Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Art File: Two Schoolgirls



Two Schoolgirls


Met # 06.1021.167

Terracotta kylix (drinking cup)

Greek, Attic, red-figure

Circa 460-450 BC

Attributed to the Painter of Bologna [417]

Interior: Two schoolgirls (shown)

Exterior: Women conversing


Met’s plaque:


“The representation in the tondo provides interesting evidence of the education of women in the mid-fifth century B.C. The girl on the left carries a pair of writing tablets and a stylus. Where she and her companion are going is not indicated. Although there apparently were some schools, those who could afford it were probably tutored at home. The girl with the tablets is obviously reluctant, but why we cannot know. The scene on the exterior may have some connection as the paraphernalia suspended in the background includes another set of tablets, torchholders, and an alabastron (perfume vase) in addition to wreaths and slippers.”



Monday, March 30, 2009

On Paris & Oenone engraving: Correction

We found out the other day (after spending time on it with a magnifying glass) that the artist IS identified on the Paris and Oenone engraving!

The original painter: Angelica Kauffman
The engraver: Francesco Bartolozzi


We found that this engraving dates back to the late 18th century, so there is no way that the Binyon 1906 play was a factor in its creation. BUT since the 1906 play is based on Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica, book X.259-489 (4th century C.E.), the story of what happened between Paris and Oenone after Ovid's letter by Oenone still stands.

Just wanted to clarify that.


Just in case you're interested:

Info on Angelica Kauffman: Biography Base
Info on Francesco Bartolozzi: Art of the Print

Art File: Woman and Servant




Woman and Servant

Met Museum # 54.11.7

Terracotta lekythos (oil flask)

Greek, Attic, white-ground

Circa 440 BC

Attributed to the Achilles Painter



From the Met’s plaque:


"The setting here is the interior of a house, probably the women’s quarters as indicated by the stool and the oinochoe (jug) on the wall. The lady hands a bundle of garments to her maid. The women’s clothing was originally painted. The color is gone, however, and one now sees the contours that the artist sketched in for reference."



Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Art File: Thracian Woman




Thracian Woman


Met #: 96.9.37
Greek, Attic, Red-figure
Kylix (drinking cup)
Circa 480-470 BC
Attributed to the Brygos Painter


From the Met's Label:

"The large piece of patterned cloth used as a shield identifies the figure as Thracian. She hastens forward holding a spear in her right hand. The characterization suggests that she is an excerpt from a larger scene depicting the death of Orpheus, the irresistible musician. After losing his wife, Eurydice, Orpheus became a recluse. Thus spurned, the enraged women of Thrace killed him. In one version, they tore him to pieces."


Brygos Painter (from the Getty Museum):

"Active:about 490 B.C. - 470 B.C. Athens
vase-painter
Greek

Working in Athens in the early 400s B.C., the Brygos Painter was a prolific decorator of red-figure cups. Over two hundred vases have been attributed to him, including a limited number of shapes other than cups and some vessels in the white-ground technique.

Having learned his craft from Onesimos, the Brygos Painter was himself quite influential and was the center of a large circle of painters. The Brygos Painter painted both genre and mythological scenes, being especially fond of depictions of symposia, athletes, and Achilles.

His treatments of mythological scenes were often innovative, and he was also rather stylistically experimental. He had a greater interest in spatial effects and setting than did his contemporaries. By using dilute glaze washes to show three-dimensionality, his painting technique comes close to shading.

As with most Greek vase-painters, the real name of the Brygos Painter is unknown, and he is identified only by the stylistic traits of his work. He is named after the potter Brygos, with whom he worked. Some scholars think the painter and potter may be one and the same person."

Monday, March 23, 2009

Art File: Woman At The Laver



Woman At The Laver

Met #: 1986.322.1
Greek, Attic, Red-figure
Kylix (drinking cup)
Circa 500 BC
Attributed to Douris
Interior: Woman washing clothes
Exterior: Athletes (not shown)


From the Met's label:

"The interior presents a lovely picture of a young woman at a laver. By her feet stands a bail amphora in which water was carried. She has her hair in a sakkos (snood) and wears a chiton that shows off the painter's skill in drawing and handling dilute glaze.

The skyphos (deep drinking cup) and wineskin on the wall subtly introduce the symposium at which this [kylix] was used and in which the youths on the exterior would soon participate."


Biography of Douris (from the Getty Museum):

"Active:500 B.C. - 460 B.C. Athens
vase-painter; potter
Greek

One of the most prolific vase-painters known, Douris worked as a vase-painter and occasionally as a potter in Athens in the early 400s B.C. He is known from almost forty signed vases, two of which he also potted. Altogether, almost three hundred vases have been attributed to him. Given that scholars estimate a less than 0.5% survival rate for Greek vases, Douris may have decorated about 78,000 vases in his career.

