Greek Black Figure Essay

The Classical period of ancient Greece is known for the flourish of scientific, political, mathematical, and artistic innovation. The Classical period extends from the late 6th century to 4th century B.C. During this time the people of Greece saw a move towards naturalism compared to the art of the Archaic period that preceded it. Sculptures grew less stylized, instead they focussed on replicating the human form as seen in life. Depiction of figures on vases also became naturalistic; however, they retained a level of stylization due to their flatness.
The city-state of Athens was a major power during the classical period. Known for their ceramics the Athenian pottery industry was a desired export throughout the Mediterranean and Eastern world. Black-figure was the common technique of vase painting in Athens up until 525 B.C., when the red-figure technique was invented and then surpassed black-figure as the commonly used style. Black and red-figure techniques are similar in process, but reversed in execution. When the background remains the red clay color while the figures are painted black with white details added on it is black-figure. Red-figure is when the …show more content…
Persephone - the daughter of Demeter- was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the underworld; Demeter, after losing her daughter went into a despair killing all the crops. Zeus eventually intervened demanding that for half the year Persephone be released to her mother. On the Krater Persephone is being reunited with her mother, lead by Hermes and Hekate. Red-figure is a technique that the Athenians invented around 530 B.C.E. Black-figure technique, where the background remains the red clay color while the figures are painted black with details done in white, is the opposite of red-figure, where the background is painted black, figures are left the clay color, and details are in