Monday

Geometric, Orientalizing and Archaic Greek Pottery




 
Geometric Period     1050 BCE - 700 BCE (700 BCE)
Orientalizing Period     700 BCE - 600 BCE (600 BCE)
Archaic Period     600 BCE - 480 BCE (600 BCE)
 
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Context: These diagrams are designed to provide you with a context for some of the vessels in this section.  In the same way that we can identify a ketchup bottle from a wine bottle, the Greeks were trained from an early age to be able to identify the vessels they used and the purpose for them.
The names linked with each vessel tell us something about them.  For example, a hydria with the root of hydra sounds suspiciously like our words hydrate and hydrant, both of which deal with water.  This vessel is then used for water.

Other examples:
A. Amphora from the Greek "To carry on both sides." was used for storage and was a large vessel.
B. Kylix  "To roll out." (from use of potter's wheel) is used for drinking wine from.
C. Oinochoe "To poor out." is a serving vessel

Dipylon Krater
c. 750 terra cotta 42" tall
found Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, Greece
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Geometric Period
Form:  This vase stood almost as high as that of a man or woman in the eighth century.  The pot was ornamented with engobe or slip and then fired.   Engobe is a glaze made of thinned down clay sometimes called slip which has additives such as iron oxides which turn colors when fired.  In this case a dark brownish black color.  (See Stokstad page 173, Technique, Greek Painted Vases) The ornamentation of the vase is organized into a series of registers or frets of unequal size.  The ones devoted to a scene which depicts a funeral bier and mourners is the largest.  The second largest is a scene depicting a funerary procession complete with soldiers, horses and chariots.   Overall the design exhibits a similar horror vacui to the vases from Knossos in that every empty space on the vase has been filled with geometric patterns and ornaments. The more figurative registers depict the bodies as flat, geometricized forms that are pushed up against the front of the picture plane.  There is no overlapping and no sense of deeper space. Iconography:  Each figures' sex is denoted by their role and ornamentation.  The figures to the left and right of the funerary bier (platform) have two small bumps under the armpits that represent breasts.  These figures represent females whose arms are raised in mourning or are literally pulling their hair out in grief.  This denotes the role and response expected from the female in this culture.  Beneath this register are the soldiers.  Protruding from their thighs are small bumps which represent their penises.   Vases such as this represent the funeral and the roles of each individual in it.  To have such a vase over the grave of the deceased was a representation not only of the potter's skill involved but also the wealth and the position of the deceased's family.
Context:  The Dipylon vase is an example of Greek geometric art that was found in the city's Dipylon cemetery. The pot documents funerary practices and particularly the newer practice of cremation in Athens.  This vase was used as a grave marker which had a hole in the top of the vase and one in the bottom, which upon pouring oil in the vase, this would feed the souls that lay underneath or it would serve simply to drain the water. There are divisions of laborers making these pots. There were potters, who made the pots and there were painters who painted the scenes on the pots.

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Dipylon Amphora, c. 750 terra cotta 4'11" tall
found Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, Greece
National Archeological Institution, Athens, Greece
Geometric Period Form:  This case is almost exactly the same in from as its counterpart above however slight differences in the shape and ornamentation are evidence that even in such a rigid and stylized form there is room for creativity and difference. Renown art historian Ernst Gombrich developed a theory to explain these changes and referred to it as schema and correction.  If we were to look at one vase as the plan or schema, we can see how one artist might take this schema and update it in order to make the design more pleasing according to the artist's and clients' tastes.  These changes are referred to as the correction.

Orientalizing Oinochoe (wine pitcher) c650BCE
from Rhodes, Orientalizing Period
Form:  The ornamentation of the vase is organized into a series of registers or frets of almost equal size and this appears to be fairly common in black figure vases of the Orientalizing period.  Each register is devoted to a scene which depicts mythological or real creatures.  The ornamentation of the registers contains less geometricized and more naturalistic figures than the earlier geometric period's designs.  The bottom most register has an organic papyrus(?) leaf pattern but others from this phase often have purely geometric forms in this register.  The mythological animals, in this case a kind of griffin, is a composite creature consisting of an eagle head, lion's body and wings.  Overall the design exhibits a similar horror vacui to the vases from Knossos in that every empty space on the vase has been filled with flower like rosettes or lozenge like forms. Developed initially in Corinth, the black-figure style in which the vase is decorated builds on the technology of earlier styles of decoration.  The natural color of the clay is used as the back ground.  Engobe is still used to create a silhouettes and touches of red purple gloss are applied here and there but the polychrome of the vase is supplemented by incising details with a sharp stylus or awl.  This is sometime referred to as scraffito.   Which means something along the order of scratched designs which is very similar to its cousin graffiti. (See Stokstad page 173, Technique, Greek Painted Vases)
Iconography:  The mythological monsters or animals, in this case a kind of griffin, is a composite creature consisting of an eagle head, lion's body and wings.  The individual attributes of the griffin on this vase may represent an undefeatable carrion and predatory monster since it has the characteristics of two formidable animals.
Creatures like this are usually the guardians of a sacred precinct that pose a threat or a challenge to a hero.  For example, in the myth of Oedipus, Oedipus is confronted by an enigmatic monster with the head of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle, called a Sphinx.  This Sphinx put a stranglehold on the city of Thebes by closing off the main road to the city.  When an individual attempted to pass, the Sphinx posed a life or death question, "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three in the evening?"  If the traveler solved the riddle (which none did until Oedipus) he or she would be allowed to pass safely.  If the traveler was unable to solve the riddle the Sphinx tore her or him apart.  Oedipus was able to answer this riddle; "It is man who crawls as an infant, in adulthood walks on two and as old age with the aid of a cane."
Context:  This style represents a formal and iconographic correction of two earlier schemas.  The formal correction is that the Corinthian artists who first developed the style took the existing technology and added the engraved scraffito.   They also built on the initial designs of the geometric period and combined them with other culture's naturalistic manner of depicting animals and creatures.  The subject matter changed from a simple funerary scene to a more decorative motif.
Art historians believe that the griffin, and creatures like it,  have an "eastern" or "oriental" or asian kind of feeling.   Stokstad states, "the source of these motifs can be traced to the arts of the Near East, Asia Minor, and Egypt.   The term "orientalized" although an accepted art historical term seems to have a rather Eurocentric meaning.  The term seems to lump all the cultures east of Greece in this blanket term and therefore tends to generalize a bit too much.

