Painting on ceramics, sculpture, mural, mosaic

INTRODUCTION

Greeks and Romans used their mythsnot only as a source of plots for theirliterary works but also as motifs todecorate and embellish their cities,homes and everyday objects.

Because of that, we know how theyimagined and represented their gods,and how they have influenced us.

PAINTING ON CERAMICS

Greek pottery is one of the mostremarkable artistic manifestations in Greekculture, in spite of its functional andpractical character.

Pottery items were used basically to:1. store and/or transport food;2. mix wine with water;3. pour the wine;4. carry water from the water fountain;5. eat and drink;6. keep perfumes and cosmetics.

MAIN GREEK VASES

To store and transport food:

AMPHORA

A type of vase with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body

To mix wine with water:

KRATER

A type of vase with a large bell-shaped body on a short stem with two horizontal handles.

To pour the wine:

OINOCHOE

A type of vase with an S-shaped body, trefoil-shaped mouth and a single vertical handle.

To carry water from the water fountain:

HYDRIA

A type of vase withthree handles, twohorizontal on eithersides of the body anda vertical onebetween the othertwo

To drink:

KYLIX

KANTHAROS

Type of vase with a broad and shallow body raised on a stem and with two handles

Type of vase with two high handles which extend above the lip of the pot.

To keep perfumes and cosmetics:

LEKYTHOS

Type of vase with a long and narrow body and a single handle attached to the neck

SCULPTURE

Ancient Greeks learnt to represent the human –and divine—body in three dimensions (sculpture) very early.

To make sculptures they used wood, stone –especially marble—and bronze, but also precious materials like ivory and gold. That is why many sculptures disappeared, because they were “recycled”. However, Romans made many copies from Greek originals which have survived.

Sculptures were used:

1. as an element in a divinity’s cult.

2. as a decorative element in the cities.

3. as a decorative element in wealthy people’s homes.

Pil

ar T

orr

es

Pil

ar T

orr

esDiana/ArtemisArchaeological Museum, Istanbul (Turkey)

Diana, Barcelona

MURALS

Painting on wall was used to decorate houses’ walls.

Unfortunately, most of them have disappeared because walls are easily destroyed by fires, earthquakes, wars or simply by time.

However, many paintings have survived at Pompeii (Italy) because it was covered by the lava and ashes from the Vesuvius.

Pil

ar T

orr

es

Pil

ar T

orr

es

Hermes, Archaeological Museum, Sabratha(Libya)

Hermes, carrer Canuda, Barcelona

MOSAIC

Mosaics were used to pave house floors.

Originally they were very simple: people used coloured pebbles from the river banks.

Little by little they grew more sophisticated until they became works of art.

Pil

ar T

orr

es

Theseus killing the MinotaurArchaeological Museum, Cyrene (Libya)

Credits Amphora, photograph from

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Athena_Herakles_Staatliche_Antikensammlungen_2301_B_full.jpg

Krater, photograph from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Chalice-crater_Louvre_CA491.jpg

Oinochoe, photograph from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Tithonos_Eos_Louvre_G438.jpg

Hydria, photograph from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Hydria_Python_Louvre_K287.jpg

Kylix, photograph from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Lakonian_cup_BM_GR_1968.2-13.1.jpg

Kantharos, photograph form http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Kantharos_sphinxes_Louvre_CA1339.jpg

Lekythos, photograph from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:NAMA_Circ%C3%A9_%26_Ulysse.jpg

Vase shapes from http://www.artfromgreece.com/vshapes.html Sculpture of Diana, Archaeological Museum, Istanbul (Turkey), photographed by Pilar

Torres Sculpture of Diana in Barcelona, photographed by Pilar Torres Hermes, ancient painting from Libya photographed by Pilar Torres Hermes on a façade in Barcelona, photographed by Pilar Torres Mosaic depicting Theseus killing the Minotaur, Archaeological Museum, Cyrene

(Libya), photographed by Pilar Torres.