33 – Niobides Krater Anonymous Vase Painter of Classical Greece Known

33 – Niobides Krater Anonymous vase painter of Classical Greece known as the Niobid Painter. 460-450 BCE, Clay, Red-figure technique (white highlights) (2 images) Video at Khan academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek- art/greek-pottery/v/niobid-krater probably inspired by the large frescoes produced in Athens and Delphi two scenes in which the many figures rise in tiers on lines of ground that evoke an undulating landscape On one side, Apollo and Artemis are shown decimating the children of Niobe with their arrows on the other side is Heracles surrounded by Athena and heroes in arms, in a composition whose serenity is already classical, and whose meaning is still uncertain One side of the vase illustrates a legend that is rarely represented, and gave the painter his name. Here we see the massacre of the children of Niobe by Apollo and Artemis. Niobe, the mother of seven girls and seven boys, had bragged that she was superior to the goddess Leto, who only had two children. These two children, Apollo and Artemis, hastened to avenge the honor of their mother by killing all the children of the unfortunate mortal. This is the moment that the painter has chosen to represent – the divine archers shooting down the Niobids with their arrows. Half of them are already lying dead on the ground The stylistic characteristics of this krater owe much to contemporary sculpture and wall paintings The poses of the key figures – Artemis, Apollo and Heracles – are reminiscent of those in Severe style statues, which can be seen in Olympia. However, by bringing in elements of wall paintings, the painter has given this vase its exceptional character. Wall painting was a major art form that developed considerably during the late fifth century BC, and is now only known to us through written accounts. Complex compositions were perfected, which involved numerous figures placed at different levels. This is the technique we find here where, for the first time on a vase, the traditional isocephalia (a rule in ancient Greece of depicting heads of figures at the same level) of the figures has been abandoned .

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