Greece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greece - Essay Example hese changes from the strongly Egyptian influenced archaic to the more natural influence of the classical can be traced through the various changes in vase decorations and in sculptures dating from this century. In the older vases of this period, stories of Odysseus and other Homeric heroes can be found in the flat, single perspective styles of Egypt as well as the heavy use of a somewhat innovative style of decoration commonly referred to as black-figure. Black figure is called this because the objects represented on the vase were first painted in black varnish and then the varnish was scratched off to reveal details after the vase had been fired (Tarbell, 1905). One of these early vases is an amphora decorated with scenes of Herakles battling the Amazons dating back to approximately 570-560 BC. Amphora were used to carry wine and often depicted scenes from heroic stories and mythology. In this depiction, all of the characters are seen from the side view with no dimensional quality to them whatsoever, despite the fact that they are obviously intended to be seen in motion. â€Å"At the center of the scene, Herakles, wearing lion skin over short chiton and a scabbard, grabs Andromache, quee n of the Amazons, by the wrist and is about to dispatch her with a short sword† (Skaar, 2006). Like Egyptian art, these figures are seen from the side in all of their postures, but eyes, such as the eye of Andromache, are seen as if from the frontal view. Each of the characters can be recognized for who they are intended to be because of the artist’s inclusion of names alongside each of the figures represented. Another piece representing the Archaic period is the Odysseus kylix by the Painter of Boston dated approximately 560-550 BC. This cup, designed to drink wine from, depicts a scene from the epic story Odysseus, in which the witch Circe turns all of Odysseus’ men into animals. She can be seen in the center, handing out a wine goblet to the individuals coming up