Ancient
Greek Pottery...
The first kind of Greek pottery painting style begin to be made around 900 to
700 B.C. and is called Geometric Style, because of the geometric shapes that
go around the pottery; sometimes it included animals or other natural shapes.
There are also other three important painting styles that were used in different
years, they are:
ü Black figure, (used around 600 to 480 B.C.) The artist painted the figures
in silhoutte with a slip made of clay and water. All the details were added
with a knife or a sharp tool making incisions through the painted surface. The
vase was then baked in a special oven. And the result was an oxidization process
that turned reddish-orange the vase and black the figures.
ü Red figure, (from
530 to 450 B.C. approximately) On this style the process was opposed, figures
were painted red in a black background.
ü White ground, (from
around 450 to 400 B.C.) The figures were applied in black to a white background,
and the additional colors were added after the firing. The shapes are associated
to specific uses.
There are different kind
of pottery, the most important are:
Hydria:
The name Hydria is from the word hydor or water. A hydria was used to fetch
water, because the Greeks did not have running water in their houses. They usually
have oval bodies, two horizontal handles, and one vertical handle.
Lekythos:
This is an oil bottle. The name Lekythos is used conventionally to describe
a pot that has a tall, squat shape, a foot, a single vertical handle, a narrow
neck, and a small mouth.
Krater:
The name Krater is taken from a word meaning 'mix'. The pot was a large bowl
used for mixing water and wine. (The Greeks thought only drunkards drank wine
unmixed with water). Wine was then ladled into cups from the krater. This type
of pot was probably common at drinking partiesa.
Amphora:
Meaning to carry on both sides. These pots have two vertical handles, a wide
body, and a narrow neck. They come in all sizes and some have lids. They were
used to store and transport liquids, like water, wine, and solids, like grain
and olives.
Kylix:
A Kylix is a large wine cup with a shallow bowl. It has two horizontal handles.
Attaching the bowl to the foot is a high stem.
Oinochoe:
This pot's name means 'wine-pourer'. This jug was used to pour wine. It usually
had one handle along its side.