 
Blinding of Polyphemus and Gorgons
also called the Ulysses Vase
or Eleusis Amphora
by Menaleus 675-650 B.C.E. 56" tall,
Archaeological Museum, Eleusis
Orientalizing Period
Form:  The ornamentation of this vase is organized into a series of registers or frets of almost equal size and this appears to be fairly common in black figure vases of the Orientalizing period.  Each register is devoted to a scene which depicts mythological creatures or people.  The ornamentation of the registers contains less geometricized and more naturalistic figures than the earlier geometric period's designs.  Overall the design exhibits a similar horror vacui to the vases from Knossos in that every empty space on the vase has been filled with flower like rosettes or lozenge like forms. The figures are stylized curvilinear and cartoon like.  The figures of the men in the top register are shown in a modified composite view whereas the Gorgons in the bottom most register are even more abstracted. Click on this link for more detailed views.
Developed initially in Corinth, the black-figure style in which the vase is decorated builds on the technology of earlier styles of decoration.  The natural color of the clay is used as the back ground.  Engobe is still used to create a silhouettes and touches of red purple gloss are applied here and there but the polychrome of the vase is supplemented by incising details with a sharp awl.  This is sometime referred to as scraffito.   Which means something along the order of scratched designs which is very similar to its cousin graffiti. (See Stokstad page 173, Technique, Greek Painted Vases)
The vase is signed "Menaleus made me."
Iconography:  The iconography of the vase deals with mythology and legend and outlines the adventures of two clever Greek heroes: Odysseus and Perseus.  The top register depicts a scene out of Homer's "Odyssey"  the Blinding of Polyphemus.  (see MencherLiaisons 12-14 (The Blinding of Polythemus). Odysseus or Ulysses, conquers the single eyed inhospitable Cyclops through his intelligence and scheming and therefore secures the release and safe journey of his crew.
The bottom most register depicts the three Gorgon sisters who had snakes for hair and were so hideous that if one looked upon them you would be transformed into stone.  Medusa, committed and act of hubris or hybris (an act of disrespect, excessive pride or arrogance) by lying down with Poseiden in Athena's temple.  In the tale of Perseus, he encounters the Gorgon Medusa, decapitates her and uses her head to freeze his enemies.
The monsters' physical attributes depicted in these tales summarize their failings.  For example, the Cyclops is short of vision and the Gorgons are ugly of spirit and the snakes represent their deceit.  The heroes are idealized versions of soldiers.  They instruct us to be clever, loyal and be a soldier.
Context:  This style represents a formal and iconographic correction of two earlier schemas.  The formal correction is that the Corinthian artists who first developed the style took the existing technology and added the engraved scraffito.   They also built on the initial designs of the geometric period and combined them with other culture's naturalistic manner of depicting animals and creatures.  The subject matter changed from a simple funerary scene to a more decorative motif.
Art historians believe that these vases  have an "eastern" or "oriental" or asian kind of feeling.   Stokstad states, "the source of these motifs can be traced to the arts of the Near East, Asia Minor, and Egypt.   The term "orientalized" although an accepted art historical term seems to have a rather Eurocentric meaning.  The term seems to lump all the cultures east of Greece in this blanket term and therefore tends to generalize a bit too much.
Often you will see this vase referred to as a Proto-Attic amphora.  The term Attic refers to its origins as Athenian.  Proto- means early or before.   This term is meant to demarcate the difference between vases made in the same orientalizing style in Corinth which are sometimes referred to as Proto-Corinthian .
The status of the artist must have been on the rise in Athens as well because this is one of the first examples of artwork that has been signed.
Excerpts from Homer, Odyssey, IX
The end of the eighth century and the seventh century was marked in Greek culture by the process of colonization, when the Greek city states established colonies in other parts of the Mediterranean world. This period is also called the Orientalizing period. This label given by modern scholars is a reference to the Eastern or Oriental influences on Greek culture brought about by the contact the Greeks had with the Ancient Near Eastern cultures during this period of colonization. The Odyssey can be read from these perspectives. In the first part of this passage, Odysseus and his cohorts arrive on the island of the Cyclopes and they assess their environs. Note the colonist’s perspective here as they assess the adjacent island. The most famous part of Odyssey IX recounts Odysseus’s encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemos. In this context the Cyclopes can be read as the non-Greek, “barbarian.” It is also a good example of heroic “arete”. Try to articulate the values and priorities of Greek culture re-presented in these passages.
The amphora above was found at an ancient graveyard at Eleusis. It was a gravemarker for a male's grave. It is an important monument in the development of narrative representations. On the belly of the vase is represented the story of the hero Perseus fleeing with the aid of Athena from the Gorgons after he had beheaded Medusa. This story was widely popular in the art of the 7th and 6th centuries. It is interesting to note the experimental nature of this narrative by observing the form of the gorgons that do not reflect the later canonical form. On the neck of this vase is represented the story of Odysseus Blinding Polyphemos:
Compare this representation to the Homeric account that follows. Note the thematic connections of the stories shown on this vase.
[105] “Thence we sailed on, grieved at heart, and we came to the land of the Cyclopes, an overweening and lawless folk, who, trusting in the immortal gods, plant nothing with their hands nor plough; but all these things spring up for them without sowing or ploughing, [110] wheat, and barley, and vines, which bear the rich clusters of wine, and the rain of Zeus gives them increase. Neither assemblies for council have they, nor appointed laws, but they dwell on the peaks of lofty mountains in hollow caves, and each one is lawgiver [115] to his children and his wives, and they reck nothing one of another.
“Now there is a level isle that stretches aslant outside the harbor, neither close to the shore of the land of the Cyclopes, nor yet far off, a wooded isle. Therein live wild goats innumerable, for the tread of men scares them not away, [120] nor are hunters wont to come thither, men who endure toils in the woodland as they course over the peaks of the mountains. Neither with flocks is it held, nor with ploughed lands, but unsown and untilled all the days it knows naught of men, but feeds the bleating goats. [125] For the Cyclopes have at hand no ships with vermilion cheeks, nor are there ship-wrights in their land who might build them well-benched ships, which should perform all their wants, passing to the cities of other folk, as men often cross the sea in ships to visit one another — [130] craftsmen, who would have made of this isle also a fair settlement. For the isle is nowise poor, but would bear all things in season. In it are meadows by the shores of the grey sea, well-watered meadows and soft, where vines would never fail, and in it level ploughland, whence [135] they might reap from season to season harvests exceeding deep, so rich is the soil beneath; and in it, too, is a harbor giving safe anchorage, where there is no need of moorings, either to throw out anchor-stones or to make fast stern cables, but one may beach one's ship and wait until the sailors' minds bid them put out, and the breezes blow fair. [140] Now at the head of the harbor a spring of bright water flows forth from beneath a cave, and round about it poplars grow. Thither we sailed in, and some god guided us through the murky night; for there was no light to see, but a mist lay deep about the ships and the moon [145] showed no light from heaven, but was shut in by clouds. Then no man's eyes beheld that island, nor did we see the long waves rolling on the beach, until we ran our well-benched ships on shore. And when we had beached the ships we lowered all the sails [150] and ourselves went forth on the shore of the sea, and there we fell asleep and waited for the bright Dawn.
“As soon as early Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered, we roamed throughout the isle marvelling at it; and the nymphs, the daughters of Zeus who bears the aegis, roused [155] the mountain goats, that my comrades might have whereof to make their meal. Straightway we took from the ships our curved bows and long javelins, and arrayed in three bands we fell to smiting; and the god soon gave us game to satisfy our hearts. The ships that followed me were twelve, and to each [160] nine goats fell by lot, but for me alone they chose out ten.
