Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Vase Interpretation?

Based upon Dr. Castellani's presentation and your notes, evaluate the projected black/red figure vase.  Please decode through commentary.  Think about direction, borders, placement, and symbols or manifestations.  This blog response is a quiz and should be completed during class today.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

On both sides of Athena are the columns with fighting cocks on them. The Columns represent Athena's aspect of upholding things, and the fighting cocks represent the fighting-to-the-death spirit that Athena supports in mortals. Her spear and helmet go a bit beyond the border design at the top, which is symbolic of Athena trying to go past he boundaries that Apollo typically imposes on mortals. She is also standing on the right, but facing the left. Things on the right side are divine manifestations, and so the fact that she is standing on the right makes her divine. The left side is considered mortal, and the fact that she is facing that way shows that she is supporting any mortal who desires to become divine. The shield, Aegis, is also one of her symbols because it was made for her and she carries it with her. The spear is another symbol for her, because she always carries a spear with her, which is the case with this image.

Unknown said...

This vase is displaying Athena. Her helmet is a little above the border saying she is disregarding Apollo's wish for gods not to help mortals raise up and just have them stay low that they are. Athena is looking to the left and down towards what would be the mortal side. The black vases are more special because they would paint the who thing black and them chip away the pieces vs just painting it on there. Athena also has her spear which represents her.

coltonn13 said...

This black figure vase might be representing the Goddess Athena, God of war.She is holding a spear in her right hand.And Athena being Zues's favorite child, the picture shows her with his shield in her left arm. Also this figure represents Athena wearing a helmet, as if she was going into battle.Also the picture depicts two columns on the left and right side of her. It looks like she is standing on some type of altar.Mortals would be looking up to her.This figure represents worship and loyalty to the god Athena.

Anonymous said...

This Black/red figure vase was the way artisans wrote about their gods/ godesess. In this case Athena is shown in the picture. To decode this picture there are many things to consider. One rule is that the left side of the vase is the moral side, and the right side is the divine side. So keep in mind that she is facing left, towards the humans. That is because she bridges the gap between the humans and the gods, that is shown always in vases through her head, or helmet pierces the border on the vase. She has no regard for boundaries because she rewards who can get the task done, even if its in any way possible. Also the fighting roosters on the altars represent that Athena rewards those who fight until the end and dont give up. That is what she likes out of Humanity. She likes that they dont give up and dont give in. That is what the vase is saying even though to the regular eye it is just a picture. But it always has a message in the picture.

Anonymous said...

Athena is the goddess pictured and she was the Goddess of uplifting. She always tried to bridge the gap between the mortals and the gods. The pillars on the side hold cocks which are a symbol of Athena. She is looking to the left which is generally the "mortal" side of the vase and she is also looking down, to the mortals below. This is a characteristic unique to Athena.Most gods look to the right, or "immortal" side and do not divert their gaze down. Athena however looks to help the mortals and is often on their side. Another piece of this vase is Athena's spear, which extends above the border at the top. This represents the breaching of Apollo's borders set for mortals. Athena always pushed these boundaries inn order to uplift the mortals and bring them closer to the gods.

Clinton Morgan said...

The black figure vase shows in its art the way Athena will look at mortals because of their pride and their heroics. She is also blessing her shield over her table. The shield itself is very important because she gives it to a mortal named Perseus who uses it on Medusa. This shows again why she looks more to the mortal side. she also is bridging the gap between mortal and immortal.

Anonymous said...

Athena stands by herself in the middle of the vase and she hold her shield which the tip blends in with one of the boarders. Athena looks to her left and on the left side resembles the gods who are more mortal than those who are more divine(right). There are a ton of symbols in this vase, for an example, The shield is a symbol of protection and a symbol of Athena. The vase itself tells a myth. It is a story on the vase in one painted picture.

Anonymous said...

This vase clearly shows Athena's helm and spear breaching the vases boundaries, suggesting that she typically didn't have much regard for restraining herself. The vase also shows two fighting cocks atop pillars on either side of Athena. This is symbolic of Athena's appreciation of the fighting spirit. Athena is proudly holding her spear and weapons reminding the viewer of her characteristic as goddess of battle.

Anonymous said...

