Dark Age Greek Painting • 1200-800 BC

1. Greek painting has survived mainly as pottery decoration. The few surviving Greek frescos reveal significant advances in realism, including a growing awareness of perspective. The heart of Greek culture (including painting) was Athens. This was true even during the Greek Dark Age, during which Athens (like all other Greek settlements) had yet to grow into a city. It can also be noted that the Greeks were the first great mosaic artists of Europe. The art of mosaic continued to flourish under the Romans, then culminated with the Byzantines during the Middle Ages; to a lesser extent, it also thrived in medieval Western Europe. From the Renaissance onward, mosaic art declined in Europe as it became imitative of painting. (The most renowned mosaic art outside Europe is that of Mesoamerican civilization, which made extensive use of turquoise.)

2. Dark Age Greek Painting • 1200-800 BC Mycenaean civilization collapsed due to civil strife ca. 1200 BC. Thus began the Greek Dark Age, during which the Aegean region languished in deurbanized poverty. Nonetheless, this period witnessed the development of the protogeometric style, which features concentric circles and patterns of straight, wavy, and zigzag lines. The neatness and precision of protogeometric distinguishes it from earlier styles of geometric decoration; this reflects technological innovations, namely the multi-headed brush (for painting parallel lines) and the compass (for painting circles). The impact of protogeometric decoration is emphasized by its sparseness. Protogeometric jar. Protogeometric jar.

3. Archaic Greek Painting • 800-500 BC The Archaic period encompassed three phases of Greek jar painting: geometric, orientalizing, and black-figure. The geometric style elevated geometric decoration to new heights of complexity. A geometric style vessel features a variety of patterns, including checkers, repeated shapes, and meanders. (A meander is a pattern formed by a single continuous line; see example .) If human and animal figures are present, they are rigidly stylized so as to blend in with the pure geometric elements Geometric jar.

4. Archaic Greek Painting • 800-500 BCContinued The next period of Greek painting is referred to as "orientalizing", due to the adoption of images from the east (e.g. lions, sphinxes). Two main orientalized styles emerged. The bold and lavish protoattic style of Athens, found mainly on large jars, essentially takes the geometric style and adds large figures. The delicate protocorinthian style of Corinth, on the other hand, features small figures with light geometric elements, such as tiny rosettes; it is naturally suited to smaller vessels. Protoattic jar Protocorinthian jar

5. Archaic Greek Painting • 800-500 BCContinued Next came the black-figure style, in which the silhouettes of figures are painted in solid black (over a fiery orange glaze) with the details cut out afterward. The black-figure period marks the beginning of narrative scenes in Greek pottery decoration (as opposed to mere decorative figures). The scenes are framed with geometric elements. Black-figure jar Black-figure dish.

6. Archaic Greek Painting • 800-500 BCContinued Greek panel and fresco painting of the Archaic period is flat and sharply outlined. Of the few surviving examples, perhaps finest are the frescos of the Tomb of the Diver, found at a Greek settlement in southern Italy. Greek fresco painting spread to the Etruscans of Italy, who became avid tomb decorators. Their works survive in relative abundance (see examples ). These provide a valuable glimpse into Greek painting, since the style of Etruscan painting was firmly Greek-based. Tomb of the Diver fresco.

7. Classical and Hellenistic Greek Painting • 500-27 BC The last major school of Greek vase painting was red-figure, in which the black-figure technique was reversed: orange silhouettes were formed by painting around them in black, allowing interior details to be painted rather than incised. This gave the artist much more control in drawing smooth curves or varying the thickness of lines when adding details; it also allowed for gradients of color, since the black paint could be diluted to acquire different shades of brown. The red-figure style flourished early in the Classical period. As the Classical period drew on, however, the art of pottery decoration fell into decline. This was largely due to advances in realistic painting technique, which led many artists to focus their efforts on panels and frescos. Consequently, the great age of Greek vase painting was succeeded by the great age of Greek wall and panel painting, which spanned the late Classical and Hellenistic periods. Red-figure jar.

8. Classical and Hellenistic Greek Painting • 500-27 BCContinued Once again, only a handful of works (all anonymous) survive. Perhaps the best-preserved is Abduction of Persephone, a fresco in a Macedonian tomb painted by a Greek artist. (Macedonia, like Rome, admired and commissioned Greek art.) The contours of the deities' bodies are shaded with a convincing sense of roundness, realistic shadows are rendered in the folds of Persephone's drapery, and the angle of the chariot conveys deep perspective Abduction of Persephone fresco.

9. Sources 1 - "Greek Art and Architecture: Vase Painting", Encarta. Accessed April 2009. 2 - "Western Painting: Ancient Greek » Dark Ages", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 3 - "Proto-Geometric Style (Greek Art): Main", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 4 - "Western Painting: Ancient Greek » Geometric Period", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 5 - "Western Painting: Ancient Greek » Orientalizing Period", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 6 - "Greek Art and Architecture: Vase Painting » Black Figure Style", Encarta. Accessed April 2009. 7 - "Greek Art and Architecture: Vase Painting » Red Figure Style", Encarta. Accessed April 2009. 8 - "Western Painting: Ancient Greek » Archaic Period", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 9 - "Greek Art and Architecture: Wall and Panel Painting", Encarta. Accessed April 2009. 10 - "Western Painting: Western Mediterranean » Etruscan", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 11 - "Western Painting: Western Mediterranean » Roman » Etruscan and Hellenistic Greek influences", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 12 - "Western Painting: Ancient Greek » Classical period » High Classical", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 13 - "Western Painting: Ancient Greek » Hellenistic Period", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 2009. 14 - "Aigai", Encarta. Accessed July 2009. 15 - "Ancient Greece", Encarta. Accessed July 2009. 16 - "Painting", World Book Encyclopedia. Accessed November 2009. 17 - "The Tomb of Philip at Vergina: Which Philip?", Classical Art Research Centre: the Beazley Archive. Accessed November 2009. 18 - "Mosaic", Encarta 2004. 19 - "Mosaic", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed January 2010. 20 - "Apelles", Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed January 2010.