“As soon as early Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered, he [the cyclops Polyphemus] rekindled the fire and milked his goodly flocks all in turn, and beneath each dam placed her young. [310] Then, when he had busily performed his tasks, again he seized two men at once and made ready his meal. And when he had made his meal he drove his fat flocks forth from the cave, easily moving away the great door-stone; and then he put it in place again, as one might set the lid upon a quiver. [315] Then with loud whistling the Cyclops turned his fat flocks toward the mountain, and I was left there, devising evil in the deep of my heart, if in any way I might take vengeance on him, and Athena grant me glory. “Now this seemed to my mind the best plan. There lay beside a sheep-pen a great club of the Cyclops, [320] a staff of green olive-wood, which he had cut to carry with him when dry; and as we looked at it we thought it as large as is the mast of a black ship of twenty oars, a merchantman, broad of beam, which crosses over the great gulf; so huge it was in length and in breadth to look upon. [325] To this I came, and cut off therefrom about a fathom's length and handed it to my comrades, bidding them dress it down; and they made it smooth, and I, standing by, sharpened it at the point, and then straightway took it and hardened it in the blazing fire. Then I laid it carefully away, hiding it beneath the dung, [330] which lay in great heaps throughout the cave. And I bade my comrades cast lots among them, which of them should have the hardihood with me to lift the stake and grind it into his eye when sweet sleep should come upon him. And the lot fell upon those whom I myself would fain have chosen; [335] four they were, and I was numbered with them as the fifth. At even then he came, herding his flocks of goodly fleece, and straightway drove into the wide cave his fat flocks one and all, and left not one without in the deep court, either from some foreboding or because a god so bade him. [340] Then he lifted on high and set in place the great door-stone, and sitting down he milked the ewes and bleating goats all in turn, and beneath each dam he placed her young. But when he had busily performed his tasks, again he seized two men at once and made ready his supper. [345] Then I drew near and spoke to the Cyclops, holding in my hands an ivy bowl of the dark wine:
“‘Cyclops, take and drink wine after thy meal of human flesh, that thou mayest know what manner of drink this is which our ship contained. It was to thee that I was bringing it as a drink offering, in the hope that, touched with pity, [350] thou mightest send me on my way home; but thou ragest in a way that is past all bearing. Cruel man, how shall any one of all the multitudes of men ever come to thee again hereafter, seeing that thou hast wrought lawlessness?’
“So I spoke, and he took the cup and drained it, and was wondrously pleased as he drank the sweet draught, and asked me for it again a second time:
[355] “‘Give it me again with a ready heart, and tell me thy name straightway, that I may give thee a stranger's gift whereat thou mayest be glad. For among the Cyclopes the earth, the giver of grain, bears the rich clusters of wine, and the rain of Zeus gives them increase; but this is a streamlet of ambrosia and nectar.’
[360] “So he spoke, and again I handed him the flaming wine. Thrice I brought and gave it him, and thrice he drained it in his folly. But when the wine had stolen about the wits of the Cyclops, then I spoke to him with gentle words:
“‘Cyclops, thou askest me of my glorious name, and I [365] will tell it thee; and do thou give me a stranger's gift, even as thou didst promise. Noman is my name, Noman do they call me — my mother and my father, and all my comrades as well.’
“So I spoke, and he straightway answered me with pitiless heart: ‘Noman will I eat last among his comrades, [370] and the others before him; this shall be thy gift.’
“He spoke, and reeling fell upon his back, and lay there with his thick neck bent aslant, and sleep, that conquers all, laid hold on him. And from his gullet came forth wine and bits of human flesh, and he vomited in his drunken sleep. [375] Then verily I thrust in the stake under the deep ashes until it should grow hot, and heartened all my comrades with cheering words, that I might see no man flinch through fear. But when presently that stake of olive-wood was about to catch fire, green though it was, and began to glow terribly, [380] then verily I drew nigh, bringing the stake from the fire, and my comrades stood round me and a god breathed into us great courage. They took the stake of olive-wood, sharp at the point, and thrust it into his eye, while I, throwing my weight upon it from above, whirled it round, as when a man bores a ship's timber [385] with a drill, while those below keep it spinning with the thong, which they lay hold of by either end, and the drill runs around unceasingly. Even so we took the fiery-pointed stake and whirled it around in his eye, and the blood flowed around the heated thing. And his eyelids wholly and his brows round about did the flame singe [390] as the eyeball burned, and its roots crackled in the fire. And as when a smith dips a great axe or an adze in cold water amid loud hissing to temper it — for therefrom comes the strength of iron — even so did his eye hiss round the stake of olive-wood. [395] Terribly then did he cry aloud, and the rock rang around; and we, seized with terror, shrank back, while he wrenched from his eye the stake, all befouled with blood, and flung it from him, wildly waving his arms. Then he called aloud to the Cyclopes, who [400] dwelt round about him in caves among the windy heights, and they heard his cry and came thronging from every side, and standing around the cave asked him what ailed him:
“‘What so sore distress is thine, Polyphemus, that thou criest out thus through the immortal night, and makest us sleepless? [405] Can it be that some mortal man is driving off thy flocks against thy will, or slaying thee thyself by guile or by might?’
“‘Then from out the cave the mighty Polyphemus answered them: ‘My friends, it is Noman that is slaying me by guile and not by force.’
“And they made answer and addressed him with winged words: [410] ‘If, then, no man does violence to thee in thy loneliness, sickness which comes from great Zeus thou mayest in no wise escape. Nay, do thou pray to our father, the lord Poseidon.’
“So they spoke and went their way; and my heart laughed within me that my name and cunning device had so beguiled. [415] But the Cyclops, groaning and travailing in anguish, groped with his hands and took away the stone from the door, and himself sat in the doorway with arms outstretched in the hope of catching anyone who sought to go forth with the sheep — so witless, forsooth, he thought in his heart to find me. [420] But I took counsel how all might be the very best, if I might haply find some way of escape from death for my comrades and for myself. And I wove all manner of wiles and counsel, as a man will in a matter of life and death; for great was the evil that was nigh us. And this seemed to my mind the best plan. [425] Rams there were, well-fed and thick of fleece, fine beasts and large, with wool dark as the violet. These I silently bound together with twisted withes on which the Cyclops, that monster with his heart set on lawlessness, was wont to sleep. Three at a time I took. The one in the middle in each case bore a man, [430] and the other two went, one on either side, saving my comrades. Thus every three sheep bore a man. But as for me — there was a ram, far the best of all the flock; him I grasped by the back, and curled beneath his shaggy belly, lay there face upwards [435] with steadfast heart, clinging fast with my hands to his wondrous fleece. So then, with wailing, we waited for the bright dawn.
“As soon as early Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered, then the males of the flock hastened forth to pasture and the females bleated unmilked about the pens, [440] for their udders were bursting. And their master, distressed with grievous pains, felt along the backs of all the sheep as they stood up before him, but in his folly he marked not this, that my men were bound beneath the breasts of his fleecy sheep. Last of all the flock the ram went forth, [445] burdened with the weight of his fleece and my cunning self. And mighty Polyphemus, as he felt along his back, spoke to him, saying:
“‘Good ram, why pray is it that thou goest forth thus through the cave the last of the flock? Thou hast not heretofore been wont to lag behind the sheep, but wast ever far the first to feed on the tender bloom of the grass, [450] moving with long strides, and ever the first didst reach the streams of the river, and the first didst long to return to the fold at evening. But now thou art last of all. Surely thou art sorrowing for the eye of thy master, which an evil man blinded along with his miserable fellows, when he had overpowered my wits with wine, [455] even Noman, who, I tell thee, has not yet escaped destruction. If only thou couldst feel as I do, and couldst get thee power of speech to tell me where he skulks away from my wrath, then should his brains be dashed on the ground here and there throughout the cave, when I had smitten him, and my heart [460] should be lightened of the woes which good-for-naught Noman has brought me.’
“So saying, he sent the ram forth from him. And when we had gone a little way from the cave and the court, I first loosed myself from under the ram and set my comrades free. Speedily then we drove off those long-shanked sheep, rich with fat, [465] turning full often to look about until we came to the ship.

