Experience Clay, Art History, Narratives on Clay, a Global Interest

lArt History What are some of these high- The ancient Greeks created lights? The narrative pottery of dramatic, detailed images ancient Greece is renowned for its on their ceramics. Ceramic artists first buffed the vase graceful forms and detailed com- surface, probably with a positional style (see Figs. 1–21 and stone or cloth. This pro- 1–22). Other cultures focused on cess enhanced the gloss sculpting figures in clay. Etruscans of the surface decoration. They then applied a coat crafted full-sized human figures of yellow-ochre, which from terracotta in the fifth cen- intensified the clay’s natural tury bce. In Africa, Nok full-sized reddish color. The iron oxide in the ochre was essential in creating the shiny surface Fig. 1–21. By reducing the amount of air of the black glaze. in the firing chamber, potters in ancient At first, artists painted Greece were able to cause their pots to change figures onto the vases and colors, producing dramatic black-figure ware. incised lines to create such Greek, Archaic Period, Amphora, ca. 500 bce. Black-figure details as facial features terracotta, 12⅝" (32 cm) high. The Cleveland Museum of Art. or clothing. When the pots Purchase from the J.H. Wade Fund, 1929.979. were fired in an atmosphere with reduced oxygen, the figures turned black, con- trasting with the red back- Art History ground. Later Greek ceramic artists developed the “red- figure” technique. They Narratives on Clay: painted the background black and left the figures red. The pots were fired in A Global Interest an atmosphere with greater Narrative art tells a story, and the remains in red. (See Fig. 1–22.) Artists oxygen. Greeks were the first to paint on clay began to paint lines and details freehand pots as a way of telling stories. They with a brush. Until this time, potters painted action scenes featuring the had been anonymous. Now potters who human figure as early as the Bronze shaped the form and painters who added Age (around 2900–2000 bce). the details typically signed their pieces. Art that represents a form or the Narrative art also flourished in the human figure is called “figurative.” ancient Americas. About 500 years after During the Greek classical period, figu- the Greeks first developed black-figure rative imagery reached a high point. technique, the Moche, a people on Peru’s Ceramic artists painted elegant pots north coast, were chronicling their beliefs with monsters, heroes, and mythologi- and history on intricately painted pots. cal figures. In early classical narratives The Moche, who flourished from about (seventh century bce), black figures were crafted on the pot’s natural red background. (See Fig. 1–21.) Lines Fig. 1–23. showing facial features, musculature, Narrative from or clothing were laboriously incised. a red-figured Later works (fifth century bce) fea- kylix illustrat- ing the myth of tured the red-figure style—the back- Lapith and the ground is painted black and the figure Centaur. 18 Chapter 1 terracotta heads and figures date from Interdisciplinary fifth century bce to second century ce. Connection Social Studies In China around 220 bce, armies of full- • Have pairs of students sized terracotta human figures and horses research a type of Greek were made to accompany the emperor in vessel—hydria (water jar his tomb. Consider looking at books, in with three handles), lekythos (container), volute krater museums, and on the Internet for ex- (mixing bowl), amphora amples of these artworks. How were the (storage vessel), oenochoe works fired? Firing techniques and kilns (pitcher), or kantharos are explored in greater depth in Chapter 6. (drinking vessel). Instruct them to consider whether the vessels were for reli- Fig. 1–22. By adding air to the firing chamber, gious or everyday use. They potters were able to create the bright, clear should also explore the ves- colors we see on red-figure vases. sel’s decoration. Ask them Greek, Attica. Attributed to the Methyse Painter, Athenian to answer the question, How Red-figure Volute Krater, 460–450 bce. Slip-glazed earth- does the vessel type reflect enware, 23½" x 13¾" (59.69 x 34.93 cm). The Minneapolis ancient Greek culture? Institute of Arts, The Centennial Fund: Gift of funds from • Direct students to study Mr. and Mrs. Donald C. Dayton. the imagery on Egyptian clay sculptures, Mesopotamian figurines, and Greek vases. Compare and contrast how the objects reflect the Fig. 1–24. Mayan figure an expressive feature. Like the Moche, priestly centered cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia ver- in elaborate costume the Maya used slip painting to create drinking from a bowl. sus Greek individualism. Mayan artists usually their designs, which were fired at a low painted the face temperature. Artists personalized the and figure in profile and pots with their names, the names of also used hieroglyphs (picture writing) as a patrons, and sometimes the workshop design element. where the vessel was created. Artists in all three cultures—Greek, Moche, and Mayan—mastered the difficult art of painting a narrative 50 to 800 ce, had no writing system. scene on the outside of a round pot. But scholars compare their ceramics to a Wrapping a composition around a pot library, because the Moche recorded so requires careful planning, because art- much on their pots. Moche artists ap- ists can see and work on only a small plied fine lines to the pot with a clay slip, a portion of the pot’s surface at one time. technique known as slip painting. North of the Moche people, the Maya—in the region now occupied by Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico’s Yucatan province—created another great civiliza- tion. The Mayan classical period (250– 850 ce) was marked by multicolor painted ceramics that detailed religious themes, rituals, and history. Mayan artists used Fig. 1–25. Two Moche warriors in basic shapes and relied heavily on lines as battle gear. Introduction to Clay 19.

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