Douris primarily decorated red-figure cups, but he also painted a few vessels of other forms and in other techniques, including white-ground. His scenes are about evenly divided between mythology and depictions of everyday life.

He worked with a number of potters, including Kleophrades and Euphronios, but he seems to have had a regular collaboration with Python. Onesimos depicted a cup signed by Douris on one of his vases, and there is even an ancient forgery of Douris's signature. These unusual references attest to Douris's significant influence among contemporary vase-painters."

Friday, March 20, 2009

Art File: Greek Woman Getting Dressed

This week's art files will be on:
Women Portrayed in Greek Vase Painting
.
(an extra long week: Friday 3/20 - Sunday 3/29)





Woman Getting Dressed

Met #: 30.11.8
Greek, Attic, Red-figure
Terracotta squat lekythos
Circa 430 BC
Attributed to the Eretria Painter


Biography: The Eretria Painter
(From the Getty Museum)

"Working in Athens, the Eretria Painter decorated vases in the red-figure technique from around 440 to 410 B.C. Over half of the almost 150 vases that scholars attribute to him are cups, but his finest work is on small pots such as oinochoai and lekythoi.

The Eretria Painter decorated numerous vases with conventional mythological and athletic scenes, but he also painted more innovative imagery that foreshadowed later major trends. These less common motifs included bridal imagery, personifications, and scenes of women.

As with most ancient artists, the actual name of the Eretria Painter is unknown; he is identified only by the stylistic traits of his work. He takes his name from a vase found at the site of Eretria, now in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens."


This Lekythos

This scene, in which a nude woman dresses herself, gives the viewer an intimate look at the beauty and dress preparations undertaken by young Greek women. She has already bound her hair with a filet (circlet for the hair) and adorned her ears with earrings and her thigh with a thigh band. When we see her, at this fleeting moment, she is in the process of lifting her chiton (linen dress) from a stool before donning it. On the floor behind the young woman is a plemochoe (a vase containing perfumed oil).

For more information on Ancient Greek dress, please see the Met's essay on the subject.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Myth: Paris and Oenone

I work for the Morris County Historical Society and we have an art show coming up, with pieces that come from the "art closet." Hence the name "Out of the Closet: An Art Collection Revealed." In addition to Japanese prints, portraits, historical and literary engravings, etc., there are several Victorian engravings with classical themes/myths portrayed. So, since I plan on writing about classicism in more recent art in addition to Classical art, I thought that these pieces might be interesting to cover.

The first one I'd like to discuss is a hand-colored engraving of Paris and Oenone.




Title: Paris and Oenone
Artist: Unknown
Engraver: Unknown
Medium: Hand-colored engraving on paper


First things first:

We know who Paris is (son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, and "abductor" of Menelaus's wife Helen)... but who is Oenone?



The Story


Heroides V

by Ovid - 4-8 A.D.


In Ovid's Heroides V, Oenone writes a letter to her former husband Paris, the man who abandoned her for the beautiful Helen. She begins the letter with the line, “Will you read this through? Or does your new wife forbid it?” The letter's introduction states that Oenone is the injured party and that Helen is not only an unsavory individual, but she is also a foreigner. It is interesting to note that she does not dismiss the idea of Paris returning to her.


Oenone then reminisces about their life together. She reminds him of her higher status by lamenting the fact that she endured to marry a "slave" - alluding to the fact that Paris was merely a shepherd's servant, while she was a nymph. She recalls his carving her name into the trunk of a tree, and promising that he would also be with her - and if he broke his promise, the waters of the river Xanthius would flow backwards. Oenone now calls on the river to make good on Paris's oath.


She recalls the dreaded Judgment of Paris - when Zeus was to award a golden apple to the fairest among Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena, he deferred his judgment to Paris. When Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Paris eagerly accepted and awarded her the golden apple. She remembers when Paris left her for Sparta (to take home the fair Helen), and reminds him that he had tears in his eyes, and asks him not to deny it. Oenone recounts her own grief as she watched Paris's ship come home with Helen clinging to his side.


She then goes into a full-scale attack on Helen, calling her a "shameful lover" instead of his "new wife." She claims that Menelaus - Helen's Spartan husband - is justified in bringing war to Troy, in order to get his wife back. Oenone warns that Helen will never stay faithful to Paris, as she has already abandoned her first husband for him.


Oenone tells of Cassandra's (Paris's sister who was cursed with the "gift" of prophecy after she spurned Apollo's advances) prophetic prediction that war would come to Troy, over the abduction of Helen. She then admits that many others - including Apollo himself - have desired Oenone, but she has always remained faithful to Paris. The gift that Apollo gave to her - that of healing - is no match for her broken heart. She begs him to have pity on her asks to be his once more.



