NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Exekias

Exekias (Εξηκίας, a Greek name) or Execias (Latinization) was an ancient Greek vase-painter and potter, who worked between approximately 550 BC - 525 BC at Athens. The pottery, however, was exported to other regions, such as Etruria. Exekias worked mainly with the technique called black-figure. It was only used for a relatively short time and dates his floruit. He is considered the best or one of the best of the black-figure vase painters. Bilingual amphora by the Andokides Painter, ca. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC Events and Trends Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica 559 BC - King Cambyses I of Anshan dies... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC Events 529 BC - Cambyses II succeeds his father Cyrus as ruler of Persia. ... Athens is the largest and the capital city of Greece, located in the Attica periphery. ... The area covered by the Etruscan civilzation. ... The black-figure pottery technique is a style of ancient Greek pottery painting in which the decoration appears as black silhouettes on a red background. ...

Background

The works of Exekias are distinguished by their grand compositions, precise draughtsmanship and subtle characterisation, transcending the inherent limitations of the black-figure technique. As one historian of Greek art has said, Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 300 pixelsFull resolution (1600 Ã— 600 pixel, file size: 563 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 300 pixelsFull resolution (1600 Ã— 600 pixel, file size: 563 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC Events and trends Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC Events and trends 547 BC -- Croesus, Lydian king, is defeated by Cyrus of Persia near the River...

He was an innovative painter and potter, experimenting with new shapes and devising unusual techniques such as a coral-red wash to enhance colour.

Eleven signed works by Exekias have survived and approximately another 25 vessels and plaques have been attributed to him. One of his best-known works is an amphora, now on display in the Vatican Museums in Rome, which depicts Ajax and Achilles playing a game at Troy; it is inscribed with the words AmphorÃ¦ on display in Bodrum Castle, Turkey An amphora is a type of ceramic vase with two handles, used for the transportation and storage of perishable goods and more rarely as containers for the ashes of the dead or as prize awards. ... Entrance to the museum Staircase of the Vatican Museum The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) are the public art and sculpture museums in the Vatican City, which display works from the extensive collection of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area - City 1,285 kmÂ² (580 sq mi) - Urban 5... Aias (Greek: ), or Ajax, king of Salamis, a legendary hero of ancient Greece. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by FranÃ§ois-LÃ©on Benouville (1821â€“1859) (MusÃ©e Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... For other uses of Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ...

Other works also showed scenes from the Trojan War, such as Achilles slaying Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons, or Ajax preparing to commit suicide. Another work, appearing almost without fail in every text on Greek art, is a kylix (drinking cup), inside which is depicted the picture of the god of wine Dionysus on a vessel. It bears the signature For the 1997 film, see Trojan War (film). ... In Greek mythology, Penthesilea (also spelled Penthesilia) was an Amazonian queen, daughter of Ares and Otrera, sister of Hippolyte, Antiope and Melanippe. ... The Amazons (in Greek, ) were a mythical ancient nation of all-female warriors. ... Kylix may mean: Kylix (drinking cup), a type of drinking cup used in ancient Greece Kylix programming tool This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the ancient deity. ...

These vases are masterpieces; however, only a few are extant. It seems unlikely that he could have earned a living on those few carefully crafted pieces. He may well have produced large numbers of less carefully made, unsigned pots for general consumption.

No details of his life survive, from which one might conclude to a contemporary social insignificance (perhaps not as severe as that of Van Gogh). It has been deduced from his preference for themes on Ajax that he was from Salamis. van gogh is a piece of shit Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Netherlands artist. ... Aias (Greek: ), or Ajax, king of Salamis, a legendary hero of ancient Greece. ... Salamis may refer to Salamis Island in the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, near Athens, Greece, where the Battle of Salamis was fought in 480 B.C.. Salamis, a genus of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae* Salamis, Cyprus, an ancient city on the east coast of Cyprus. ...

Themes

Exekias was interested in the depiction of grand moments in life, death and religion, rather than in the details of mythology. His paintings are carefully staged pauses in the cinema of life, showing close-ups of the characters at symbolic moments. He was the tragedian of vase-painting. His painting is analogous to what in literature would be called the high style. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 536 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1542 Ã— 1725 pixel, file size: 267 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 536 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1542 Ã— 1725 pixel, file size: 267 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Bavarian State Collection of Antiques The Staatliche Antikensammlung (State Collection of Antiques) in Munich is a museum for the Bavarian states antique collections for Greek, Etruscan and Roman art. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ...