 
Francois Vase 
by Kleitias (painter) and Ergotimos (potter)
Black figure volute krater
from Chiusis, Greece c570BCE
Now in the Museo Archeologico, Florence
Archaic, black-figure

Form:  The vase, signed twice by Kleitias (painter) and Ergotimos (potter) exhibits  horror vacui but does not contain the rosettes and ornaments of the Orientalizing period.  The ornamentation of this vase is organized into a series of registers or frets of almost equal size and this appears to be fairly common in black figure vases of the Orientalizing period.  Each register is devoted to a scene which depicts mythological creatures or people.  The ornamentation of these registers contains more than 200 naturalistic figures.  These figures exhibit correction on  the earlier Geometric or Orientalizing periods' designs by taking the the level of realism up a degree or two. Interlaced throughout the figures are the names of the character's on the vase.
Iconography: The pot tells a story about Greek mythology, focusing on the exploits of Peleus and his son Achilles, the great hero of Homer's Iliadand of Theseus, the legendary king of Athens. The detail scene depicts a centauromachy ( a battle between centaurs and humans).  In this episode the Lapiths (whom Theseus aided) and and centaurs (half horse half man creatures) do battle after the wedding of Pirithous, king of the Lapiths. The centaurs, drunk after the celebration become unruly, and attempt to rape (in this case it means sexually and to abduct or steal them) the young boys and young girls. Apollo stops the battle and sends the centaurs home.
Overall the mythological scenes on this vase are designed to instruct or indoctrinate the viewer into the ideologies and behaviors symbolized in the tales.  More specifically, the centauromachy, whose main antagonists are half-man half-beast, represent the struggle against man's bestial nature.   Gardner's "Art Through the Ages" makes the observation that although many cultures have composite creatures, centaurs are unique to Greek culture.
see http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/peleus.html for more on Peleus and Centaurs.

Context:  Found by an archeologist named Francois, often you will see this vase referred to as an "Attic" vase or Attic black figure vase.  The term Attic refers to its origins as Athenian but this Attic vase was found in Italy.  This demonstrates the importance of trade and the reverence for the quality of Athenian workmanship.
Interlaced throughout the figures are the names of the character's on the vase and the vase is also signed.  This indicates two things.  The written word was at least in some circles fairly commonplace and that the status of the artist must have been on the rise in Athens as well because this is one of the first examples of artwork that has been signed.  The indication that Kleitias was the painter and Ergotimos was the potter also gives us a clue into the fact that there was a refined division of labor.

Ajax and Achilles playing a game.
by Exekias, c540-530 B.C.E.
Attic black-figured amphora found
in an Etruscan tomb in Vulci, Italy.
Archaic, black-figure
Form:  The overall design of this vessel demonstrates an evolution form the earlier horror vacui style to a more naturalistic and roomy style.  The entire vase is not taken up by a series of registers.  Instead a single scene, symmetrically laid out, dominates the center of the amphora. The figures are very naturalistically depicted with the exception of some distortions in anatomy and that the eyes on their profile faces are actually in a frontal view as in Egyptian art.  The black figures' capes and clothing are complex delicately incised designs that were etched down into engobe glaze so that the red ground clay shows through.  The incised designs of the cape depict some of the rosettes and design elements found in orientalized pottery.  The engraving is supplemented by the addition of touches of white.  Around and between the two figures are written words. (click here for detail view)

Iconography:  The scene on the vase represents Ajax and Achilles, heroes from Homer's "Iliad," playing a game of dice. Their shields are near and they hold their spears suggesting each man is ready for action at a moment's notice. The depiction of heroes in armor is meant to reference the ideal of the heroic male in the same way that we decorate children's lunch boxes and dishes with real and imaginary heroes.  Since the Greeks believed that men were created in the image of the gods.  The ancient Greeks began to depict their art work more realistically because they wanted their heroes to be more godlike.
Here, myth and legend are combined.  The myth of Perseus and the Gorgons is laid over the legends outlined in the "Iliad."  The shields of the two characters contain a Gorgon like image that could be a reference to that myth and would also associate their prowess with the mythological Perseus.  The shields then almost serve an apotropaic function.

Context:  This vase too was found in Italy and demonstrates the desire of Etruscans for goods from Greece.  The writing on the vase shows the rise in literacy of a small elite group who could afford such luxury items and in fact the words are actually not who the characters are but rather what they are saying.  According to Gardner, "Out of the lips of Achilles come the word tesara (four); Ajax calls out tria (three)."

 

Possibly by the Andokides Potter
"Ajax and Achiles playing a game."
Greek Black and Red Figure Amphora, Greece c540

It was found in Vulci, Italy but was manufactured most likely in the studio of a potter named Andokides in Greece 540-530CE. and then exported.


The Andokides painter.

Contextual Analysis

This vase is very important for art historians because it exhibits two different styles of painting on each side of it. It exhibits the black figure style on one side and the red figure style on the other.

The history or provenance of the vase is a little confusing because most people want to claim that the painting on the vase might have been done by the Potter named Andokides. In sixth century Greece it was common for there to be a division of labor between the Potter who made the vases and vessels on a Potter’s wheel and a Potter’s assistant who may have decorated the vase. We see that in several vases where there are actually signatures by both the Potter and the painter on the vase. In this case, this vase is not signed. The reason why people attribute it to the painter Andokides was because a historian in 1901 named Beazley made an attribution based on the similarity in the painting style to other vases with signatures by Andokides. The proof that this vase was painted and made by the same artist is not clear so the best we have are educated guesses.

This vase called the bilingual amphora is probably made by a Potter named Andokides and possibly painted by Andokides however, there are small differences in style, sort of like a handwriting in line quality, between each side. The lines and the way things are drawn look a little bit different on each side and this may suggest that another painter participated in making the decorations on the other side. We also don’t really know if Andokides hired a separate painter to be his painter and all he did was throw the vases and then hand them to decorators after he was done.

