Greek Vases bring Ancient History to Life
Made for the ages, Greek Pottery has been a key contributor in the world ‘s understading of ancient Greece and its people. Beautiful and rich in meaning, Greek Vases and Greek Pottery are vehicles that express the wants, desires and beliefs of ancient Greeks. Sadly, many of ancient Greece finest artistic achievements are gone, but Greek pottery tells many stories about Greek religion, government and ordinary existence.
The genesis of Greek art begins with the Minoan civilization that existed in Crete, the culture made remarkable contributions to Greek society; especially, in the artisanship of pottery and vases. The Minoan potters created pottery for food gathering and storing liquids. A practical need became a vehicle for articistic expression, with the potter often inspired by nature to influence the designs that transformed the piece creating art from what was once only a tool.
As time progressed, Minoan ‘s created vases in forms that were used for specialized purposes. For example, the Amphora vase is a swollen vase with a wide mouth and two opposing handles. It was used to carry and store oil, wine and other liquids. Painted with grass and flowers, and ocean scenery and wildlife, the Minoan ‘s created the standard for future designs.~[As time [progressed|passed]|As time wore on], [the Minoans|Minoans] improved the design of the vases, with shapes made to suit different purposes. For example, the Amphora vase is a [swollen|wide-bodied] vase with a [large|wide|wide open] mouth and [[two|two opposing] handles|two handles that face each other]. It was used to [carry|transport] and store [liquids such as oil or wine|oil, wine and other liquids]. Decorated with grass and flowers, and life of the sea, the Minoan ‘s created the standard for future designs.
During the Protogeometrical Period, Greek vases were decorated with uncomplicated designs that consisted mainly of patterns of of circles. The Geometric style followed with new motifs, building upon the latter with triangles, wavy lines and meanders. In the middle of the eleventh Century, the first images of human figures were seen adorning the Greek vase, and by the end of the period, mythological figures told their stories while decorating the pieces.
Trade links between Syria and the Aegan World started the Orientalizing Style. The popularity of human depictions settled during this time, and the artisan used the Greek vases for depicting lions, griffins and sphinx with lotuses as accents.
Through the Corinthian [invention|creation], the Greek black-figure [technique|process], artists used [iron-rich|iron-enriched] clay that [turned|became] reddish-orange [after firing|at high temperatures]. They then sketched the design [as an|in] outline, and filled [it|it in] with clay. The [Greek Pottery|Greek vases] would be [fired in a kiln|kiln fired] at a temperature of [nearly 800 degrees|around 800 degress] Celsius. [After oxidation, the pottery|The pottery] would turn a reddish-orange color. Next, the temperature was [raised to 950 degrees Celsius|raised another 150 degrees], and the [piece|vase] would turn black. Finally, the kiln vents were opened to [allow the oxygen to flow|let in oxygen], and the pottery would [turn back|return] to the reddish-orange color, but [the paint layer remained black|the layer that was painted would keep it's black finish].
The Corinthian used these vases to [depict|show images of] animal friezes. It was the Athenian painters who [developed|introduced] a narrative method, depicting [battle scenes, mythology and legends|mythological scenes of battle, gods and heroes].
[Replacing|Following] the black-figure method, the red-figure method was [developed|introduced] in Athens. [Simply|At its core], the process is [exactly the opposite|the direct opposite] of the black-figure method. [Depictions|Scenes] were applied to the Greek vases, but to unfired pieces after they were dried. The Athenians [drew outlines|carved images] on the pottery or vase with a blunt [scrapper|tool]. It was [erased|removed] during [firing|the kiln process], but after the contours remained and were filled with a [glossy clay slip|glossy clay mixture].
The Greek [innovation|methods] for creating pottery resulted in Greek vases [that not only inspire potters and artists, but|whose designs endure even today and] left the world with a path to the past. Today, many homes display a Greek vase copy or reproduction, extending the appreciation and life of this beautiful art form.