Starting with the Minoan civilization that existed in Crete, the culture made remarkable contributions to the Greek way of life; especially, in the artisanship of pottery and vases. The Minoan potters designed pottery for food gathering and storage. A practical need became one of artistic expression with the potter looking to nature to influence the designs that transformed the pottery, creating art from what was once only a tool.
As time progressed, Minoan's created vases in forms that were used for specialized purposes. For example, the Amphora vase is a swollen vase with a wide mouth and two opposing handles. It was used to transport and store oil, wine and other liquids. Painted with grass and flowers, and marine scenes, the Minoan's set precedent for future designs.
During the Protogeometrical Period, Greek vases were decorated with simplistic designs that consisted mainly of circular patterns. The Geometric style followed with new motifs, building upon the latter with wavy lines and triangles. In the middle of the 11th Century, the first images of human figures were seen painted on the Greek vase, and by the end of the period, mythological figures became prominent images on much of the pottery of the era.
The Orientalizing Period came after trade-links with Syria and the Aegan World. The popularity of human depictions slowed during this time, and the artisan used the Greek vases for depicting lions, griffins and sphinx with lotuses as accents.
Through the Corinthian invention known as the black-figure process, artists used iron-rich clay that turned reddish-orange after firing. They then sketched their design in outline, and filled it with clay. The Greek vases would be kiln fired at a temperature of around 800 degress Celsius. The pottery would turn a reddish-orange color. Next, the temperature was raised to 950 degrees Celsius, and the vase would turn black. Finally, the kiln vents were opened to let in oxygen, and the pottery would turn back to the reddish-orange color, but the paint layer remained black.
The Corinthian used these vases to depict animal friezes. It was the Athenian painters who developed a narrative method, depicting mythological scenes of battle, gods and heroes.
Following the black-figure method, the red-figure method was introduced in Athens. At its core, the process is exactly the opposite of the black-figure method. Scenes were applied to the Greek vases, but to unfired pieces after they were dried. The Athenians drew outlines on the pottery or vase with a blunt scrapper. It was erased during the kiln process, but after the contours remained and were filled with a glossy clay slip.
The Greek methods for creating pottery resulted in Greek vases whose designs endure even today and left the world with a path to the past told in the distinct and varying images etched and painted on their sides.
Looking for a Greek Vase to decorate your home? Check out the these distinct Greek Vases from Your Museum Store. Rob Mabry is a former military journalist living in San Antonio. He writes about travel, technology, film and the video game industry. Rob operates http://www.yourmuseumstore.com along with his wife Sherry.