The Dionysos kylix uses the bottom of a wine bowl as a working surface for the main scenario. Dionysos was the god of inspiration. The painting depicts the initial journey of Dionysos to Athens by ship. Pirates had seized the ship and were going, perhaps, to sell Dionysos into slavery. Instead the god caused vines to grow from the mast, frightening the pirates so much that they jumped overboard and were changed into dolphins.

The most important element of the theme is that the pirates were not assassinated. They were subordinated and now frolic around the ship in attendance on the god. Dionysos intends to bring order by divine inspiration to Athens, which, like the rest of the Aegean lands, has suffered piracy, banditry and social chaos during the Greek "dark ages." In the painting, god glides serenely over the cosmos, which grows and lives at his bidding, and frolics in attendance upon him. The white sails draw attention to the wind, which blows where god wills it, in this case to Athens. The journey of Dionysos has been described as a nostos, a return home. Nostos (Greek: ) (pl. ...

The amphora shown in this article presents Achilles and Ajax at a moment of concentration upon a game in the middle of a battle. The nature of the game is not known. Some compare it to chess or checkers; others, to dice. The postures of the warriors show that they are not relaxing, but are hanging on the outcome of the game. War is a game, whether of strategy or of chance. Both men are caught up in a game for which they did not make the rules, and are trying to influence its outcome in their favor.

Another vase shows Penthesilea at the moment of her slaughter. Her face and arms are white, the symbol of femininity. She looks up with pathos at the man who now has her totally at his mercy. She is overpowered by nature, but her weapons, her femininity and her spear, have failed. Some say that in that moment she and Achilles are shown falling in love, but too late for love and mercy. This is an ironic contrast between what was and what should have been. It is a statement about women going to war, which Greek society viewed as out of place.

The suicide of Ajax portrays a moment not all that rare among professional military men. Ajax has been passed over for promotion in favor of Odysseus and now, if he cannot win the honor on which he has set his mind, he will not live. Warriors seek honor and glory (kleos) on the battlefield by killing others. Now the warrior whose kleos has failed off the battlefield kills himself.

The shield decorated with the protecting Gorgoneion has been laid aside. Ajax is now vulnerable. He plants the sword of destruction in the earth, crouching over it, turning his back on the tree of life. Shortly he will fall on the sword. See also Gorgona, for the Colombian/Italian islands. ...

Composition

Exekias tries to fill the entire surface of the pot with decoration as thickly as he can. And yet, each of the scenarios is carefully bordered; that is, he seems to follow a principle of cosmic order.

In addition to the main tableau are subordinate ones. Where there are no tableaux, he uses rows of rosettes, spikes, spirals and plain bands. Sometimes he surrounds the main tableau with simple black, so that it appears suddenly, out of the darkness, so to speak.

It is diagnostic of Exekias that he uses the shape of the vessel and its protrusions as a terrain to which the lines and forms of the painting conform. As you gaze directly at the tableau, a center of attention appears: the game board, the face of Penthesilea, the starry robe of Dionysos, the sword implanted in the earth. In the round surface of the vase, this point is closest to the eye and is seen directly on.

All the other main lines are either concentric around the thematic center or lead to it as the spokes of a wheel: the spears of the warriors, the curved backs of their hunching forms, the wind-filled sails of the ship and its curved bottom, the circle of dolphins, etc.

Detail

A second diagnostic of Exekias is that he fills the outlines of his figures densely with carefully incised lines showing a microcosm of detail, especially in the clothes and armor of the characters. No other Greek vase painter does that.

The detail of the clothing is a repetition on a smaller scale of themes found over the vase as a whole. One cannot fail to wonder, for example, at the embellishments on the head and shoulders of the Ajax, shown above, all the more so when one realizes that the object is only an earthen pot. It should have been gold inlaid with niello, which heightens the mystery of Exekias. â€žMinden Crossâ€œ in Niello technique, appr. ...