Other important contextual data about the Potter Andokides is that contemporary historians believe that it’s possible that the red figure type of pottery was born in his workshop. It’s also believed that Andokides was possibly the student of the Potter that we studied named Exekias.

Formal Analysis

This vase has two types of decoration on it. On one side it has a more traditional black figure style of decoration in which the figures skin is almost a silhouette that is filled in with black glaze. The reverse side of the vase uses what art is sometimes referred to as “figure ground reversal.”

Figure ground reversal is actually just a fancy way of saying the image becomes positive and negative and you can see slightly different things in it for example look at this diagram. Essentially, what the Andokides painter was able to do was make the skin color of the characters the red of the clay which makes a little bit more sense by painting all of the space around the figures with a darker glaze. However, this looks more realistic and became a favorite style when we get into the high classical age of ancient Greece. So the fact that there are red figures on one side and black figures on the other is an important detail. The fancy way of saying this is that the painter was bilingual, meaning he spoke to languages in terms of visual style the black figure and the red figure.

The next important formal elements concern the overall scene and its composition. On both sides of the vase there is a ovoid or rectangular-ish shape that defines a scene in the center of the amphora. This is a shift away from the horror vaccui that the earlier phases of pottery exhibited. Now there are some decorations that are on the handles and a leaf or organic design that helps to define the major scene in the center. Seated in the center of this “scene” are two men, on one side wearing the armor on the other side book ended by their armor and shields, playing a game on a low box. Both of the figures on either side are depicted in profile view and the anatomy of each is very realistic and fairly naturalistic in terms of proportion and shape although there are some suggestions of stylize in the forms of legs and feet geometrically. Sometimes the anatomy looks like it’s been reduced to geometric shapes. The faces are still fairly cartoonlike and the eyes, although the head is in profile appear to be in frontal view.

Horror vaccui is exhibited in the ornamentation of the clothing and the armor which has intricately carved or incised lines that describe different kinds of shapes for example flower patterns. This is called scraffito and is accomplished by taking a sharp metal needle or awl and incising intricate designs into the glaze probably before the pot has been fired.

Iconographic Analysis

The title that Beazley gave this pot is, “Ajax and Achilles playing a dice game.” Although a majority of vases depict the low in battle in which the two heroes from Homer’s “Iliad and Odyssey,” this could be just two soldiers playing a board game. However, the majority of scholars overwhelmingly describe the scene as specifically Ajax and Achilles playing a dice game because of its provenance in the Iliad. Since this is a reasonable assumption we can probably take the iconographic analysis a little bit more deeply and examine why there are so many depictions of soldiers and so many depictions of heroes from Homer’s famous books.

Most likely the depiction of heroes from Greek literature had a twofold purpose. In some ways the heroes on these vases are very similar to our depictions of people like George Washington crossing the Delaware or famous war monuments. They are part of the culture and they also depict the values of the culture that are most highly prized. In this case it’s a way of reinforcing the idea of establishing oneself through battle and through heroic acts. One of my professors, Herbert Broderick from Lehman College at City University of New York, suggested the idea of a cult of “death” or heroic death that is reinforced by depicting famous warriors. Almost like the Norse mythology that deals with falling in battle will bring you immediate entrance into Walhalla the Norse heaven.
 

Lapith and Centaur
by the Foundry Painter
c 490 BCE interior of an Attic red-figured kylix
Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich
Archaic red-figure
Form:  The view of this vase is down into the bowl of a kylix (see diagram below).  The interior of the bowl provides a perfectly round shape in which to place the composition.  This figures on this vase are much more naturalistically rendered.  The two figures overlap one another slightly creating a little bit of depth or space in the image.  The view of the Lapith is no longer in a modified composite view and in fact parts of the body of the centaur are no longer in profile but shown in a prone foreshortened view. As the limbs of the centaur project into the foreground they begin to look shorter than if the view was a strict profile view.  Nevertheless, there is still no deep space created by overlapping the figures against a background element such as a tree or sky.
The naturalism is enhanced by making the flesh of the figures lighter than the background.  This method is called the red-figure style.  In this process the figures are outlined with the engobe and the ground of the vessel is left to stand for skin.  This figure ground reversal is somewhat complex, but it allows for greater naturalism.

Iconography:  Overall the mythological scenes on this vase are designed to instruct or indoctrinate the viewer into the ideologies and behaviors symbolized in the tales.  More specifically, the centauromachy, whose main antagonists are half-man half-beast, represent the struggle against man's bestial nature.
This vessel demonstrates the desire of the Greek artist to move towards a more naturalistic or realistic style.  Nevertheless, the figures and their bodies are still idealized and perfect looking.  Naturalism and specifically depicting the male human form accurately is linked to the fact that the Greek gods look human.  Man for the Greeks was created in their gods' image and therefore it is almost a form of representing the divine if the work is naturalistic
The figures are also beautiful and this is an icon of goodness for the Greeks.  In Greek epic poetry the hero is always described as handsome or beautiful and their physical appearance is a reflection of the character's virtue.  The idealism or beauty of the Greek figure is linked to the concept that you can judge a book by its cover.  The Greek term for beauty is kalos (calos).  The term kalos can also be interchanged with and is synonymous with goodness.  Therefore, to call someone or something beautiful also means that that thing is also "good."

Context:  This vessel is not signed but the style is so distinctive that historians have linked together a series of vessels that they think were all done by the same artist.  Since they do not have a real name the name of the painter is called the "Foundry Painter." 
Schema and correction:     A theory developed by Ernst Gombrich.  Schema refers to the original plan or idea of something and correction refers to the changes that were made to that original plan. kalos The Greek term for beauty is kalos (calos).  The term kalos can also be interchanged with and is synonymous with goodness.  Therefore, to call someone or something beautiful also means that that thing is also "good."

Sunday

Why you can't seem to change someone else's mind on Facebook and Social Media

I've been doing a lot of research because I'm teaching a class on Social Change and New Media. Amazingly one subject that has come up repeatedly is that it is impossible to "win" an argument on Facebook and social media in general.
All the articles I've read and even some of the statistic based studies show that it is nearly pointless to argue facts with someone who has an opposing point of view even though you have facts supporting your point of view. So don't feel bad that you had someone get irrational about something that you know you were right about.

