Slip as Ink

Ive been thinking about Classical Greek "painting" on ceramics as a form of drawing. 

Did these painters also work in full color on murals or specialize on painting on clay with slip ? 

Let us consider for a moment there was NO drawing paper.

Yes NO Paper !

And imported papyrus would have been too expensive for rendering anything other than finished works? 

The sketch pad for artists would have been wax tablets spare clay tiles or fragments of broken ceramics or possibly strips of linen from discarded clothing ?

So perhaps we should view those masterworks of painting as also masterworks of drawing with colored clay slip being used instead of paint or rather I should say clay being used as the binder instead of gum or glue or plaster ? 

Athena Disrobing

 

Classical art of various eras Greek and later is often described as humanistic

Here is one example that shows why pottery is as important an expression of Greek Classical culture as literature or drama or history.

This is Athena disrobing from her armored glory!

One tendril of hair has come loose from the headband binding it up to fit under her helmet.

Her robes have slid off her shoulders until we can see her transparent under gown.

One might doubt this is the goddess and perhaps rather a mortal woman dressed as the goddess for she seems so human here but the tiny owl or owlet is perhaps a touch of humor or a reminder this is indeed the patron goddess of Athens depicted.

THe beauty and excelleence of gods and humans alike is praised and depicted in Greek Classical art.

The Cranes of Stymphalos

This week's #Hercworks is labour 6
#laboursofheracles #heracles #greekmythology #greekmyths

(My apologies this is later than usual having trouble with the wifi on the laptop)

The CRANES OF STYMPHALOS.

The painter has basically used the myth as an excuse or opportunity to demonstrate his ability to paint birds and the limited color makes the painting more beautiful. 

Greek vase painters used a limited range of colors because many pigments used by painters can not be used for ceramics due to the effect of heat and fire on them. True Glazes despite the use of faience by the Egyptians didn't reach the Mediterranean cultures from the Far East until much later.

The shine of the black part is burnished clay slip.

Now back to the myth.

There is still a lake in Arcadia by this name today. 

In ancient times there was a small city many religious shrines to Artemis and wetlands near the Lake. 

 A group of birds described as cranes migrated and settled there. 

These birds were said to have had razor sharp beaks and feathers and poisonous dung. Apparently none of the local farmers they were plaguing had archery skills at least not on the level of Heracles. Or the birds had the sense to hide deep in the marshes? 

Heracles used a rattle to startle them so he could shoot them. 

Some writers claim the "cranes" were actually fever demons.

However large birds despite their fragile appearance can be quite strong and a  swan can break a man's arm with its wings.

I suspect the farmers tried to drive the birds away from their fields and out of the wetlands but the birds defended their nesting sites so they had to call the Mycenaean age's leading pest control expert  HERACLES !

Heracles and Athena An Image

with the new Heracles movie coming soon I thought for my middle week post I might look at some images of Heracles. Here's the son of Zeus and his half sister.

Notice he's not the pumped up wrestler of later Hellenistic and Roman art but more svelte! That lion skin is suppose to act as armor as the Nemean lion allegedly had a hide so thick Heracles had to spear or stab it down its throat to kill it.

MMM no one ever dares suggest Mycenaean  aristos may have been such lousy hunters they celebrated lion hunts cos they weren't very good at catching them?

Ares god of War

This is the oldest vase painting image I could google showing Ares.
 Its Attic dating about 570 bc. Notice the eye depicted in Archaic Greek style.

Another detail of interest is the attempt to use slip to suggest a lighter hair color and that he seems to be carrying two spears not one.

Two Musicians

The two musicians are supposed to be Alkaios  Alkaeus and Sappho.

The clothing style is probably worn by musicians of the artists own era  since these two poets lived a couple of centuries earlier and certainly were not Athenian.

Note the following details of interest.

Both male and female are appearing transparent under robes of ultra line linen under cloaks.  Both have their plectrums tied to their instruments by a long string.

The models for this work well it would be interesting to know if they were professional musicians perhaps hired for a festival or party to perform songs by these two poets?

They both also have bare feet and are not wearing garlands or wreath but just simple headbands.

There appears to be no embroidery on their robes apart from some dots and a dark rim but that may be a rendering of the weave ?