Paris and Oenone: A Tragedy in One Act

By Lawrence Binyon – 1906

Based upon Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica, book X.259-489 (4th century C.E.)


[A contemporary piece that was most likely an influential source for a Victorian artist, in addition to the Classical texts]



When the play opens, Oenone weeps over the fact that Paris, her former love, left her for the beautiful Helen of Troy. Paris staggers in, wounded by Philoctetes’ poisoned barb and begs for her to heal him with her herbs, for she is well known as a healer. Still angry that he abandoned her, Oenone refuses to help and leaves him to die. With his two attendants by his side, Paris laments his fate and disappears into the woods. Oenone, who has had a change of heart, runs in looking for Paris, ready to tell him that she has an herb that could save his life. She instead finds Helen, who is out looking for Paris as well. Oenone tells Helen that she will give her the herb as long as Paris’s life is saved, but it is too late: a funeral pyre with Paris’s body on it comes into view. Oenone, crazed with grief, runs to the pyre in order to throw herself on it, as Helen looks on in horror.



The Engraving


This colored engraving of Paris and Oenone shows the pair as a young, happy couple, back when Paris was still a shepherd boy (or a servant to a shepherd, if we are to believe Ovid's Oenone) and had not yet abandoned Oenone for Helen of Troy. In the picture he holds her arm lovingly as he carves their names into the bark of a tree, just as Ovid's Oenone recalls. At the bottom of the engraving are the words:


"When Paris lives not to Oenone true

Back Xanthius' steams shall to their fountains flow.

- Ovid epist. V"


Paris's promise is set next to a time when he was faithful to his wife Oenone. But we as viewers know that his oath will soon be broken and chaos in the Greek world will ensue. Because of our foreknowledge, the oath seems more like a terrible warning than a promise made in a moment of passion.



For more information:

Ancient texts/quotes having to do with the story of Paris and Oenone

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Plans for Art Series

So I have this idea...

I plan on going to the Met Museum (NYC) Greek/Roman galleries once a week and taking 7 or more photos, with a theme in mind. Then each day that week I will do little write-ups on them, one piece each day. The write-up, in addition to ID information, may include one or more (or all) of the following:

1. Short description WITH photo (I'll do the best I can with the photo quality)
2. Historical context - what was happening at that place at that time
3. Mythology being depicted
4. Artistic analysis
5. Artist info (when known)
6. Artistic techniques
7. Key terms that may be important
8. Any museum plaque attached to it


If one theme has very few objects, I'll post them every other day instead. But my goal is to do one a day. I feel that art reveals many aspects of a society, and art from antiquity is no exception. So I'd really like to delve into each piece and discover how it relates to religion, historical events, societal norms, previous/later art, etc.

I will do the following themes, and I may add to this list later.
This list is not in any particular order...

1. Amazons
2. Centaurs
3. Bacchus/Dionysos
4. Symposium
5. Grave markers
6. Rhyton
7. Geometric
8. Corinthian
9. Women
10. Children
11. Domestic animals
12. Hunting
13. Pyxis
14. Kylix
15. Trojan War
16. Theater
17. Emperor
18. Venus/Aphrodite (in various poses)
19. Costume
20. Wall painting
21. Artistic/symbolic conventions
22. Slavery
23. Architecture in vase painting

Any other themes you'd like to see me cover? Let me know!

I'm going to the Met on Thursday and I'll start the first theme on Sunday!

Review on "Pompeii and the Roman Villa" Exhibit

This is my very first exhibit review, so please be gentle! :)


What
: "Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples"
Where: National Gallery (Washington D.C.)
When: Until March 22, 2009
Website: Pompeii Exhibit
Next At: Los Angeles County Museum of Art: May 3–October 4, 2009
Online Brochure: PDF file

Bronze archaicizing statues with their original bone/stone eyes still intact...
Marble sculptures of the emperors who vacationed around the Bay of Naples...
Colorful frescoes of still lifes revealing the food and drink Romans enjoyed...
Mosaics with carefully modeled hair and skin tones and exquisite detail...

This exhibit was absolutely breath-taking. I drove 4.5 hours from NJ to D.C. to see it and it was well worth the trip. The crowds, although a bit overwhelming, did not really detract from the beauty of the pieces or the extremely well-crafted set-up of the exhibit.

The exhibit was split into 2 sections:
1. Vesuvian-region art, most dating from around 1st C. BCE - 1st C. CE
2. Later art inspired by Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius


I'd like to share my choice of "highlights" from the exhibit... if you've seen it, please comment and share your favorite pieces!


