Greek Vases

Pottery background:

CONSTRUCTION

Greek vase-makers couldn't order their clay. They collected clay from the shore, dried it, broke it into clods, and removed the rubbish.

Next the clay was thinned with water and washed clean of all impurities such as sand and roots. This process was repeated several times and then the clay was dried to a thick paste. This was stored in a humid room till it became just sticky enough to work with.

Most Greek vases were made using the potter's wheel. (Remember that the wheel was probably invented long before by the Mesopotamians.) Some pieces such as feet and neck were attached next. When the vase was dry, handles were attached. Finished pottery was smoothed and polished by a pebble or a wooden tool.

DESIGN

Figures were sketched on the leather-dried surface by a stick of charcoal or lead.

Later, when the black-figure technique emerged, painting became more detailed. At first, the outline of the figure was drawn, then the inside of it was painted. Subordinate colors such as white and blown-red were applied. Details were drawn by a pointed tool.

Red-figure is a reversed technique of black-figure. The outlines of the figure was drawn and details were painted by a brush or other tools. Then outside was painted over. This new technique enabled painters to create more realistic details. So like Greek sculpture, painting progressed from stylized, abstract forms to more lifelike representations.

FIRING

The first pottery was fired in a kiln with the chimney open. A reddish color occurred when iron in the clay combined with oxygen to become iron oxide.

When the hole of the chimney was closed, the atmosphere of the kiln was dominantly carbon dioxide. So the whole surface turned black.

In a last process, the chimney was opened again and the atmosphere once more filled with oxygen. Reserved clay turned red again, though the painted part remained black,. Experiments revealed that an exact process, control of temperature and timing to open and close the chimney, was needed to produce the desired color.

Greek vases came in different shapes and sizes, made for different purposes. (An image of the different vase styles is provided below.) A great discussion on Athenian vase painting in red and black can be found here from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Greek mythology is the collection of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece, referencing their 12 major gods and their lesser gods, who lived on Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. It was believed that the gods ruled the earth but were not all-powerful.

The two examples provided here are about Dionysus, the god of wine. As the god of wine, Dionysus was often identified with his wine and symbolically "poured out" for consumption by the gods. This generally occurred during sacrificial rituals when wine was poured over the parts of the animal being offered to the gods. In a way Dionysus was, then, made an offering of to the gods along with the sacrificed animal.

The example on the below is by the potter Exekias from 550-530 BC - the picture is a top down view of the Kylix style of vase and tells this story of Dionysus: Dionysus, god of wine, was the son of Zeus, the king of gods, and a mortal mother, Semele. One day when he was sleeping on the shores of a Greek island, a band of pirates, thinking he was a prince, kidnapped him for ransom. Dionysus was far out to sea when he woke up. He tried to convince the pirates that he was a god, son of Zeus, but they did not believe him. Then grape vines grew out of the sea, twisting around the boat, twining around the oars and into the mast. The pirates became afraid and jumped overboard. Because Dionysus was a kind god, he did not let them drown, but changed them into dolphins. Greek legends say that is why the dolphin is the most human of all creatures that live in the ocean.

questions:

• Read the myth while the students look at the print of the vase. Does the picture illustrate the story?
• Identify items in the picture as they relate to the story.
• Did the potter draw a sea on the vase? How do you know the boat is in a sea?
• Were the gods and goddesses real? Hint — to the Greek people and their experience of living they were real.
• What shape do you think this vase is? Use the pdf file to see different vases. Look at how wide the vase is, looking at it from the top. It also looks shallow.
• What do you think this vase was used for?
• What stories do you know with vines? Hint — 'Jack and the beanstalk', 'Sleeping beauty'. How are they the same, how different? Hint — good and bad characters, sleeping characters, etc.
• What is this vase made of? Clay. What colors do you see?
• Exekias the potter was known to make his pottery look very grand. What does that mean? Does this vase look grand?

activities:

Have the kids design a vase in the style of the greek vases that represents all of their years at Olive. They can put all their teachers on the vase, as well as symbols of things they learned about each year, or anything else about Olive that was special to them. (Templates of the vases for the kids to trace are in the binder.) This is a very fun lesson and should be done at the end of the school year. See examples below:

Bring in empty jugs of milk covered in plain white paper. Let groups of students illustrate a story on the paper, using crayons or markers. Think of a story comparable to the Greek myths. How about the story of the Tooth Fairy? Or find a book on modern American legends, tell that to the students and have them illustrate based on the story. A popular book can also be the inspiration for the illustration. How about a modern day superhero like Spiderman?

Provide a paper bowl to each of the students and let each student illustrate the inside of the bowl. Use a modern day legend or story, or tell them another Greek legend to illustrate. There is a template provided in the pdf file that you can copy and distribute if you would rather just use paper.

Read the students age appropriate Greek Myths, and let them discuss it. The local library has a vast collection of books on the subject.

Use a large piece of paper, and let the students advise on the creation of a superhero, similar to the Greek gods, and the powers of that superhero. Draw the superhero for them, adding anything needed for the powers to work, like wings. Name the creation.

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