This week's artwork isn't modern, and it isn't medieval. We're taking it back this week- all the way back (okay, not 24,000 BC Venus of Willendorf "all the way back", but ancient Greece "pretty far back"). Thinking about it, I probably could have picked a more ancient artwork from ancient Greece, but whatever- I like the Geometric Period. And it's still pretty far back in time for most people- this week's artwork is from 760-750 BC. This wee's piece is the fairly recognizable Dipylon Vase:
Dipylon Vase, Dipylon Master. 760-750 BC. Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, Greece.
Clearly archaeologists are not good at thinking of creative names (at least in this instance- sorry archaeologists!) Anyways, this is a gigantic Geometric krater (that's the pottery shape for you non-classicists!) that was used in the 8th century BC as a grave marker. On it, interestingly, are burial and mourning-type scenes, and a lot of geometric designs (it was a big thing at the time- you know, being the Geometric Period and everything). Many regard this as the height of the geometric Period because the entire surface of the krater is covered in elaborate designs. Vases/kraters like these served to mark the graves of wealthy and illustrious individuals in Athens for a short span of about 20 years.
Since we've gone ancient for the Artwork of the Week, I though we might pay our respects to the ancients in the quote this week, too:
"The praise of ancient authors proceeds not from the reverence of the dead, but from the competition and mutual envy of the living."-Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), British Philosopher
Very clever indeed, Mr. Hobbes. I think this is his secret was of telling us that he is jealous of people like Aristotle, Plato, and Sophocles (among others). It's okay, Hobbes, we're all jealous of them. (Unless you are Stephen Hawking, in which case you know you are smarter than everyone else, even the "ancient authors".)
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