Wednesday

Mycenaean Art (Helladic Art)




Helladic Art


Helladic Art
Art of Early Mainland Greece
Mycenae, Greece 1600-1200 BCE
Tiryns 1600-1200 BCE



Plan of the Palace
1400 BCE - 1200 BCE
Tiryns, Greece
Helladic Period/Civilization
 
Corbeled Gallery
1400 BCE - 1200 BCE
Tiryns, Greece
Helladic Period/Civilization
Form:  The city is laid out in an enclosed defensible districts or sections.  Some of the rooms were decorated with fresco murals and we believe that the largest rooms were audience halls of the kings referred to as the megaron (mega- big).  In fact everything about Tiryns is "mega."  The gigantic blocks of stone and tremendous wall of Tiryns are enormous. Iconography:  We do not know how the people of Tiryns and Mycenae viewed their own cities since there is know written account.  We do know that these cities were iconic for the Greeks and Romans who saw them centuries later.  The massive walls and masonry blocks of Tiryns were gigantic.  They are so massive that Greeks and historians imagined that giants moved and built the blocks.  The giants elected by the Greek imagination were the one eyed titans known as the Cyclopes.  That is why the term Cyclopean masonry is used to describe it.  In some ways, these citadels, for the Greeks of the fifth through first centuries, are roughly the equivalent of Teotihuacan in America for the Aztecs or the Anasazi cities for the Navajo.
Context: The Citadel of Tiryns is located on the mainland of Greece off from the cost of Mediterranean Sea, it is 10 miles away from Mycenae. Unlike Knossos, Tiryns was built mainly to be defensive, since it did not suffer from the ravages of earthquakes like Knossos it did not have phases and grow in the organic manner as Knossos did; it was planned from the beginning.  There are heavy walls surrounding Tiryns and other Mycenaean palaces.   The entranceway to Tiryns is also designed to be defensive.  In order for the attackers to approach the palace they have to pass a series of long narrow ramps that forces the soldiers to turn to right to expose their unshielded sides.
Not much is known as to why Tiryns or Mycenae died, however, it is known that they were under constant attack and that Tiryns and Mycenae both ended, probably by fire, in 1200 BCE.
The Greeks of later periods were quite taken with the ruins at Tiryns and even then it was a place of legend and fascination.  Hercules was said to have been born in Tiryns and second century CE Greek historian Pausanias even wrote a tour book about its gigantic towers and masonry.
For all the videos in order with a textbook and study guides please visit:

https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/



Warrior Vase
c1500 BCE
Mycenae, Greece
Mycenaean or Helladic Period/Civilization
Form:  By the shape we know that this vessel was a mixing bowl for wine and water that the Greeks called a krater.  Created on a wheel the vase is decorated with fired engobe.   Engobe is a glaze made of thinned down clay sometimes called slip which has additives such as iron oxides which turn colors when fired. A single register of warriors complete with armor marching from left to right.  To the far left is a female figure waving at the figures as they move away.  As in the Minoan art, no attempt at pictorial depth is apparent.  The figures seem to be rendered in an attempt at naturalism and whatever stylizations occur they do not seem wholly intentional.  The figures are in a modified composite view for this reason as well.
Iconography:  The iconography of the vessel seems to fall in step with the overall plan of Tiryns.  The theme of the vessel is martial.  These are men going off to battle and the female to the far left is in support of their patriotic venture.  Therefore the iconography describes both male and female roles within the context of a militaristic society.
Context:  Since both Mycenae and Tiryns were built for defense and the fact that a household item, unlike the pottery from Knossos, contains such a martial theme indicates that the emphasis of the cultures at Tiryns and Mycenae were devoted to defense.  The positioning of the shield and spear in the arms of the individuals is also a clue as to how the walls and entranceway into the citadels was defensible.  Since an intruder would have to enter the main gateway (propylon) by turning right, the spear hand of the soldier would be blocked by the wall and the shield on the left would be rendered ineffective as the soldier turned.  A soldier inside the propylon would have the benefit of having no such obstructions.


Citadel c1500 BCE Mycenae, Greece Mycenaean
  Form: The walls of Mycenae are 15 feet thick and probably stood to a height of 50 to 60 feet tall.  The citadel is built on a very defensible hill.  The square shapes in the center are the remains of the foundations of the megarons.  The round enclosed shapes at the lower left hand portion were the burial sites.  Several grave shafts are located there.Iconography:  Iconography:  We do not know how the people of Tiryns and Mycenae viewed their own cities since there is know written account.  We do know that these cities were iconic for the Greeks and Romans who saw them centuries later.  The massive walls and masonry blocks of Tiryns were gigantic.  They are so massive that Greeks and historians imagined that giants moved and built the blocks.  The giants elected by the Greek imagination were the one eyed titans known as the Cyclopes.  That is why the term Cyclopean masonry is used to describe it.  In some ways, these citadels, for the Greeks of the fifth through first centuries, are roughly the equivalent of Teotihuacan in America for the Aztecs or the Anasazi cities for the Navajo.
Context:  Given the location, on a defensible hilltop, and its location on the mainland many historians have used this information in conjunction with their knowledge of the Greek epic poem of the Iliad to identify this structure as the city of Mycenae.  The home of the legendary Atreus family.  (see "The Trojan War" in Stokstad)
One early archeologist who used these texts as his guidebook was Heinrich Schliemann.  Schliemann, a millionaire and amateur archeologist had memorized both the Iliad and the Odyssey, knew several languages. After making his fortune, the middle aged Schliemann went to Greece and married 16 year old Sophia Schliemann who later on became one of the first and most talented female archeologists of their day.  Their excavations of Mycenae and other sites were based on the epic poems of  Homer.   Their excavation and archeological style was groundbreaking but at times destructive in a similar manner to Sir Arthur Evans.  In some ways they were both glorified treasure hunters and dug up things wherever he felt the best.  They were not very careful, but later they improved their skills.  At times Schliemann like Sir Arthur Evans made up titles and dates according to each own's theories rather than fact. (See Stokstad "Pioneers of Aegean Archaeology" and MencherLiaisons 24-46 (Irving Stone: The Greek Treasure Mycenae!)).
Iliad: Trojan Wars- Achilles, Odysseus, Telemachus, Paris, Helen.  Troy vs. Sparta
Odyssey: Telemachus searching for Odysseus because he hasn't returned home from  the war, Odysseus’ adventure trying to get back home. Iliad and Odyssey were Schliemann's basis for how and where to excavate, archeology wasn't yet systematized, very sporadic
There is some debate about which culture had the strongest influence over the other.  For years, scholars, believed that Mycenae was a sort of satellite culture to the Minoans of Crete.  Here are some the facts concerning the influence of each.  The fololowing outline is quoted from,
http://www.portergaud.edu/cmcarver/myce.html
III. Development and Expansion of Mycenaeans -- 1600 B.C
A. Greater prosperity and trade -- built roads and fortresses
    1. Influenced by Minoans — prompted long scholarly debate [J. McInerney]
    1. Evans argued that the Minoans colonized the mainland and Mycenae was off-shoot of Crete
    2. Others disagreed — argued that Mycenaeans had an indigenous Greek culture influenced by Cretan style through trade and eventual conquest of Crete
    3. Debate resolved with decipherment of Linear B by Michael Ventris in 1954
    1. Linear B was Greek
    2. Around 1450 Minoan palaces destroyed — only Knossos rebuilt — flourished another seventy-five years
    3. Records of Knossos during last seventy-five years recorded in Linear B — not a script used previously in Crete (had used Linear A)
    4. Since Linear B is Greek — Greek speakers occupied Knossos in its last phase
    5. Thus, mainland Mycenaeans invaded and occupied Knossos and stayed for three generations, long enough to learn the practice of a centralized palace economy
    1. Other data confirming theory that Mycenaeans overwhelmed Minoans
    1. At Miletus and on Rhodes, Minoan colonies founded by Cretans shortly after 1600 BC had come into the hands of the Mycenaeans by 1400 B.C.
    2. Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur — possibly a distant memory of conflict between the Greek mainland and Crete
"The Mycenaeans borrowed the techniques of wall painting, pottery decoration and seal-making from the Minoans. And contact between the two cultures may well have led to new trading contacts around the Aegean for the Mycenaeans."
    1. Key Differences between Minoans and Mycenaeans
    1. Mycenaeans definitely had a slave system
    2. Mycenaeans geared much more toward warfare
    3. Heavily fortified settlements
    4. Ostentatious tombs for Mycenaean kings — weapons in burials
    5. monumental sculpture — Lion Gate
Lion Gate
1300 BCE - 1250 BCE
Mycenae, Greece
Mycenaean or Helladic Period/Civilization
Form: This gateway is the outer gateway to the stronghold.  Set strategically against a rock out cropping on its left and a man made wall on the right.  This forms an enclosed defensible 20 foot wide trench like entrance and the only way into the citadel.  The two walls that enclose the trench create a platform for defenders to throw things down on any enemy attempting to force their way into the narrow gateway at the end. The ashlar cyclopean masonry surrounds a post and lintel doorway.  Above the the lintel of the doorway is a carved 9 foot tall limestone plaque that contains two lion like creatures bracketing a column that mimics the form of the columns at Knossos.  All were carved in high relief.  A high relief carving is a carving in which the figures are "relieved" or pushed out from the surface to such an extent that they almost appear to not be part of the stone they were carved from.  The heads of the lion like creatures are gone and would have been fashioned from some other material and bolted to the limestone facade.
Iconography: The gateway and trench leading to it would have been a symbol of civic pride and defense.  The two lions bracketing the column could serve an apotropaic purpose.  They are the mystical guardians of the citadel probably symbolized by the columns.  Perhaps the Minoan style column signifies some sort of link or even an alliance between Knossos and the mainland.
Context:  The naturalistic columns are slightly at odds with the style of other artifacts found at Mycenae but this could be accounted for by the fact that very few artifacts existed in situ (in their original circumstances)  by the time it was excavated.  The naturalism of the lions and the shape of the column suggests there were communication between these two cultures. 

