Antique Ornament: Brief Charakteristics

Antique ornamentation is one of the most ancient pictorial genres in world history. It originated in the form of vase painting in the 3rd century BC and continued its existence until the beginning of our era. Its significance lies in the fact that it not only enriched the ancient Greek culture with fine examples of paintings, but also served as a basis for the masters of the Renaissance, who in their work focused on the best examples of vases. Antique ornament - one of the most common types of fine art in ancient Greece.

The Art of Light and Shade

This discovery in painting belongs to the ancient Greek artist Appolpodor of Athens, who later for his skill was nicknamed the Tenepisc. The creation of chiaroscuro in the painting gave the image a three-dimensionality and realism that became a real breakthrough in the ancient fine arts. In addition to this author, other masters of this genre are also known (Zevkheis, Parrasiy and others). However, the monumental painting did not receive such a wide scope as vase painting.

Types of Paintings

An antique ornament was depicted, as a rule, on vessels in which the Greeks stored wine, oil or water. There were two types of paintings: black-lacquer and red-lacquered. In the first case, the masters painted black figures on a red background, in the second figure the colors of the burnt clay were located on a black background. Such images were flat and resembled a graphic drawing. They are interesting not only from the aesthetic point of view, but also from the historical point of view, because thanks to them we have an idea about the life of the ancient Greeks, their interior, clothing, and holidays.

Drawings

Antique ornament can be divided into two types: eastern and geometric. In the first case, masters imitated oriental motifs, drawing griffins and sphinxes. But very soon this kind of art evolved, and artists began to paint pictures from life, or rather, taking as a basis for the plot elements of the surrounding nature. The images differ in stylization and some geometricity, however the Greeks used different versions of compositions every time and thus achieved originality in the image. So, antique ornamentation and painting played an important role in the development of world art.