In the black/red figure vase Athena is depicted as usual with her spear, helmet, and shield. Her spear breaks the decorative border of the vase to show she doesn't care about the boundaries Apollo has made for mortals. Their are two columns with fighting cocks on them. This represents that she is the god of uplifting and will support those who fight without regard for their own safety. She is also looking to the left, the mortal side, but she is facing the right, the divine side. This shows she is leading the mortals to the divine side.

KarynH2014 said...

The black and red figure vase pictured depicts the goddess Athena. Athena's helmet is breaking the top border because Athena was known to break barriers between mortal and divine. She is also looking left which is the more mortal side. She was known for bringing mortals more right and towards the divine side. She would look for metis in humans to see if they were worthy of her help and guidance. There are also roosters on the vase which is symbolic for the fighting spirit. Fighting cocks usually fight to the death and Athena respected and liked that kind of courage and bravery when it translated into mortals. She is holding a spear in the depiction on the vase which is her weapon of choice and shows that she had to have the skill to use the spear. She is holding up her shield which was said to be made out of gold and would have been very heavy. This shows her strength and enhances the anthropomorphic qualities. Anthropomorphic is when a person looks like they have female and male qualities in their face and could be judged as either male or female. The strength shown here enhances a male quality but her face and her dress make her look female.

Anonymous said...

This vase really shows the way that Athena favors mortals crossing the boarders into immortality. she is facing left and somewhat down as though to see and even help those under her on their journey upward. Athena is also the goddess of upholding and we can see this in the pillars to the left and the right of the figure in the middle. Athena is also very often shown near or over an alter as though to pay her respects to he father Zeus. her helmet and spear both break the “boarder of the heavens” that it is assumed that Apollo has set up to keep the separation between humans and gods. There are also two roosters sitting on the two pillars on the side showing that no matter who you are, even for the gods, someone is always watching and judging every move you make. The only other major thing we see on the vase is the famous shield of Athena given to her by Zeus showing her favorability in the eyes of her father. Athena is strong and brave and we can see that when she wears her shield, helmet, and spear for they all are supposed to weight tons.

Unknown said...

The vase is painted solid black and the paint is picked and scraped off to create the image of Athena. Athena's head goes above the border usually to show that she is closer to the gods. The pillars are raising up the fighting chickens because they are symbols of Athena's will to fight to the death. They are raised up because Athena likes being raised in air and the feeling of being closer to the gods.

Anonymous said...

It shows Athena looking to the left, the Mortal side. Her body is facing the right side, however, showing that she may be urging the mortals to ascend from their place. She (like always) is violating the boundaries of the border, showing that she is willing to bend the rules to get what she wants (which also ties into the idea of mortals breaking their boundaries.) She seems to be holding her Aegis above an altar, which could mean that she is holding the left (mortal) side high. This could also represent the wisdom of holding defense as a wiser tactic than offense (Athena is the goddess of intellect and strategy, after all.) Finally, the cocks are held high above everything else, showing Athena's love of the fighting spirit above else.

Anonymous said...

This vase is a red figure vase of Athena. The vase is encircled by an elaborate border which tends to signify the limits of a god or goddess. However in this case, Athena breeches the boarder which displays her lack of boundaries in the Greek world or her ability to bridge the gap between humans and the immortal world of the Greek Gods. On her shield is the symbol of the cat. The domestic cat in mythology tends to represent home or hearth. Athena is the Goddess of wisdom and in the red figure vase she is wearing what appears to be a crown which could represent this very attribute. We are only shown one side of the vase and the pillars that are visible perhaps separate two parts to the story being told by the red figure vase.

Anonymous said...

To my knowledge of Black and Red figure vases I would assume that this is Athena with her famous and heavy gold armor. You notice that she is standing straight and facing to the left which Dr. Castellani said is the "Moral" side rather than the right which is the "Divine" side. On either side of her are two fighting chickens and Athena held a special bond with these animals along with all beings that fight to their last breath. Dr. Castellani said that fighting chickens continue to fight even if they are mortally wounded. Athena represents the fighting spirit and noble deaths at their finest. You can also notice that Athena is holding her precious shield over a ritual slab of rock like an altar of some sort. And this as well as a significant meaning to the vase. She never looks directly down to where human can meet her gaze but she is also not looking up, she is just past our heads.

Anonymous said...

