Archaic Greek Art

Art was evolving throughout the Archaic period; artists were becoming more interested in figure-drawing and being able to tell a story with their artwork than in the previous geometric period, during which there was a heavy focus on patterns and repetitive motifs. The Archaic period was an age of experimentation, and the creativity that artists showed in these years made way for the artistic achievements credited with the following Classical period.

Pottery, probably the most prolific art form to come out of the Archaic period, is used by many as a common example of the creativity and innovation shown by Archaic artists. It was produced all over Greece, popular both in the country itself and on the export market, but the foremost producers by far were Corinth and Athens, though the latter was to take over the majority of the market by the fifth century BC.

So many pieces of pottery have survived for so long due to its durability: unlike wood, bronze and marble, ceramics cannot decay, be melted down or easily changed into something else. Although of little sentimental value to the Greeks, it was an extremely popular form of artwork on the foreign markets, treasured and often buried alongside the deceased in their tombs.

Mythology was an integral part of Greek culture, it was part of the country’s history, it’s “heroic past” (Whitley, 2001). The first mythological scenes appeared on pottery around 700BC as figurative art that had previously been so popular gradually became more narrative, with painters becoming more inventive and interested in telling stories.

As for the purpose of pottery in Archaic Greece, it’s clear that much of it had functional uses. Pottery was generally inexpensive, almost anyone could afford to purchase it, preventing it almost immediately from being collected by the wealthy as artwork meant for display. Pottery was a mass production industry, and commissioned pieces were unusual – again, this points to functionality instead of decorative uses. There were numerous different types of pots; amphorae, oinochoe and hydria for holding and pouring wine or water into the krater, a large mixing-bowl, and various types of cups and storage jars. 

Although the functional purposes of these objects are obvious, it is somewhat likely that they had some kind of artistic role too. The scenes that the vase-painters depicted were carefully selected, and they made sure that the viewers would recognise and understand the scenes being portrayed by adding intricate details and in later cases labelling individual characters. In their common use at symposia or even during everyday meal times, these decorated objects would be passed round and handled – there was a great opportunity for “visual literacy” (Whitley, 2001), that is the ability to read and recognise stories from images.