1. Plato and his Followers - Mosaic (No. 95)

Date: 1st C. BCE -1st C. CE
Original Location: Villa of Siminius Stephanus, Pompeii
Medium: Mosaic

Seven bearded men consider a sphere in front of them, as two of them stand while the others recline under a shady tree. The scene is framed by lush vegetation and eight comedy masks. Scholars believe that Plato is the man beneath the olive tree, slipping off his sandals. The figures appear to be engaged in conversation, and one man strokes his beard thoughtfully.

What strikes me as so amazing about this particular piece is the fine detail in such a relatively small mosaic. The men's hair, drapery, and skin tones are all modeled with a gradient effect, revealing highlights and shadows. The figures' faces are all individualized and express some level of emotion. All of this, in my opinion, equals an impressive feat when you consider how small the work is (approx. 33" by 33") and how incredibly small the tesserae are.


2. Apollo with the Muses - Wall Frescoes (No. 111-113)

Date: 1st C. CE
Original Location: Triclinium A; Moregine
Medium: Wall fresco, Fourth style

These three impressively well-preserved walls give you a sense of what all of these wall paintings would have looked like in situ: there wouldn't have been an inch of wall left uncovered in many of these rooms. This is certainly what you find here in the walls of Triclinium A: a blindingly red room punctuated by architectural elements and the figures of Apollo and the Muses, many of whom levitate in the air with a supernatural aura about them.

The writers of the catalog argue that Apollo represents Nero here, as Nero was much in love with the arts and often referred to himself as being like the god. He also was a frequent visitor to the area. Scholars suggest that the viewer is meant to see the Muses as the Imperial family and that the patron would have pointed out the visual metaphor to his guests as they dined there. I'm not sure if I buy either argument - as the author of the catalog points out, the facial features on this Apollo have no resemblance to the portraits of Nero. And even if Apollo IS meant to represent Nero, I think it's a pretty big stretch to say that the Muses represent his female family members. If this Apollo is meant to be Nero, then I believe that the presence of the Muses simply glorifies Nero's fascination with and aptitude for the arts and sciences.



3. Female Artist - Wall Fresco (No. 56)

Date: 1st C. BCE - 1st C. CE
Original Location: House of the Surgeon, Pompeii
Medium: Wall fresco - Third style

In this wall fresco, a female artist dips a brush into paint with one hand and holds a palette in the other, while staring intently at her subject (a hip herm representing Priapus). Two women stand behind her, watching her as she works. This piece is particularly interesting to me because it depicts a female painter and also because it, like several other Roman wall frescoes, proves the existence of Roman panel paintings - an art form that has not survived the ravages of time.

Pliny the Elder states, "Among artists, glory is given only to those who paint panel paintings" - his reasoning being that panel paintings can be saved during a catastrophe, while wall paintings will undoubtedly be destroyed if there is a fire, flood, etc. The irony of this statement is not lost on the writers of the catalog, as they include the quote in their catalog, right above the fact that no panel paintings survive from antiquity. And yet this wall fresco, with its vibrant colors, remains.


Can you tell I'm a wall fresco girl?

It's really hard to choose only 3, but these are the ones that really stood out in my mind.

So basically if you're near Washington D.C. before the 22nd of March or in L.A. when the exhibit opens there, and you're interested in Pompeii.... I highly recommend going to see it!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Achilles Fragment: Web Project Sorts Out Identities

Today I'd like to highlight a web project put on by the Princeton Museum in NJ (which has a FABULOUS ancient collection, by the way - but that will be for another day!).

From the Princeton Museum's website:

"In this project, the viewer is able to clarify the fragmentary composition by selectively clicking on individual figures or objects, highlighting them in contrast to their surroundings. The fragment from an ancient clay pot was made in Athens about 515–510 B.C. Attributed to the vase-painter Euphronios, it derives from a calyx-crater, a vessel for mixing wine and water. The subject is an episode from the Trojan War. The Greek warrior Ajax, whose head is missing, braces himself on a pair of spears as he stoops to retrieve the helmet of the dead Achilles, whose body hangs limply over his shoulder. The legs of a third Greek and of a fallen Trojan are visible in the background, beyond the shield on Ajax’s left arm. The ankle of a fifth figure is preserved in the lower left corner."

Click here to check out the web project.

First post.... what shall I say?

I figure I should probably start with a list of things this blog will be about:

1. snippets of Greek/Roman mythology - stories, deities, etc.
2. translated quotes from G/R literature and philosophy
3. G/R art (yes!) - photos, analysis, etc.
4. recent news regarding the ancient world
5. exhibits and museum collections

Anything else you'd like me to add?
It's nice having a list of things to do each day, so I'm not sitting here with a blank blog screen.