  


Agamemnon's Mask
c1500 BCE
12" gold
Mycenae, Greece
Mycenaean or Helladic Period/Civilization
Form: The mask is a stylized portrait of a mature male.  The arching eyebrows and straight nose are reminiscent of some of the objects found at Tell Asmar and Knossos.  The mask is made of a thinly beaten sheet of gold which was hammered from the backside.  This technique, known as repousse, is different from the other metal working processes, such as the cire perduemethod (lost wax) and the piece mold methods of the Chinese cultures.Iconography:  The masks were most likely meant as royal portraits of the diseased they covered.  The beard and handlebar mustache (which Stokstad points out could have been faked) are emblems of maturity and wisdom.
Context: Originally this mask would have been molded to form around the head of the corpse serving as a replacement or protection for the deceased features.  This mask and others like it were found in the unlooted shaft graves inside grave circle A.  The title or attribution that this is the mask of the legendary king from the "Iliad" Agamemnon is false.  Schliemann chose to name it this based on his conjecture and desire that he link this site and these graves to Homer's works.  (see Stokstad "The Object Speaks" "The Mask of Agamemnon.")


Treasury of Atreus
1300 BCE - 1250 BCE
dome 43' tall 47' diameter
Mycenae, Greece
Mycenaean or Helladic Period/Civilization
Form:    The beehive style tomb was entered into through a 20 foot wide and 120 foot long dromos (passageway) constructed of ashlars that was open to the sky.  The entrance to the dromos terminated in another 34 high entrance facade that contained an 18 foot tall door faced with marble and bronze.  The panel above the lintel, empty in this photograph, would have been ornamented with a similar style limestone or marble panel to the one above the lintel at the "Lion's Gate."  Inside the tomb, at 43 feet high, this dome or tholos (tholoi pluralwas the largest dome of its time.  The interior of the igloo style dome was constructed from a series of corbeled ashlars that terminated at the top in a pointed cone like shape.  These tombs were originally covered by large mounds of earth.Iconography:  The use of the technology itself is rather iconic of the advanced quality of the engineering and of the wealth of the individual who was buried inside.  This "conspicuous consumption" would have been symbolic of the power of the individual.
Context:  Over 100 tombs like this have been found in the area of Tiryns and Mycenae.  However, these tombs, almost all which have been looted, were not the tombs in which Schliemann and others found their treasures.  The earlier shaft graves are the sources for the repousse masks.
Again, as in the case with the mask, this tomb was misnamed the "Treasury of the Atreus" because archaeologists wanted to make the claim that this site was linked to the places and names in the "Iliad."


Vapheio Cup (also spelled Vaphio)
c1500 BCE
found at Vapheio near Sparta, Greece
Mycenaean possibly Minoan
Form:  This repousse cup features a double walled construction.  It was made out of two sheets of thin gold.  The outer sheet was molded and the details formed (some by engraving).  Then this ornamented sheet was attached to a thin sheet of gold so that the interior of the cup was smooth.  These joined pieces were then bolted to or riveted to a handle.
The details of the ornamentation show a surprisingly illusionistic and naturalistic scene of a youthful, thin waisted, broad shouldered young man wrestling with a bull snared with a rope.  In this scene there is some space created by the figures overlapping the scenery behind them.  The naturalism and stylization of the figures recall many of the frescos at Knossos.
Iconography:  The scene itself is a genre scene similar to those found in murals at Knossos.  The figures appears to be in ideal physical condition and the scene could represent the ideal of youthful strength and prowess as he heroically triumphs over a bull. The beautiful landscape and the fine animals are possibly reminders or symbols of the property one who is wealthy and strong may acquire.
The bull, as in the story of the Minotaur, Mesopotamian art and literature, cave painting and even in Chattel Huyuk represents a powerful, almost divine creature full of male potent energy.  If one conquers such a creature it may demonstrate a mastery over these qualities.
Context:  Perhaps the most interesting thing about this work is its context.  Although the work was found in a tomb on the Greek mainland, many scholars believe that this work is stylistically and iconographically linked to Minoan art.  Several textbooks and scholars suggest that this work was manufactured somewhere in the Cyclades or on Crete and then exported or that a traveler who visited this region brought it back as one of his or her treasures.

