Kleophrades Painter HydriaJSE

8/14/2019 Kleophrades Painter HydriaJSE

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Kleophrades

Painter

HYDRIA

White text: p.48-50

Black text: p.63-67


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Kleophrades Painter

Kleophrades painter was one of the bestof the Red-Figure decorators. He was the

son of Amasis, and a student of

Euthymides.He was sometimes painted in Black-

Figure, but was a follower of the Pioneer

group of Red-Figure decorators. Heshared their interests in innovations in

vase decoration.


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Shape:Hydria Purpose:

carrying water

Painter:Kleophradespainter

Potter:Kleophrades Technique:

Red-figure

Date:500-480B.C.


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DimensionsDimensions

Height: 45 cm


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InscriptionsThere are no signatures or inscriptions on thisvase.


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MoodThe sacking of Troy presents four moods. Cruelty : sacrilege, murder,rape and despair

Courage: Trojan women fighting fully armed soldiers

Liberation:Aithra being rescued by her grandsons

Hope: Aeneas escape with his father and to founda new Troy

This is a not a tale of triumph for the Greeks rather

one of despair for the Trojans.This vase may be seen as a picture of the horrors of

war a savage act of victory and vengeance of which

the Greeks were ashamed


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Decoration OverviewSide A New advances in spatial representation

as the decoration is all painted aroundthe neck and shoulder of the vase

Increase in overlapping of figures The painter has three quarter technique

to give an unusual perspective of theinside of the warriors shield while his leftthigh and foot have been foreshortenedin their frontal pose.

To the far right of this pair is a triangleshaped grouping deliberately removedfrom the heat of the battle so that appearto join in both halves of the continuousnarrative together.

The two fully armed and beardedwarriors are beautifully contrasted to thedefenceless old woman cowering on theground

Side B The painter has once again employed

foreshortening in his depiction ofCassandras leg

Aeneas is painted from a back view andwaling beside him is his young son,

Ascanius


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Side A


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The

Sack ofTroy

and the

Death ofPriam

The top of the vase is one frieze which runscontinuously around the top of the vase, between the

neck and the shoulder. It is divided into separate

triangular scenes which tell separate stories.

CRUELTY


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Virgils Aeneid

The death of Priam

Neoptolemos, referred to by Virgil as Pyrrhus, kills Priam's son Polites in front of him on the altar of

Zeus the Protector, where Priam and his family have taken refuge.

Priam, though death now ringed him round, could not be passive,

Could not refrain from uttering his indignation. He cried:

"Hear me, you criminal! If there is any justice in heaven,Any eye for such things, may the gods pay you the due reward

And unstintingly show their gratitude for this most monstrous crime

You have committed - making me witness my son's death,

Fouling a father's eyes like this with the sight of murder!

You are poles apart from Achilles - your father, you lyingly claim.

He treated me differently far, though I was his foe; he respectedA suppliant's rights, gave up the bloodless remains of Hector

For burial, and gave me safe conduct back to my city."

So saying, the old man flung his weapon, but harmlessly -

No strength behind it; a clang when the shield of Pyrrhus parried it,

And then the spear was dangling impotently from its centre.

Pyrrhus replied: "All right, you shall go and carry a messageTo my father Achilles. Remember to tell him what a milksop

His son has become, and what shocking deed he has committed.

Now die!"

Even as he spoke, he dragged the old man, trembling,

And sliding in the pool of his son's blood, right to the altar;

Twined Priam's hair in his left hand, raised with his right the flashingSword, and sank it up to the hilt between his ribs.


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The

death ofKing

PriamThe focus of this

section is the

bloodstained figure of

King Priam who sitson the altar cradling

the limp, gore-

smeared body of his

grandson, Astyanax

the son of HectorPriam is depicted as an old man with a bald head and a

stubby beard. He covers his head with his heads in a futile

gesture to ward off the fatal blow about to be dealt to him byNeoptolemus, the son of Achilles


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NEOPTOLEMUS

Unusually he has

been presented from

the rear, with his headand left leg in profile.

He is dressed in full

battle armour. His

huge sword, the so

called Machaira,

appears to disappearunder the lip of the

hydria.

He has been painted

in detail, especially on

his armour

A dead trojan lies at Neoptolemus feet. He grasps the inside of his shield which ispresented in a perspective view, while his lower leg appears foreshortened as it

disappears behind his thigh. The details of the dead bodies reinforce the sense of

the horror of war.


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The

heroism

of a

Trojan

woman

A fully armed greek warrior crouches under his shield as he is attackedby an angry Trojan woman armed with a large pestle or a chair leg. This

suggests she is desperate.

