Gorgon Painter
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The Gorgon Painter was one of the early
Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...
black-figure Black-figure pottery painting (also known as black-figure style or black-figure ceramic; ) is one of the styles of Ancient Greek vase painting, painting on pottery of ancient Greece, antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th a ...
vase painters. He was active between 600 and 580 BC. His
name vase In classical archaeology, a name vase is a specific "vase"In the study of ancient Greek pottery a "vase" is a general term covering all pottery shapes. whose painter's name is unknown but whose workshop style has been identified. The painter is c ...
, '' Dinos of the Gorgon Painter'', is currently on display in the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
and depicts
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
fleeing the
Gorgon The Gorgons ( ; ), in Greek mythology, are three monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They lived near their sisters the Graeae, and were able to turn anyone who looked at them to sto ...
s. The Gorgon Painter is considered as a very productive successor of the
Nessos Painter The Nessos Painter, also known as Netos or Nettos Painter, was a pioneer of Attic black-figure vase painting. He is considered to be the first Athenian to adopt the Corinthian style who went on to develop his own style and introduced innovations ...
. Additionally, in accordance with other
Geometric style Geometric art is a phase of Greek art, characterized largely by geometric motifs in vase painting, that flourished towards the end of the Greek Dark Ages and a little later, . Its center was in Athens, and from there the style spread among the ...
artists, he arranged his subjects in symmetric patterns. Characteristic of his paintings are flat representations of humans or gods and animals painted in sections around the pottery. Rather than filling blank spaces with geometric patterns, the Gorgon Painter uses the
Animal style Animal style art is an approach to decoration found from Ordos culture to Northern Europe in the early Iron Age, and the barbarian art of the Migration Period, characterized by its emphasis on animal motifs. The zoomorphic style of decoration ...
; depicting real and fantastical animals in friezes around the vases which is considered to be a Corinthian tradition. The better recorded artist
Sophilos Sophilos (; active about 590 – 570 BC) was an Attic potter and vase painter in the black-figure style. Sophilos is the oldest Attic vase painter so far to be known by his true name. Fragments of two wine basins ( dinoi) in Athens are sig ...
is said to be influenced by the Gorgon Painter, continuing work in the black-figure style and zoomorphic decoration.


Style


Corinthian

The Gorgon Painter is considered to use the Corinthian style, or Animal style, in his pottery. The name comes from its place of popularity,
Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
. Not to be mistaken with the
Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...
, within Corinthian there are different subsets including what is called Animal style, which is what the Gorgon painter is partially known for; the Animal style is marked by no geometric shapes, but rather larger depictions of animals and plants. Unlike many early depictions of animals, the Animal style does not have the animals facing the same direction, rather they interact with each other and the other elements of the piece. Historians have noted that the Gorgon Painter uses both old myths and depictions alongside newer versions, which is how they have identified him as a singular artist.


Themes


Name vase

The Gorgon Painter’s
name vase In classical archaeology, a name vase is a specific "vase"In the study of ancient Greek pottery a "vase" is a general term covering all pottery shapes. whose painter's name is unknown but whose workshop style has been identified. The painter is c ...
depicts the Greek myth of
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
and the Gorgons. This particular myth was quite common and is seen on many pieces of pottery by many different artists, it is considered the most popular myth represented on pottery at this time. This particular depiction shows Perseus fleeing the Gorgons after fulfilling his duty to kill
Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...
. Although this
dinos In the typology of ancient Greek pottery, the (plural '','' known in ancient times as a ) is a mixing bowl or cauldron. means , but in modern typology is used for the same shape as a , that is, a bowl with a spherical body, often accompanied ...
is the most well-known work attributed to the Gorgon Painter, it is not the only work. The Gorgon Painter often used Gorgons in his works as shown in the image of the plate, as well as animals rather than established geometric shapes.


References/Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Painter, Gorgon Ancient Greek vase painters Artists of ancient Attica 6th-century BC Greek people Anonymous artists of antiquity Year of birth unknown