Lena Rivera
Ancient Greek art is known for its naturalistic and idealised depictions of the human body, with a focus on largely nude male figures. The Greeks used a variety of materials for their artistic creations, including clay, stone, bronze, copper, silver, glass, and stone. They also used paint to decorate their sculptures and architecture, with surviving evidence suggesting the use of strong and bright colours. In addition to the famous Greek vases, terracotta figurines were another important type of pottery, initially used as votive offerings at temples. The Greeks also created distinctive pottery on the Aegean islands, in Crete, and in the wealthy colonies of southern Italy and Sicily. They used pottery vessels for storing, transporting, and drinking liquids, as well as for perfumes and unguents.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Materials painted on besides vases | Clay, terracotta, stone, metal |
| Types of pottery | Minoan, Cycladic, Minyan ware, Mycenaean, black-figure, red-figure, white ground |
| Techniques | Slip (a liquid mixture of clay and water), iron reduction technique |
| Colors | Black, white, red, yellow, purplish-red, brown |
| Subjects | Everyday life, mythology (sphinxes, sirens, griffins, gorgons, chimaeras, lions), narrative scenes |
| Function | Storage, transport, drinking, perfume containers, grave markers, trophies |
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What You'll Learn
Terracotta figurines
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an extensive collection of Greek terracotta figurines, comprising about 1200 pieces, with 600 currently on display. The collection includes figurines of nude females wearing helmets, seated women with elaborate headdresses, and a double-sided East Greek kore holding a dove.
Tanagra figurines, produced from the later fourth century BCE, were coated with a liquid white slip before firing and sometimes painted afterward with watercolors. They depicted men, women, and boys in everyday costumes and with familiar accessories. These figurines were often buried with their owners.
Excavations at ancient Greek temples have revealed large quantities of votive and funerary figurines. These figurines often represent a specific god, such as Artemis, or a woman without any attributes, offered in all sanctuaries regardless of the divinity. They were also used to represent the goddess of childbirth, Ilithyia, with a small cavity to receive a baby figurine.
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Stone statues
Ancient Greek sculptures were painted in multiple colours, but today they appear colourless due to the deterioration of the original pigments over time. However, some well-preserved statues still bear traces of pigments, allowing archaeologists to reconstruct their original appearance. For example, in the 1980s, German archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann discovered traces of red, black, and green pigments on an ancient Greek sculpture. Similarly, in the late 19th century, American art critic Russell Sturgis made a similar discovery while attending the excavation of an ancient statue in Athens.
References to painted sculptures can also be found in classical literature. For instance, in Euripides's "Helen," the character laments: "If only I could shed my beauty and assume an uglier aspect / The way you would wipe colour off a statue." Additionally, ancient artworks, such as a Greek krater, depict statues being painted.
It is worth noting that some statues may have been left in their raw stone state, and the use of paint may have varied based on the placement of the statue. Furthermore, the discovery of painted statues has challenged the traditional view of Greco-Roman art as exclusively white and monochromatic. The colouring of ancient Greek statues serves as a reminder that the ancient world was much more multiethnic than commonly believed.
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Mural painting
The ancient Greeks painted on materials other than vases, including sculptures, stone, wood, textiles, and walls. However, due to the perishable nature of some of these materials, few examples of Greek paintings outside of pottery have survived.
The tradition of wall painting in Greece dates back to at least the Minoan and Mycenaean Bronze Age, with sites like Knossos, Tiryns, and Mycenae featuring lavish fresco decorations. While there is no clear continuity between these antecedents and later Greek wall paintings, we have more significant survivals of mural compositions from before the Roman period.
One of the most important surviving examples of pre-Roman Greek mural painting is the Tomb of the Diver from Paestum, dating to around 470 BC. The tomb features various wall paintings, including a famous scene of a diver leaping into a body of water. Other notable examples include the Pitsa panels from c. 530 BC and various paintings from the royal tombs at Vergina.
During the Roman period, Greek mural painting continued to flourish, with notable examples found in Pompeii and Rome. Some of these wall paintings are thought to be copies of earlier Greek masterpieces.
While the specific techniques and materials used in Greek mural painting may vary depending on the period and region, the use of fresco, or painting on wet plaster, was a common technique employed in ancient Greece.
In terms of subject matter, Greek mural paintings could depict various scenes, including figural compositions, portraits, and still lifes. The colours used in Greek mural paintings were also significant, with strong and bright colours often employed, as evidenced by the surviving examples and descriptions of Roman writers.
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Metalwork
The ancient Greeks also used metalwork in their pottery, with some clay vases inspired by forms in bronze, silver, and gold. These metal vessels were used by the elite when dining and were often treated as a store of value to be traded as bullion when needed. However, very few metal vessels have survived, as they were often melted down and the metal reused.
The ancient Greeks' knowledge of metalwork also influenced their pottery techniques. The distinctive black colour of ancient Greek slip, a liquid mixture of clay and water used in vase painting, resulted from the natural presence of iron oxide in the clay, which turns black during the firing process. Other colours could be achieved by adding various materials to the slip mixture. For example, white was created by using a pure primary clay with few or no iron oxides, while red slip was made by adding red ochre.
In addition to their use of slip, the ancient Greeks' metalworking techniques may have influenced their understanding of the firing process. The three-stage firing process used to create the characteristic red and black colours on Greek vases required precise control of temperature and oxygen levels within the kiln. It is possible that the Greeks' experience with metalworking helped them develop the knowledge and technology needed to achieve this.
Overall, while the ancient Greeks are best known for their painted vases, metalwork also played an important role in their artistic expression and influenced the development of their pottery techniques.
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Sculpture
The Greeks seem to have valued painting above even sculpture, and by the Hellenistic period, the informed appreciation and even the practice of painting were components in a gentleman's education. However, there is little evidence of Greek painting surviving today, and most of what we know comes from painted pottery, including vases.
During the Hellenistic period, sculpture became more naturalistic and expressive, with a focus on depicting extremes of emotion. Genre subjects such as common people, women, children, animals, and domestic scenes became acceptable subjects for sculpture, and realistic portraits of men and women of all ages were produced. The world of Dionysus, a pastoral idyll populated by satyrs, maenads, nymphs, and sileni, was often depicted in vase paintings and figurines but rarely in full-size sculpture. During this time, wealthy families commissioned sculptures for the adornment of their homes and gardens.
While there is little surviving evidence of Greek painting on surfaces other than vases, it is clear that sculpture was also an important art form for the Greeks, with many sculptures surviving today and providing valuable insights into Greek society and culture.
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Frequently asked questions
The ancient Greeks also painted on walls, wood, textiles, and stone sculptures. However, due to the durability of clay, there are fewer surviving examples of paintings on these other materials.
The ancient Greeks used a liquid mixture of clay and water called "slip" to paint their vases. The black colour often seen in Greek vase painting was achieved through the natural presence of iron oxide in the clay, which turns black during the firing process. Other colours were achieved by adding various materials to the slip mixture. For example, white was created by using a pure primary clay with few or no iron oxides, while red slip was made by adding red ochre.
Ancient Greek vase paintings often depicted scenes from everyday life, including people, animals, and monsters such as sphinxes, sirens, griffins, gorgons, and chimaeras. They also painted decorative patterns and motifs inspired by Eastern and Asian cultures.
