Classical Greek Forms

The Forms

This Greek series is compiled of different classical ancient forms including a Krater, Amphoras, Lekythos, a Kylix, Kantharos, an Oinochoe (pitcher), and a Psykter. My attempt was to mimic these classic forms as similarly as possible while integrating my story telling using traditional black figure painting. All pieces were completed in late 2021.

Amphora: Hercules

This Amphora, is inspired by the Disney’s rendition of Hercules the children’s movie. The front depicts Hercules battling the hydra and the back shows him standing victorious after defeating the beast. The hydra was a mythological creature with several heads that when decapitated, two heads would grow back in its place. The original story says Hercules conquered the monster by cauterizing the head after cutting it off. However, Disney’s portrayal showed the monster being demolished by a land slide created by Hercules.

Amphora: Arachne

Amphora’s were used as storing containers for rice and other grains. This amphora tells the mythological story of Arachne, a woman that decided to challenge the goddess Athena to a weaving battle. When Athena inevitably won, she punished Arachne by transforming her into a forever weaver, a spider. Here, Arachne’s image is displayed on the front while the back has a depiction of her web, where a human figure is captured and waiting to be preyed upon by Arachne herself.

Kylix: Medusa

This form is a kylix, this was a types of drinking cup. The idea was that when a person was finished drinking, an image would be uncovered and visible for enjoyment by the beholder. This piece is ironic because the image that would be uncovered is medusa’s portrait, thus making the beholder turn to stone.

Krater: Trojan Soldiers

Here is a krater. This form has two different depictions of trojan warriors battling. The first are battling in hand to hand combat. In the second image they are equipped with horses. This Greek series is compiled of forms that are done in the round. There are different images displayed on each side of the piece and cannot be fully experienced from a single angle.

Kantharos: Nazca Lines

Kantharos are another form of drinking vessel. On these 3 pieces are images unrelated to Greek culture. Instead they are three of the many images found in the group of Nazca Lines. Located in southern Peru, the Nazca lines are etched geoglyphs in the earth. They are done at such a large scale that they are only decipherable from an aerial perspective.

Lekythos: Lions

Lekythos were used as oil jars. These two have a lion and lioness painted on them. This imagery is also unrelated to Greek culture however they are meant to symbolize unity. The lions go together, to emphasize this the bottom patterns found on both forms match. Regardless of being a pair, they are still each uniquely distinctive. The top shoulders of each lekythos have their own patterns, and each are different heights. This represents the individuality found amongst teams or pairs.

Oinochoe: Nike

Oinochoes are a type of pitcher. Here we see a depiction of Nike, the goddess of victory. She is often seen at the side of Athena, the goddess of war. Together they have an unbeatable pact. The back of this pitcher form shows Nike’s temple which is located in the much larger temple of Athena.

Psykter: Sirens

Today many think of Sirens as evil mermaids that lure sailors to their doom using their voices. The original version of sirens were actually bird women. Their songs would still cause wreckage, but they had talons and were not pretty mermaids that we may think of today. These images portray sirens in their original form, leading a ship wreck of men to meet their fate.

This series directly draws inspiration from art history and traditional mechanics of pottery. I enjoy integrating a story into my work while capturing the beauty of the art form.

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