Antique ornament is one of the most ancient painting genres in world history. It originated in the form of a vase in the 3rd century BC and continued to exist until the beginning of our era. Its significance lies in the fact that it not only enriched the ancient Greek culture with beautiful examples of murals, but also served as the basis for Renaissance masters, who in their work focused on the best vase paintings. Antique ornament - one of the most common types of fine art in ancient Greece.
The art of chiaroscuro
This discovery in painting belongs to the ancient Greek artist Appolodor of Athens, who was subsequently nicknamed Tenepis for his mastery. The creation of chiaroscuro in the picture gave the image volume and realism, which became a real breakthrough in ancient art. In addition to this author, other masters of this genre are also known (Zevkeis, Parrasiy and others). However, monumental painting did not receive such a wide scope as a vase painting.
Types of murals
The antique ornament was depicted, as a rule, on vessels in which the Greeks stored wine, oil or water. There were two types of paintings: black and red. In the first case, the masters painted black figures on a red background, in the second, the figures of the color of burnt clay were located on a black background. Such images were flat and resembled a graphic pattern. They are interesting not only from an aesthetic, but also from a historical point of view, because thanks to them we have an idea about the life of the ancient Greeks, about their interior, clothes, holidays.
Drawings
Antique ornament can be divided into two types: oriental and geometric. In the first case, the masters imitated oriental motifs, drawing griffins and sphinxes. But very soon this type of art evolved, and artists began to paint pictures from nature, or rather, taking elements of the surrounding nature as the basis of the plot. Images differ in stylization and some geometricity, however, the Greeks each time used different variations of compositions and thus achieved originality in the image. So, antique ornament and painting played an important role in the development of world art.