See also

External links

Categories: Ancient Greek vase painters | Ancient Greek potters Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Bilingual amphora by the Andokides Painter, ca. ... A krater (Greek ÎºÏÎ±Ï„Î·Ï, from the Greek verb ÎºÎµÏÎ±Î½Î½Ï…Î¼Î¹, to mix. ... Kylix by Euergides (circa 500 BC) in the British Museum, London. ... Trifoil oenochoe, wild-goat style, ca. ... Corinthian skyphos with birds, ca. ... A psykter is a type of Greek pot that is characterized by a bulbous body set on a high, narrow foot. ... An example of a kyathos Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kyathoi Kyathos (Ancient Greek - dipper) is the name given in modern terminology to a type of painted ancient Greek vase with a tall, round, slightly tapering bowl and a single, flat, long, looping handle. ... A Rhyton (Greek á¿¥Ï…Ï„á½¹Î½ rutÃ³n) is a ceremonial drinking cup shaped like an animal head or horn. ... Attic kantharos, ca. ... An unusually large askos at the Louvre. ... In classical antiquity, the cotyla or cotyle (Gr ) was a measure of capacity among the Romans and Greeks: by the former it was also called hemina; by the latter, and or . ... The lebes gamikos, or nuptial lebes, is a form of ancient Greek Pottery used in marriage ceremonies. ... A loutrophoros is a distinctive type of Greek pottery characterized by its elongated neck. ... The epinetron was an Attic female ceramic vessel associated with weaving. ... A alabastron is a type of Greek pottery used for holding oil, especially perfume or massage oils. ... An aryballos (Greek: Î±ÏÏÎ²Î±Î»Î»Î¿Ï‚) was a small spherical or globular flask with a narrow neck used in Ancient Greece. ... Theseus and the Marathonian bull, white-ground lekythos, ca. ... Theseus and the Marathonian bull, white-ground lekythos, ca. ... A loutrophoros is a distinctive type of Greek pottery characterized by its elongated neck. ... A phiale in metal, from above Image of a young man holding a phiale in his right hand Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phiales Not to be confused with Phiale (genus) A phiale is the name given in modern terminology to a kind of ancient Greek ceramic or metallic... AmphorÃ¦ on display in Bodrum Castle, Turkey An amphora is a type of ceramic vase with two handles, used for the transportation and storage of perishable goods and more rarely as containers for the ashes of the dead or as prize awards. ... The lebes is a large bowl. ... A pithos (plural pithoi: the word is Greek) is a large clay jar used for storage. ... A stamnos is a type of Greek pottery used to store liquids. ... Woman officiating at an altar, Attic red-figure kylix by Chairias, c. ... The black-figure pottery technique is a style of ancient Greek pottery painting in which the decoration appears as black silhouettes on a red background. ... Bilingual pottery (or, in the singular, a bilingual vase) is a term used to denote pottery from amongst the earliest Attic vases which present on one side the earlier black figure style and on the other the later red figure style, sometimes showing with the same scene. ... Sixs technique was a technique used by Attic black-figure vase painters first described by the Dutch scholar Jan Six in 1888. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Satyrs by the Amasis Painter The Amasis painter (active around 550 - 510 in Athens) was a Greek Vase painter of the black figure style. ... Image:Euphronios death of sarpedon. ... The Dragon of Kholkis disgorges Jason, attrbuted to Douris, Museo Gregoriano Etrusco Vaticano. ... Rape of the daughters of Leucippus by the Dioscuri, hydria by the Meidias Painter, British Museum William Hamilton by Joshua Reynolds, 1777, National Portrait Gallery London, 680, depicting the Meidias Painters name vase in the bottom right hand corner. ... There are about 100 different types of Greek vase, many of which have several sub-types. ... Attic kylix with the inscription Kleomelos Kalos The Kalos inscription was a form of epigraph found on Attic vases in antiquity, common between 550 and 450 BCE and usually found on symposion vessels. ... Symposium originally referred to a drinking party (the Greek verb sympotein means to drink together) but has since come to refer to any academic conference, whether or not drinking takes place. ... Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum was the first research project of the Union Academique Nationale of France. ... Sir John Davidson Beazley (Glasgow, Scotland, 1885 - Oxford, England, 1970) was an English Classical scholar. ... Panathenic Amphora: LÃ¤ufer These were the large ceramic vessels that contained the oil given as prizes in the Panathenaic Games. ... South Italian is a designation for ancient Greek pottery fabricated in Magna Graecia during the Fourth Century B.C. There are four regions which produced South Italian ware: Apulia, Lucania, Paestum, and Campania. ...

Contents

Background var ACE_AR = {Site: '756743', Size: '300250'};