Greek Amphora Project

OPHS Art History

What do we know about

Greek Amphoras?

• What were the colors used to make Greek Amphoras?

Ancient Greek Pottery • Greek pots are important because they tell us so much about how

life was in ancient Greece.

• Ancient Greek pots were often beautifully decorated with scenes from daily life. Sometimes these scenes reflected what the pot was used for. Sometimes they depicted scenes of the lives of the gods. Although the pots were beautifully decorated, they were made for every day use.

Color use

in Greek

Amphoras

At first artist painted black figures on a background of red clay. Seventy years later, artists reversed the colors…they painted the background and all the details black and left the figures the color of the red clay.

Why did the style change?

Because tastes change. The change in technique allowed for greater naturalism. The black on red scenes

tend to be formal and stylized. The red figures on the black pots have more active poses and wear flowing

garments.

Possible Subjects

• Daily Life

• Greek gods and goddesses

• Greek designs (geometric shapes,

vines…)

Daily Life

Gods and Goddesses

Greek Patterns

Process: Sketch

Cut Out & Transfer

Student Examples

Student Examples

Student Examples

Student Examples

Create your Own Greek

Amphora

• Your Task

– Create a red figure or black figure amphora. • Black Figure: stylized

• Red Figure: Realistic

– Create a design that the Greeks would have used (Daily life, gods or goddesses, designs and patterns)

– Use precise and careful application of line and color on the scratch paper (consistency)