Greek Pottery: The Many Hydriai

Greek potters aimed to create vases that would be aesthetically beautiful and also have a utilitarian function. They had to design motifs based on the use or function of a vessel.  Athens was the main center where pottery was created and manufactured during the Archaic Period in all of Greece.  Black-Figure vases were invented which resembled stylistically, the Geometric period, but then evolved into the amphora- a large, all purpose storage jar, which usually depicted illustrations of the wine god Dionysos.  Then, in the last third of the sixth century BCE, a new technique came about called red-figure decoration.  It was characterized by red painted figures against a black background, which is the opposite of black figure painting.  In essence, Greek pottery was evolving from the initial intricacies of engraving, to having more freedom in painting.

The hydria, deriving from the Greek word for water, is a pot made for fetching water.  The hydria usually  depicts scenes of women carrying water from a fountain which was one of women's duties of the time.  Once again, the Greek vessel has a utilitarian function of holding water, and is painted with imagery to reflect its purpose.  It has two horizontal handles at the sides for lifting, and a vertical handle at the back for dipping and pouring.  Most hydriai are bronze and t erracotta.

Terracotta hydria evolved from the seventh century BC to the third century BC from having a wide body with a rounded shoulder to more of one with a flatter shoulder, meeting the body at a sharp angle.

Terracotta hydria (water jar), ca. 520–510 B.C.

By the end of the sixth century BC a spin off of the hydria evolved called the kalpis.  It had one continuous curve from the lip through the body of the vessel.  The kalpis became the favorite vessel among red figure painters.

Terracotta hydria: kalpis (water jar), ca. 510 B.C

Terricotta black glazed hydria of the late Classical period were painted of gilt wreaths representing actual gold funerary wreaths.  Many hydria depicted funerary scenes.  Bronze Hydriai, with hammered bodies and feet and handles, featured sirens, which were also funerary connotations, representing death.  Many of the bronze hydria turned green from corrosion from over the centuries.  (I think they look really cool like this!)

Bronze hydria (water jar), late 7th–early 6th century B.C.

The Hadra Hydria is representative of the Hellenistic period.  It was a water jug used as a cinerary urn, decorated with black paint, usually bearing inscriptions that identify the year in which one had died.

Terracotta Hadra hydria (water jar) with funerary inscription, 226–225 B.C.

The Modern Egyptian

http://prezi.com/is2i776j2pta/the-modern-egyptian/

Link for The Modern Egyptian

Andy Goldsworthy- Artist Review

http://www.documentaryfilms.net/Reviews/RiversAndTides/

Andy Goldsworthy- Artist Review by David Loftus

As the tide carries his driftwood igloo out to sea, spinning it slowly and dismantling its structural unity, he remarks: “It feels as if it’s been taken off into another plane, another world. . . . It doesn’t feel at all like destruction.”

I agree with the author's perspective.  David Loftus, in essence, appreciates and upholds the artist's, Andy Goldsworthy's, outlook on art.  Goldsworthy believes that the media an artist can use in limitless, and he proves this by using only natural materials and nature itself as his subject matter. The author stresses the ephemeral quality of Goldworthy's art.  All of his sculpture's have a life, a beginning and an end, which makes them seem as though they really have become a part of nature, and a breathing entity.  Some of his art won't have a longer lifespan than 20 seconds.  Loftus interviews Andy Goldsworthy and comes to the conclusion that it doesn't matter to Goldsworthy that his art deteriorates so quickly.  It is in fact just what the artist intended to happen to his art.  He does not want to "capture" the wonderful energy of nature, but instead he wishes to "participate" in it.  Goldsworthy stated that it seems as though his art is not destroyed by nature, but rather that it moves with nature into a different realm.  I thought this was an interesting perspective on art and life, and passing into death.  It seems as though Goldsworthy is satisfied and happy just to be a part of nature and its energy, that the actual change and destruction of his creations are not looked upon as a negative thing. Change is trusted in Goldsworthy's perspective, because of the fact that it is a part of nature, as is death.  All of his sculptures are weathered by the natural elements which eventually cause their death.    

 

Bull Leaping

Bull Leaping is a wall painting of the late Minoan period, 1550-1450 BCE. and is located in Knossos, Crete.  Aegean art was very much so influenced by the sea because the cluster of Islands known as the Cyclades were surrounded by the Aegean Sea, therefore resulting in many organic forms, shell like patterns, and a lot of motion!  For example, the border of Bull Leaping is of a repetitive pattern of forms that look like jelly fish, also resembling the flow of waves.  And motion is also a major element conveyed in this wall painting.

Motion is conveyed in the border as well as the actual Bull Leaping event taking place.  The women are the lighter skinned figures and the man is supposedly the darker figure.  The woman to the left holds the bull's horns, perhaps preparing herself for the jump, while the man is in the process of jumping the bull in mid air, and the other woman on the right is standing ready to catch the man.  The bull is in action as well, as he leaps in mid air.  Everyone is in motion.  There is also a passage of time present in this piece.  It shows the process of Bull Leaping, almost like a 'how to...' demonstration.  Bull Leaping may represent a fertility or initiation ritual of a sort.