Geometric Art is a phase of
Greek art, characterised largely by geometric motifs in Plekhov-bone-vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the
Greek Dark Ages, circa
900 BCE to
700 BCE. Its centre was in
Athens, and it was diffused amongst the trading cities of the
Aegean.
Pottery in the Geometric periods
Protogeometric period
During the
Protogeometric period (1050-900 BC) the shapes of the vessels have eliminated the fluid nature of the
Mycenaean, the form has become strict and simple and they are divided into horizontal decorative bands with a few written geometric shapes within, usually concentric cycles or semicircles engraved with a caliper.
Early Geometric period
In the Early geometric period (900-850 BC) the height of the vessels has been increased, while the decoration is limited around the neck until the middle of the body of the vessel. The remaining surface is covered by a thin layer of clay, which during the cooking takes a dark, shiny, metallic color.
[Pliny the Elder Natural History (Pliny) 35th,36th Book] That was the period when the decorative theme of the
meander added to the pottery design, the most characteristic element of geometric art.
Middle geometric period
At the Middle geometric period (850-760 BC), the decorative zones appear multiplied by creating a laced mesh, while the meander dominates and is placed in the most important area, in the metope which is arranged between the handles.
Late Geometric period
While the technique from the Middle Geometric period was still continued at the beginning of
8th century BC some laboratories enriched again the decorative organization of the vases, stabilized the forms of the animals in the areas of the neck and the base of the vase, and introduced at the main
metope between the handles, the human form. This was the first phase of the Late Geometric period (760-700 BC), in which the great vessels of
Dipylon placed on the graves as funeral monuments, and represent with their height (often at a height of 1.50 m) and the perfection of their execution, the highest expression of the Greek geometric art.
Their main subject was now the body lying in state (
prothesis) and the wail of the dead (Amphora in the
National Archaeological Museum of Athens), carrying out to the grave with an honorary
chariot race (Krater in the Athens National Archaeological Museum), and various other subjects related to similar descriptions of the
homeric epics.
People and animals depicted geometrically in a dark glossy color, while the remaining vessel is covered by strict zones of meanders, crooked lines, circles, swastikas, in the same graphical concept. Later, the main tragic theme of the wail declined, the compositions eased, the geometric shapes have become more freely, and areas with animals, birds, scenes of shipwrecks, hunting scenes, themes from mythology or the Homeric epics led
geometric pottery into more naturalistic expressions.
One of the characteristic examples of the Late geometric style, is an oldest surviving signed work of a Greek potter Aristonothos (or Aristonophos) (
7th century BC). The vase was found at
Cerveteri in Italy and illustrates the blinding of
Polyphemus by
Odysseus and his companions. From the mid of 8th century BC, the closer contact between Greece and the East enriched the
ceramic art with new subjects such as lions, panthers, imaginary beings, rosettes, palmettes, lotus flowers etc. - that led to the
Orientalizing Period style, in which the pottery style of
Corinth distinguished.
Geometric motives
Dipylon Vase
Vases in the
Geometric style are characterized by several horizontal bands about the circumference covering the entire vase. Between these lines the geometric artist used a number of other decorative motifs such as the
zigzag, the
triangle, the
meander and the
swastika. Besides abstract elements, painters of this era introduced stylized depictions of humans and animals which marks a significant departure from the earlier
Protogeometric Art. Many of the surviving objects of this period are funerary objects, a particularly important class of which are the amphorae that acted as grave markers for aristocratic graves, principally the
Dipylon Amphora by the
Dipylon Master.
Linear designs were the principal
motif used in this period. The meander pattern was often placed in bands and used to frame the now larger panels of decoration. The areas most used for decoration by
potters on shapes such as the
amphorae and
lekythoi were the neck and belly, which not only offered the greatest liberty for decoration but also emphasised the taller dimensions of the vessels.
Human depictions
The first human figures appeared around
770 BCE on the handles of vases. The male was depicted with a triangular
torso, an ovoid head with a blob for a nose and long cylindrical thighs and calves. Female figures were also
abstract. Their long hair was depicted as a series of lines, as were their breasts, which appeared as strokes under the armpit.
See also
