What is meant by black figure and red figure Greek vases?

Red-figure is essentially the reverse of black figure: the background is filled in with a fine slip and has a black colour after firing, while the figures are reserved. Details are added using fine brushes instead of through incision, allowing the artists to add a greater level of detail to their art.

What is red figured pottery in the Greek period?

Red-figure Pottery is a style of Greek vase painting that was invented in Athens around 530 BCE. The style is characterized by drawn red figures and a painted black background. This allowed for greater detail than in black-figure pottery, for lines could be drawn onto the figures rather than scraped out.

What is the difference between black figure and red figure Greek pottery?

In black-figure vase painting, figural and ornamental motifs were applied with a slip that turned black during firing, while the background was left the color of the clay. In contrast, the decorative motifs on red-figure vases remained the color of the clay; the background, filled in with a slip, turned black.

What is the difference between black figure and red figure painting and why is red figure painting considered superior?

Red figure painting: This method replaced black figure painting. It was considered superior because more detail could be added. Red figure painting is the reverse of the black figure technique. The paintings were applied to the shaped but unfired vessels after they had dried to a leathery, near-brittle texture.

Did red-figure or black figure pottery come first?

Red-figure pottery. The Red-figure technique was first adopted in Athens in the 6th century BCE. Before this period, the Black-figure pottery technique was prevalently utilized. The technique consisted of a background painted in black slip (instead of the figures) and relief lines were used for details.

Which style of vase had a black background?

Through the introduction and removal of oxygen in the kiln and, simultaneously, the increase and decrease in temperature, the slip transformed into a glossy black color. Briefly, ancient Greek vases display several painting techniques, and these are often period specific.

Did red or black-figure pottery come first?

Red-figure pottery. The Red-figure technique was first adopted in Athens in the 6th century BCE. Before this period, the Black-figure pottery technique was prevalently utilized.

Why is Greek pottery called red and black-figure pottery?

Its modern name is based on the figural depictions in red colour on a black background, in contrast to the preceding black-figure style with black figures on a red background. The most important areas of production, apart from Attica, were in Southern Italy. The style was also adopted in other parts of Greece.

What technique is used on Greek pottery to create the red and black figures?

levigation
The production of black-figure vases was a lengthy process and it began with the procurement of the clay. Potters in ancient Athens used a process called levigation, whereby clay is mixed with water and heavy impurities allowed to sink to the bottom.

What style of vase painting is focused on the red color figure?

figural Greek vase painting
Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure vase painting within a few decades.

Who used red figure pottery?

Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure vase painting within a few decades.

How do the figures in red figure pottery receive their red color?

This technique of vase painting is essentially the reverse of black-figure vase painting. In the red-figure technique, the background of a vessel’s surface is coated with a black slip. The decorative figures are left to stand out in reserve, that is, in the red-orange color of the base clay.

Where did the red figure vases come from?

The red-figure vase-painting technique was first developed in Athens (or somewhere in the region controlled by Athens, i.e. Attica) in ca. 530 BC. Red-figure is essentially the reverse of black figure: the background is filled in with a fine slip and has a black colour after firing, while the figures are reserved.

When did black figure vases become popular in Greece?

Black figure vase painting had been developed in Corinth in the 7th century BC and quickly became the dominant style of pottery decoration throughout the Greek world and beyond.

Where did the black figure in pottery come from?

In black-figure painting, figures and ornamentation were drawn on the natural clay surface of a vase in glossy black pigment; the finishing details were incised into the black. The first significant use of the black-figure technique was on the Proto- Corinthian style pottery developed in Corinth in the first half of the 7th century bce.

How are black figures used in vase painting?

In black-figure vase painting, figural and ornamental motifs were applied with a slip that turned black during firing, while the background was left the color of the clay. Vase painters articulated individual forms by incising the slip or by adding white and purple enhancements (mixtures of pigment and clay).