18 Chapter 5.1: Greek Art: Overview, the Geometric and Orientalizing Periods, and Greek Vases

MODULE 5: GREEK ART, PART I: Overview, the Geometric and Orientalizing Periods, and Greek Vases

Ancient Greece is widely regarded as laying the foundation for Western civilization in the realm of politics, language, philosophy, theatre, art, and architecture. This module traces the evolution of Greek art and architecture through various sub-periods (Geometric, Orientalizing, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic). Each period in Greek art is marked by specific historical events and cultural and artistic developments. The discussions of individual artworks examine popular subjects in Greek art and how their meaning reflected their location or context. How works of art conformed to the stylistic characteristics of the various sub-periods will also be explored.

INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT GREECE

This short video provides a brief introduction to many aspects of brief civilization including its location, system of government, military and more.

Ancient Greece 101 by National Geographic 

Ancient Greece Intro TASK

After watching the video, please respond the following prompts based on the information from the video.

Ancient Greece 101 | National Geographic

Location:

Extent of Empire:

City-states:

Military:

Religion:

INTRODUCTION TO GREEK ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Scholars divide the study of Greek art into sub-periods. For each of these the art displayed similar stylistic characteristics and imagery. Some of the dates of the sub-periods is marked by important historical events or changes in society that generated new forms or styles of art.

Greek Art Intro TASK

After reviewing the three sources below (not all cover the different periods equally), please respond to the instructions given.

  1. How did Ancient Greek art start?  
  2. Introduction to Ancient Greek Art, by Dr. Renee M. Gondek, Smarthistory.org (follow link)Back Homehttps://smarthistory.org/greek_intro/
  3. Greek Art history, by Phil Hansen 

Greek art intro TASK instructions:

Below is a list of the subperiods of Greek art (the Dark Ages is not included). For each one, provide the dates for it as well as any relevant historical events, societal changes, or artistic achievements.

Geometric:

Orientalizing:

Archaic:

Classical:

Hellenistic:

PERIODS IN GREEK ART

GEOMETRIC PERIOD

During the earliest phase in the development of Greek art, the Geometric period, Greek society was beginning to emerge from the period after the fall of the Mycenaean empire, often referred to as the Dark Ages.

This image depicts a small bronze statue of a horse from the Greek Geometric Period. It is a highly abstract representation, with no fine details such as eyes or a mouth. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's description of the piece reads, "The clarity and elegance of form epitomize Greek Geometric art at its most accomplished."
Bronze horse, 8th century B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain.

Arstor Gallery for UNO Students

Below is a link to collection of images in Artstor of Greek Geometric art.  This link is accessible only to current UNO students. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to log in.  For a refresher on how to use Artstor, see the UNO Libraries Artstor Libguide.

Artstor gallery of Greek Geometric Art  for UNO Students

Geometric TASK

The video in this section describes specific evolutions in society that led Greece to emerge as a unique and unified civilization. After watching the video, please respond to the accompanying questions/prompts.

Greek History – The Geometric Period (1000-700 BC) – The Benaki Museum

Geometric TASK prompts:

Dates of Greek Geometric:

Where and when did the Geometric style emerge?

What new developments took place?

What are the characteristics of the Geometric style?

GEOMETRIC VASES

Although Greeks created jewelry and sculpture during the Geometric period, one of the most characteristic art forms from the time was pottery. Ceramic vessels came in numerous shapes and sizes, which conformed to their function. During the Geometric period a unique form of decoration adorned the surfaces of the vases.

Terracotta krater, Attributed to the Hirschfeld Workshop, ca. 750-735 B.C. The description from the Metropolitan Museum of Art reads: "Monumental grave markers were first introduced during the Geometric period. They were large vases, often decorated with funerary representations. It was only in the Archaic period that stone sculptures were used as funerary monuments. On this magnificent krater, the main scene occupies the widest portion of the vase and shows the deceased laid upon a bier surrounded by members of his household and, at either side, mourners. For optimal clarity, the dead man is shown on his side, and the checkered shroud that would normally cover the body has been raised and regularized into a long rectangle with two projections. The zone below shows a procession of chariots and foot soldiers. The figures may refer to the military exploits of the deceased. Because hourglass shields and chariots played a more limited role at this time than in the earlier Bronze Age, the scene more likely evokes the glorious ancestry and traditions to which the dead man belonged."
Terracotta krater ca. 750–735 B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

Geometric Vase TASK

After watching the video below on a famous Greek vase from the Dipylon cemetery, please answer the accompanying questions.
Terracotta Krater, Ancient Grece, Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris

Geometric TASK vase prompts:

What was the function of this vase?

What kinds of shapes ornament the vase?

What is the name of the bands with figures and what is being shown?

Describe the artistic style of the figures?

What did this vase communicate to onlookers?

ORIENTALIZING STYLE

The so-called Orientalizing Style of Greek art is marked by renewed contact between the Greeks and ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean civilizations. When Greeks traveled to these lands they encountered monumental buildings, sculptures, and unique motifs that left a lasting impression upon them. Specific regions in Greece began to assimilate some of what they saw into their artworks.

