Crafted to withstand the test of time, 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 canvases that paint a portrait of the world of ancient Greece. 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 Minoans made remarkable contributions to Greek society; especially, in the crafstmanship of pottery and vases. Minoan potters created pottery for food gathering and storing liquids. Functional necessity became a vehicle for articistic expression, with the potter looking to 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 transport and store liquids such as oil or wine. Adorned with grass and flowers, and life of the sea, the Minoan ‘s set precedent for future designs.}
During the Protogeometrical Period, Greek vases were adorned with simplistic designs that consisted mainly of circular patterns. The Geometric style followed with new patterns, building upon the latter with wavy lines and triangles. Sometime around the 11th Century, the first depictions 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 slowed during this period, and the artisan used the Greek vases for depicting lions, griffins and sphinx with lotuses as accents.
Through the Corinthian creation, the Greek black-figure technique, artists used iron-enriched clay that became reddish-orange at high temperatures. They then sketched the design as an outline, and filled it with clay. The Greek vases would be fired in a kiln at a temperature of around 800 degress Celsius. The pottery would turn a reddish-orange color. Next, the temperature was raised to 950 degrees Celsius, and the piece would turn black. Finally, the kiln vents were opened to let in oxygen, and the pottery would return to the reddish-orange color, but the paint layer remained black.
{The Corinthian used these vases to depict animal friezes. It was the Athenian painters who developed a narrative method, depicting battle scenes, mythology and legends.
Following the black-figure method, the red-figure method was developed in Athens. At its core, the process is the direct opposite of the black-figure method. Depictions were applied to the Greek vases, but to unfired pieces after they were dried. The Athenians carved images on the pottery or vase with a blunt tool. It was erased during the kiln process, but after the contours remained and were filled with a glossy clay mixture.
The Greek innovation for creating pottery resulted in Greek vases that not only inspire potters and artists, but 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.}
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