The first thing that stands out about this image is that Athena's spear overlaps at the very top with the border, symbolizing her tendency to push against tradition and test the boundaries of her power. Also, her body is facing right, the direction of the Gods, but she is looking left, the direction of the mortals. This demonstrates that, even though she is divine and belongs in the realm of the Gods, she is much more concerned with the matters of humans than most of the other gods. This concern is also evident in many of the heroic tales, where Athena helps the heroes accomplish their quest. Furthermore, the fighting roosters on the pillars symbolize Athena's fighting tendencies as well.

Anonymous said...

This vase is interesting because in it Athena is facing left, the side of mortality, but her body is turned to the right, the side of divinity, almost as though she is looking back to make sure that humanity is following her path to divinity. This seems to make sense due to the fact that Athena is known to have supported mortals quests for greatness and glory and is willing to help and guide them is their struggles. The border is another point of interest in this vase because her spear is going beyond it. This represents Athena's willingness to break the boundaries of other gods, especially those set by Apollo who is the opposite of Athena in the sense that he wants to keep mortals in their place and stop them from rising too high and so will often put obstacles in their path. The third interesting point is the way Athena is holding her shield over the alter-like object in the right. This seems to be showing a sacrifice like action on the part of Athena, but the way her head is turned seems almost like she checking to make sure mortals are watching and understanding how to make a proper sacrifice to the gods, and more specifically perhaps, her. All in all, this vase gives the strong sense that Athena, in many ways, is a goddess of the people.

Anonymous said...

On the vase, Athena is facing right, towards the gods, but looking toward the left, which is more mortal. Athena supports human greatness. She supports the bold, strong, and smart. She supports and encourages humans to cross the line between mortal and immortal. She is shown holding a spear and a shield made of gold, a divine substance and an extremely heavy metal. She is also wearing a helmet made of gold. There are roosters on top of columns on both sides of Athena. She is represented by roosters and owls. Her spear interferes with the border on the vase and so does the crest of the helmet just below the border. Athena is the goddess of upholding and is represented by columns. The vase is a red figure vase because there is no added color and the black paint was scratched off to show the original coloring of the vase.

Anonymous said...

The very first thing I noticed about this vase is that Athena is facing to the left. This represents her attempting to bridge the gap between humanity and divinity. This gap is also represented by the borders along the edges, especially the top and bottom, of the vase. Apollo has set these borders in order to keep humans in their place. I like that the border is very detailed and complicated. Personally, I believe that this represents that the path to divinity and actually being divine are much too complicated and difficult for humans. But, Athena breaks these borders in almost every vase that she is in! Usually, Athena is in a vase with other people but in this one she is all alone. Therefore, she is in the middle of the art. She has two columns, one is on the right and one is one the left. On each of these columns is a fighting cock or rooster. These animals are symbols or manifestations of Athena. Speaking of symbols, Athena's shield, spear, and helmet are in many of the artworks. The shield, spear, and helmet are really what define this character on the vase as Athena. The final piece of the artwork that I noticed was the alter to Athena's left. (Our right) I think that this was an interesting choice of elements to put in, but I think it symbolizes that the gods still have to pay homage too! And it may represent that the humans need to worship the divinities as well.

Anonymous said...

The figure on the vase I believe represents Athena. She is facing to the left which represents a divinity. She holds her shield which is very heavy over an altar which represents how Athena aids mortals to try and succeed. She has two coloums on either side of her and at the top of them are fighting rooster. A sacred animal of Athena who appreciates mortals who keep fighting and do not give up. The top of Athena's helmet and spear breach the border at the top which represents how she violates the set boundries between mortals and gods.

LivvyW said...

This vase displays Athena in battle attire. The fact that she is standing on the right side of the vase suggests that she is expressing her Divine side while facing left and expanding beyond the borders shows her support for mortals. Another show for support of mortals are the roosters on top of the pillars on either side of her. This shows her want for mortals to keep fighting. The pillar on the right i think stands for the Gods and the fact that they are not always on a pedestal and have to work to stay on top of Mt. Olympus.

Anonymous said...

In the vase shown the goddess Athena is being shown, she is wearing her helmet and has her spear in her right hand, she is extending above the border of the vase, which were set there by Apollo for the immortals. she is facing the right which expresses her divine side as opposed to the left which represents the mortal side. The fighting cocks also represent Athena with her fighting will.

Unknown said...

on the vase was the goddess athena wearing her armor and wielding her spear she is facing to the right showing her expression to the divine instead of mortal
on two pillers stand fighting cocks willing to fight for athena at any moment