This image depicts a Greek jug from the Orientalizing period, approximately 620 B.C. A description of Orientalizing jugs and vases from the Department of Classics at the University of Colorado reads, "The Orientalizing Period lasted from about the mid-8th until the mid-7th centuries B.C.E. "Orientalizing" is a complex term that was coined in reference to the spread of Near Eastern and Egyptian ideas, motifs, and other cultural elements to Greece and the rest of the Mediterranean world. The term does not refer to the modern and derogatory use of the term "Oriental" to refer to the peoples and cultures of East Asia. Importantly for the study of Greek vases, the term refers to the adoption of Near Eastern and Egyptian themes into Greek art. Artistic elements, such as floral and animal motifs, spread with the movement of people, particularly with Greek and Phoenician traders" (Akmenkalns, Hander, Smith and Sneed, 2018).
Corinthian Orientalizing Jug, C. 620 B.C., Staatliche Antikensammlungen (State Collections of Antiquities), Munich, Public Domain.

Arstor Gallery for UNO Students

Below is a link to collection of images in Artstor of Greek Orientalizing art.  This link is accessible only to current UNO students. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to log in.  For a refresher on how to use Artstor, see the UNO Libraries Artstor Libguide.

Artsor Gallery for UNO Students

Orientalizing TASK

The video below explores a Corinthian pyxis, which features motifs that belong to the Orientalizing style. After watching the video, please answer the accompanying questions.

A Corinthian Pyxis, by Lucas Livingston

Image of Pyxis (container for personal objects), C. 580-570 B.C.E. The description from the Art Institute reads, "Around the time that this jar was made, Egypt’s king, Amasis (r. 570–526 B.C.), in the interest of trade, gave the Greeks the Egyptian port city of Naucratis, where Greek and Egyptian cultures mingled. The small sphinx on this jar is indicative of this cultural encounter, as Greeks would have been familiar with the part human, part-lion creatures, which lined the entryway to most Egyptian temples. Including a sphinx on this jar added a touch of the exotic East, which would have appealed to the citizens of Corinth. The identities of most Greek vase painters are unknown, so sometimes they are named after a distinctive feature. The artist who decorated this container is called the Ampersand Painter because here and elsewhere the looping tail of the sphinx (a winged feline with a human head) takes the shape of an ampersand, the proper name for the symbol &, which is shorthand for the word “and” (Art Institute of Chicago, 2021).
Pyxis (Container for Personal Objects), 580-570 BCE. Art Institute of Chicago. Public Domain.

Orientalizing TASK prompts: 

Type and function of vessel:

Dates of the Orientalizing period:

City that embraced Orientalizing:

Hallmarks of Orientalizing style:

Name of artist and signature mark:

Motifs on vessel and their origins:

Origin of lion motif:

Relationship of decoration and function:

GREEK VASE PAINTING

Vases were a popular functional art form not only in every sub-period of Greek art. This section introduces some of the common vase shapes and the Black Figure technique, which gave Greek vases their unique appearance and coloring.

Vase Shapes TASK

Greek vases came in all shapes and sizes and their form was intimately related to how they were used. After exploring the sources below, please answer the accompanying questions.

Greek Vase Painting, an Introduction, by Dr. Renee Gondek (link below)

Link: https://smarthistory.org/greek-vase-intro/

Ancient Greek Pottery — Types of Vases (the music is a bit loud, so you may wish to turn this down)

Greek Vase TASK prompts:

Names and function of Greek vase types:

Krater:

Amphora:

Hydria:

Oinochoe:

Kylix:

More Examples of Greek Vases: Open Online Exhibit from the collection of Greek artifacts at the University of Colorado Art Museum

This link leads to a public exhibition of Greek Vases from the University of Colorado Art Museum.  All examples are accompanied by descriptions and context: https://www.colorado.edu/classics/greek-vases-exhibits

Black Figure TASK

The red and black coloring of Greek vases is particularly striking. In early Greek pottery black figures adorned a red background giving name to the Black Figure style. A unique firing process rather than a glaze gave the vases their color. After viewing the video on the technique of black-figure vase painting, please respond to the prompts.

Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), Attributed to the Amasis Painter, Terracotta, Greek, Attic. The Metropolitan Museum of Art description reads: "On the shoulder, a seated woman, perhaps a goddess, is approached by four youths and eight dancing maidens On the body, women are making woolen cloth. One of the most important responsibilities of women was the preparation of wool and the weaving of cloth. Here, in the center, two women work at an upright loom. To the right, three women weigh wool. Farther to the right, four women spin wool into yarn, while between them finished cloth is being folded" (MET, 2021)
Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) ca. 550–530 B.C. Attributed to the Amasis Painter. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

Ancient Greek Vase Production and Black-Figure Technique, Art Institute of Chicago

Black Figure Vase TASK prompts:

Please describe:

Use of slip:

Decoration:

Stages of firing (what occurred in each stage):

Survey of Western Art History I © 2021 by Amy Morris, UNO School of the Arts, is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0  

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Survey of Western Art History I Copyright © 2022 by Amy Morris is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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