contrast to the orange and reveals the importance of the figures in orange. The basic hue of the vase is red and …show more content…
The artist uses an afocal emphasis because there are multiple stories going on and even the smallest details have some significance. For example, there are forbidden apples that are guarded by snake and there are women playing music and s head of a goddess at the top, and on the back each person is holding something different and not making it really clear who the hero is and his significance. The artist also uses the repetition of swirls and pillars at the top that go around the border of the vase and other back the wreath-style along the border which are used as decorative ornamentation with a simple repetitive rhythm throughout the vase. Another example, is that above the tomb there are three sets of feather-like patterns that are the same. However, the rhythm give the painting a sense of separate artistry, because there are several situations happening in the center of the vase and then when you travel farther up, it is just patterns and swirls filling in the gap so the artwork feels somewhat disconnected and