On the Importance of Pottery - ONE

#greekceramics #pottery

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF POTTERY _ONE

Last week I got into a dispute on Twitter with the sort of individuals who want
"History" with the sort of individuals who want Classics and History to be about "Great Characters" by which they seem to mean Heroes.

I argued in defence of social history which they viewed as mundane and awoke.

I enjoy World and General histories as much as Social and Art History and it is also my view Potters are as important as Princes.

Ceramics also tell us something about the societies they come from.

Here's a medley of pots that tell stories or give information about their cultures.

Here's the famous Minoan Octopus Vase. From the earliest time Hellenic art balances simplicity with complexity, observation with fantasy, and decoration that matches form.

This ceramic vessel made several hundred years later on the mainland shows similar characteristics, Yes it is  more formal and decorative and stylised but it has balance and beauty.

Likewise this fully Classical work though here the ornamental banding is limited to two narrow strips that act as a frame and the line work and human figure is as important as the color and form. 

While Greek art of all eras shows an interest in balance and symmetry a special characteristic of the "Classical" era which also saw the rise of various democracies was the emphasis on the human figure.

Finally even the gods become more human for while Zeus holds his thunderbolts he could without them equally be a father sending adult children or servants away on errands. Hermes appears as a human herald and the wings on his boots are almost ornaments and Iris apart from her wings is a well dressed young woman.