Ancient Art-y-facts
“There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is abou- Helen Frankenthaler
Ancient Greece is one of the oldest civilisations known to man, its rich history gives us so much to learn from and explore. The western world has a lot to thank them for: central heating, umbrellas, the Olympics and many other modern home comforts we take for granted. When it comes to art, movements like Baroque and Renaissance were heavily influenced by the style of Greek artists, with their romanticised style and heavily lidded, voluptuous women. Greeks were obsessed with aesthetics, but they also liked the idea of making beautiful things that could serve a purpose. This is where the everyday householditem, the pot, made history.
In the UK, everybody has a kettle; in Ancient Greece, everyone had a pot....or ten. There was a differently sized and shaped vessel for any use you could think of. Most people would have plain clay pots and only the wealthier citizens could afford the finely decorated pieces we are so used to seeing in museums and text books. Despite the constant demand for these handcrafted works of art and the fact being a potter (Keramus) was labour intensive and dirty. You’d think they would be more respected amongst their community. Unfortunately, potters were often considered low class and some were even slaves. They were relegated to outside the city due to the space required to make so many pots and also the thick smokeproduced by the kiln.
The potters were masters of their craft. The pots were often created in four parts, the foot, the lower body, the upper body and the neck. Then the potter would assemble the pot as he wished without a template, making each pot unique. To create the iconic red/orange of the clay pots, they had to put the pots through a 3-phase firing. First they would create a huge ventilated fire to oxidise the clay pots. Then they would close the vents, throw in damp wood and water to start the reduction process which would make the painted colours like black, darker and more prominent. Once this was done they would open the doors and vents back up, remove the moisture and this would cause the clay base to re-redden. A thin wash applied before the firing made sure the painted parts stayed dark and rich. Of course this complicated process required skill, patience and expert timing to prevent any discolouring.
Due to the excellent craftsmanship, a lot of the detail has not been lost through time, and It is thanks to the nameless keramus that we have an invaluable insight into the lives of the Athenians. Throw away the template and have fun with your art, you never know who you will end up inspiring.
