Visual Analysis of The Power of Ancient Greek Heroes
Jun Chu, 80777295
Basic Description of the Two Objects from Getty Villa
The black-figured storage jar was made in the Classical period of Ancient Greek in 550 BCE It is made from terracotta, a material that is fragile to break but is also accessible. It is moderately heavy. It has an amphora shape that has a low center of gravity, which helps it keep stable when filled with water. There are also two handles on each side above the body and a short neck and a spread-out top. The technique adopted in this case is the black figure that artist first painted out the design in black on the red-based pottery, and used needles to mark out the details on the figure, and then put the pottery into fire. …show more content…
The content depicts the Greek hero Herakles killing the Nemean lion as one of the 12 miracles he has achieved. As the legend says, “since the lion’s hide was invulnerable to weapons, the hero [Herakles] wrestled the beast to the ground and strangled it. He then skinned it with its own claw and thereafter wore its pelt for protection.”[ Wall Label, the Getty Villa] The legend came from the well-known Homer’s Epic so everybody who has read or heard it, no matter the time she lives in, will understand the content with ease because of the special design of the lion’s head with spreading hard fur. The whole jar has a black base color but only the upper space has been used for painting the red figures. Therefore, the whole body of the vessel is divided into two parts clearly and attracts people’s focus fully on the upper space. Some meander patterns are arranged in a line to represent the horizon. It only uses black and …show more content…
These contents are perfect for the celebration like symposium, the drinking party for every male and courtesan in Athens, because people would like to drink happily. The classical period is when Greeks had the most self-confidence that they admired and depicted people idealistically. The vessels themselves would be filled with water for producing wine.
Besides the difference in the red and black-figured technique, we can see an apparent distinction of colors used on the background. The amphora is painted more than black and red in the patterns, which gives a complicated and delicate sense of decoration. The hydria only has black and red, which endows the whole jar a sense of simplicity.
Both Herakles and Theseus are famous heroes in the Greek culture that devoted to the peace and development of Athens. People at that time admired and worshiped their power, strength, and courage, which were the core values of Athenians. Therefore, it is not hard to understand why people would like to see them exclusively on the symposium so that under the effect of alcohol, they could feel themselves as strong and inspired as those heroes they
Jun Chu, 80777295
Basic Description of the Two Objects from Getty Villa
The black-figured storage jar was made in the Classical period of Ancient Greek in 550 BCE It is made from terracotta, a material that is fragile to break but is also accessible. It is moderately heavy. It has an amphora shape that has a low center of gravity, which helps it keep stable when filled with water. There are also two handles on each side above the body and a short neck and a spread-out top. The technique adopted in this case is the black figure that artist first painted out the design in black on the red-based pottery, and used needles to mark out the details on the figure, and then put the pottery into fire. …show more content…
The content depicts the Greek hero Herakles killing the Nemean lion as one of the 12 miracles he has achieved. As the legend says, “since the lion’s hide was invulnerable to weapons, the hero [Herakles] wrestled the beast to the ground and strangled it. He then skinned it with its own claw and thereafter wore its pelt for protection.”[ Wall Label, the Getty Villa] The legend came from the well-known Homer’s Epic so everybody who has read or heard it, no matter the time she lives in, will understand the content with ease because of the special design of the lion’s head with spreading hard fur. The whole jar has a black base color but only the upper space has been used for painting the red figures. Therefore, the whole body of the vessel is divided into two parts clearly and attracts people’s focus fully on the upper space. Some meander patterns are arranged in a line to represent the horizon. It only uses black and …show more content…
These contents are perfect for the celebration like symposium, the drinking party for every male and courtesan in Athens, because people would like to drink happily. The classical period is when Greeks had the most self-confidence that they admired and depicted people idealistically. The vessels themselves would be filled with water for producing wine.
Besides the difference in the red and black-figured technique, we can see an apparent distinction of colors used on the background. The amphora is painted more than black and red in the patterns, which gives a complicated and delicate sense of decoration. The hydria only has black and red, which endows the whole jar a sense of simplicity.
Both Herakles and Theseus are famous heroes in the Greek culture that devoted to the peace and development of Athens. People at that time admired and worshiped their power, strength, and courage, which were the core values of Athenians. Therefore, it is not hard to understand why people would like to see them exclusively on the symposium so that under the effect of alcohol, they could feel themselves as strong and inspired as those heroes they