This is a rolled out or flattened view of the entire cup.
Glossary

bas-re.lief n (low relief) [F, fr. bas low + relief raised work] (1667): sculptural relief in which the projection from the surrounding surface is slight and no part of the modeled form is undercut; also: sculpture executed in bas-relief Sculpture in the round:     Is a piece that is meant to be viewed from all angles.
repousse:  To make an image or relief by taking thinly beaten sheet of gold  and hammering a design from the backside.
re.pous.se adj [F, lit., pushed back] (1858) 1: shaped or ornamented with patterns in relief made by hammering or pressing on the reverse side--used esp. of metal 2: formed in relief ²repousse n (1858) 1: repousse work 2: repousse decoration
engobe is a glaze made of thinned down clay sometimes called slip which has additives such as iron oxides which turn colors when fired.
haute relief (high relief)  A high relief carving is a carving in which the figures are "relieved" or pushed out from the surface to such an extent that they almost appear to not be part of the stone they were carved from.  The sculptures, although attached to the background, stand out from the back ground.




For all the videos in order with a textbook and study guides please visit:

https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/
  

HEADLANDS

NEWSLETTER

October 2019

The Fall Season is upon us! Our new Artists in Residents have been arriving over the past couple weeks and are settling into the foggy mornings and crisp afternoons. October offers a number of opportunities to get to know our Artists and their work a little better with our Fall Open HouseKelly Akashi and Anna Fitch & Banker White at work in the Project Space Studios, and a lecture by Jonathan Calm, our 2019 Larry Sultan Photography Award recipient. 
Selections from our Fall Artists in Residence
Sunday, October 20 | 12–5PM
Fall Open House
Free and open to the public | Headlands Center for the Arts
Open House provides a once-a-season opportunity to roam the various buildings of our campus, meet current artists, view works in progress, and attend screenings, performances, and readings. See what Artists in Residence, Affiliate Artists, and Graduate Fellows are up to in their studios, and stop by the fall Project Space works-in-progress by Kelly Akashi and Anna Fitch & Banker White.

Enjoy a housemade lunch in the Mess Hall Café—Members at the Inspire level ($250) and above receive complimentary lunch for two! (Not a member yet? Join today!)

Parking is limited! If you can, we encourage you to carpool, bike, or take the bus. Get more info on how to get here.
Jonathan Calm, Double Vision (Record), 2018. © Jonathan Calm
Wednesday, October 9 | 7–9PM
Jonathan Calm:
Larry Sultan Photography Award Lecture
Free and open to the public | Timkin Hall at California College of the Arts
Californian photographer and 2019 Larry Sultan Photography Award winner Jonathan Calm discusses his work at this off-site lecture. While in residence at Headlands, Calm will be expanding his portfolio of Green Book sites and locations, with a particular focus on the American West. Amidst increased public awareness of the Green Book over the past year—due in part to the film, The Green Book, and the controversy over its 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year—Calm’s work presents a more ambiguous counterpoint to the popular narrative of California as a modern-day promised land. 

Presented by the CCA Photography Program as part of the Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program, in partnership with Pier 24, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, and Headlands Center for the Arts.

Headspace

Welcome to Headspace, our [virtual] place for diving into the minds at Headlands. Every month you'll learn about the books, recipes, games, articles—anything!—that artists and staff can't stop thinking about. 
Books and Perfume Bottles on a desk
From the studio of Anna Fitch & Banker White
Headlands' Director of Development Sarah Kermensky has been ruminating on The Flicka play set in a run-down movie house staffed by emotionally flawed characters. "Expertly mounted at Ashby Stage, playwright Annie Baker's deceptively simple dialogue slowly drew the audience in and kept us there, willingly," Sarah said. "There is no substitute for good, live performance."

"I'm obsessed right now with palm trees" said Affiliate Artist Ploi Pirapokin. She found some inspiration in Architectural Digest's recent profile of the home of Poppy and Cara Delevingne. "I've been researching native Californian palm trees to bring into my home and into my writing as imagery to match the ever-heating global-warmed Northern California climate."

Fall Program Intern Emily Bell recently baked the perfect fall treat: Blue Bottle Coffee's Ginger Molasses Cookies. Almost two batches were eaten by Headlands' staff in under an hour—a feat that we're particularly proud of. You can find the original recipe in The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee: Growing, Roasting, and Drinking, with Recipes, or an adaptation here.

Alumni News

We're excited to share a small selection of the incredible work Headlands Alumni are doing in the world. Whether former Artists in Residence (AIR), Affiliates (AFF), or Graduate Fellows (GF), they're all out there making waves.
Erica Deeman, Brown; archival inkjet prints. 2017. © Erica Deeman
Erica Deeman (AIR '19) contributed photography of objects found in the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture to The New York Times' The 1619 Project.

Liana Finck (AIR '19) is releasing a new book, Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to Self, collecting 500 of her most-loved cartoons. Finck will also be heading out on a book tour, stopping in San Francisco October 14 at the Commonwealth Club.

Hank Willis Thomas (AIR '07) is the subject of a survey exhibition, Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal..., at the Portland Art Museum opening October 12. Thomas was also recently awarded a commission for the Brooklyn Academy of Music—the award was featured in The New York Times.

Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco is currently featuring Another West, an exhibition curated by Richard Misrach and featuring Meghann Riepenhoff (AFF '12–'15), Lewis DeSoto (AIR '90, '01), and Zig Jackson (AIR '95), along with Johnnie Chatman, Mercedes Dorame, Mishka Henner, Nancy Holt, An-My Lê, Ed Ruscha, David Benjamin Sherry, and Tabitha Soren.

Glyph Slipper, a solo exhibition of work by Amy Nathan (GF '18–'19), is up through October 26 at CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions.

Tiffany Shlain (AIR '06) just released a new book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, and is heading out on a book tour, with multiple events in the Bay Area.

Rashaad Newsome (AIR '14) has work on view on both the East and West Coast, with BLACK MAGIC spanning New York Live Arts, Philadelphia Photo Center, and Icebox Project Space, and STOP PLAYING IN MY FACE! and ICON on view at San Francisco's Museum of the African Diaspora.

Lava Thomas (AIR '17) was named one of 46 finalists for the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Thomas is also currently featured in Surfacing Histories Sculpting Memories at the CCA Hubbell Street Galleries, along with Sandra Ono (AIR '12), Sofía Córdova (AIR '18), Amy Tavern, and Julia Goodman, up through October 4.

Looking for more Alumni news?
Follow us on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook for updates throughout the month.

Are you Headlands Alumni?
Send updates to programmanager@headlands.org

Getting Here

Get directions to Headlands by car or bike. 
Limited parking is available onsite. The MUNI 76X bus runs between San Francisco and Headlands on Saturdays and Sundays.

Please note: First-floor spaces in Building 944 (Mess HallKey RoomThe Commons, and Latrine) are accessible to people with mobility aids. Second- and Third-floor spaces (Westwing, EastwingRodeo Room, and Project Space) are currently accessible only by stairs. Note that there is a steep hill from the MUNI 76X bus stop up to the Headlands campus. During our seasonal Open Houses, special accommodations can be made for those arriving via public transportation. If you have any questions regarding accessibility, please email commdirector@headlands.org.
Headlands Center for the Arts is an unparalleled environment for the creative process and the development of new work and ideas.
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