The painter has used the three-quarter technique to give a perspective

of the inside of the warriors shield, while his left thigh has been

foreshortened.

COURAGE


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The Rescue of Aithra

Further round the vase is a triangle shaped grouping so that

they appear to join both havles of the continuous narrativetogether.

In a touching scene, Akamas and Demophon, sons of

Theseus, help their grandmother Aithra who was taken to Troy

with Helen to act as her maidservant. The two beardedwarriors are beautifully contrasted with the defenceless old

woman cowering on the ground.

The final figure in the group is a young girl mourning on the far

right.

See page 65 in Black text for a view of the whole frieze.

LIBERATION


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Side B


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A Trojan woman crouches

beneath a battered palm tree(bent to emphasise thedestruction of Troy), tearing herhair out in a gesture of mourning.

A second trojan woman sits nextto her covering her head in terror,behind a statue of Athena (calledthe Palladium the most sacredobject in Troy)

Crouching Trojan

womenDESPAIR


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The Rape

ofCassandra

The focus of this section is a scene of extreme violence which

involves Cassandra, the daughter of Priam. She is being ripped

away from the statue. Her attacker the greek hero, Ajax, grabs her

by the hair while she implores him with her outstreched palm

CRUELTY


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The Myth

Cassandra was the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She

was said to be as lovely as Aphrodite. Apollo loved her andpromised to teach her the art of prophecy. He hoped she

would fall in love with him, but she rejected his advances.

Apollo was so upset he spat into her mouth so that she

would speak the truth but was fated never to be listened to.She recognised Paris when he came to Troy and no-one

else knew he was Priams son; she foresaw the end of Troy

when Paris arrived back with Helen; and she told the

Trojans not to bring the wooden horse inside the city.

During the sack of Troy, Cassandra fled to Athenas temple,

but was captured (and some stories say raped) by Locrian

Ajax.


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An armed trojan lies at Ajaxs

feet, his body still bleeding

from a wound on the thigh

and on his chest

Once again the painter has employed

foreshortening in the depiction of the

princess leg.

The detail focuses on who are assumed to be the Greek warrior Ajax of


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The detail focuses on who are assumed to be the Greek warrior Ajax of

Locris, or Little Ajax, and Cassandra the cursed prophetess

Ajax's sword is sticking horizontally toward Cassandra in almost a phallic stance. Cassandra isin a very erotic position, with her legs spread wide open and her breasts naked and

emphasized by the knot of her cape. Her hand is stretched in either supplication or perhaps inbeckoning. It is interesting to note the positioning of Cassandras hand. Ajax has grabbed

Cassandra by the hair as she seeks refuge in the sanctuary of Athena.


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Aeneas flees the

ruined TroyIn the final grouping on theextreme left, the Trojan heroAeneas is depicted staggeringunder the weight of his aged fatherAnchises, as he carries him awayfrom the ruins of Troy.

The old man has been depictedwith the same old beard and hairas King Priam.

Aeneas has been painted from aback view and walking beside him

is his young son Ascanius, whohas been depicted as a youngadult rather than a small child.

The aged,

stubbly

Anchises

Aeneas struggling

under the weight

Ascanius

Both Ascanius and

Anchises are looking

back, as if in fear

HOPE


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Composition Scene painted on the double

curve of the shoulder and theneck of the vase (Death of Priam

and the sack of Troy)

This is a very difficult surface topaint on, and this reflects his

interest and understanding

Shape of the vase meansindividual episodes are arranged

in triangles

The triangles are framed by thepositions of bodies or objects

such as trees and statues

Each group is self-contained butlinked to others.

The two ends of the frieze bothshow shields. Also, both end

scenes are linked thematically

HOPE and LIBERATION.


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InnovationsInnovations

The kleophrades painter continued to use incision in his paintings, most oftenThe kleophrades painter continued to use incision in his paintings, most oftento detail hair but also to highlight other features.to detail hair but also to highlight other features.

He was also very innovative when it came to portraying realistic facialHe was also very innovative when it came to portraying realistic facial

features; eyes were painted open at the inner corner with pupils paintedfeatures; eyes were painted open at the inner corner with pupils painted

forward, rather than the common frontal eyes in a profile face.forward, rather than the common frontal eyes in a profile face.

A full S-cruve was used for the nostrils and he also outlined the lips to makeA full S-cruve was used for the nostrils and he also outlined the lips to make

them appear fullerthem appear fuller..

Kleophrades Painter HydriaJSE

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