Archaic Period

What is the archaic period in terms of art?

The archaic period is a crucial time in the evolution of Greek culture and is well known for it's innovations, especially in art. Artists were pushed to develop their skills in new ways and development from this time was continuous and unbroken. Trade was increasing and so the Greeks had more contact with non-Greeks and their artistic styles. The ornaments coming into Greece from the near east influenced them and you can clearly see this in the new styles that formed. There was an increase in wealth in general and this lead to a greater show of splendor in festivals that could not be matched by the vase painters, therefore forcing them to adapt and improved their style.

Geometric style

The style at the time was the geometric. See sheet for example. This vase is an amphora and is over 1 1/2 meters high so a very impressive piece of art. It was used as a grave marker. Although the vase is huge the pattern on it is small and intricate. It has been split up into a series of friezes using strong black lines grouped into threes. In some places the patterns are very simple, like diamonds and triangles, whereas at other parts of the vase they get more complicated like some of the meanders you can see. The patterns are usually sharp and angular and the lines usually vertical or horizontal. The artist has used the patterning to emphasize the different structural parts of the vase, the cylindrical neck, expanding shoulder and wide belly tapering to the foot of the vase. There are two friezes on the neck that differ from the rest of the friezes. These depict grazing deer and reclining goats. Although these are representations of living creatures there is no hint of life or movement. The animals have been stylized into patterns and disciplined to fit into the decorative scheme. The focal point of the vase is between the handles. Here the frieze is larger and depicts mourners expressing their grief. The corpse takes the center space and is raised so it can be seen. Four mourners sit or kneel in front of it. 7 figures stand on the left and 6 figs and a child stand on the right. The general impression is one of balance but the lack of exact symmetry gives the scene life.

The figures are precisely drawn and silhouetted. Only the most essential part of the figure is shown, head neck torso hips and legs (flexed at the knees) and arms (bent at the elbow). The form of the body has been treated in the same logical analysis as the shape of the vase. Very static and unrealistic. The figure is treated as a symbol of a human not a realistic depiction. Space between the figures has been filled with zigzags. These are called filling ornaments and are a detail that is taken on to the new style.

Hercules and Nessos

Innovative artists begun to want to depict more realistic images of figures and the style became bolder and the figures more active. Foreign trade also stimulated artist's imaginations and gave them new interesting ideas. Textiles, ivories and other small objects came from the Near East. The decorations on these were often of men in combat or wild animals. Oriental images relied on large swinging rhythms and enriched with well-rounded floral motifs. These were a welcome innovation to the geometric style. An early example of the use of narrative on vases is the second figure. This is an attic amphora, again used as a grave marker. The old style is still visible, as the vase has been split up into friezes, with the main action-taking place in the center frieze and loose curvilinear decoration in the other bands. Hercules attacks him with a sword, and Hercules' wife, Deineira, holds the reigns of the chariot. The artist has used a mixed technique. He has relied on the silhouette of the geometric style, as you can see with Nessos, but at the same time he has used a new technique of outlining, to distinguish Nessos' complicated body. A new