Attic Panathenaic Amphora Analysis Essay (Essay Sample)

Attic Panathenaic Amphora
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Attic Panathenaic Amphora
Introduction
The artwork “Attic Panathenaic Amphora” is associated with the artist maker, Kleophrades Painter. The artwork is currently found in city of Athens which located in Greece. The artwork was created by Kleophrades Painter in Athens between 500-480 BC. The medium used in the artwork is Terracotta. The dimensions for the artwork are 65 × 40.3 cm (25 9/16 × 15 7/8 in.). The artwork is brought out to have a narrow neck and a broad base. I used the J. Paul Getty Museum website to locate the artwork. I chose the article because of its historic significance and outlook. Moreover, I had a smooth experience in locating the museums but had difficult moments in determining the artwork I would use.[Amphora, Attic Black-Figure Neck. "The J. Paul Getty Museum."]
Description of the Artwork
The artwork which takes the shape of a pot-like container lacks a lid and is open. The artwork also has two handles that connects its base with the neck. The handles are used for carrying the artwork. The artwork further has drawings on its base. The drawings are representing two horses that have been tied to a horse-drawn carriage and are actually pulling it across. Moreover, the horse-drawn chariot has a man who is dressed in a white robe and is holding a thin stick on his right hand. The paintings on the artwork also indicate the horses are moving at a high speed and the carriage is open with two wheels. The base of the artwork takes the shape of a pot but also has a flat supporting small surface. The base is painted black with brown painting on the part where the paintings of the horses and the carriage have been portrayed. The neck of the artwork is also decorated with both black and brown colors with what seems like flowers. The top part is black and the handles are also black. The artwork’s background is grey in color and there are no texts associated with the artwork.[Schierup, Stine. "The reception of an Attic prize Vessel: On the import and local production of amphorae of Panathenaic shape in Southern Italy." In Greek Art in Context: An International Conference at the University of Edinburgh, pp. 198-210. Routledge, 2017.]
Analyzing the Artwork
The elements that seem odd for the artwork is its necks and feet. The neck is in fact connected with two handles while the feel is flat to support the artwork to stand upright. However, the middle part of the base is broad and takes the shape of a pot. Moreover, the decorations on its vase had a specific meaning to what the artwork represented. The four horses that are running while pulling a horse-drawn carrier in which a man is standing represents some form of competition. The expressions from the man who is trying to prompt the horses to move faster represents that he is focusing towards achieving something in a competition. Moreover, the two handles connected at the neck and the bottom part makes it to appear like a trophy. The handles are specifically set for lifting the trophy after an individual has successful participated in a competition and emerged as winners. The artwork indicates the prize that was always awarded to the winners who participated in the four-horse drawn chariot. Furthermore, the artwork raises questions on why the event used to occur and reasons connected with using the artwork as a form of price to award the winners. The painting and colors in the artwork also create a diversity among people who took part in the competition. The posture of the man in the competition who is attempting to increase the pace of the horses and the posture of the four horses reveals on the reasons why it was necessary for one to participate in the competition and push to get towards the wining position.[Merante, Monica M. "A universal display? Investigating the role of Panathenaic amphorae in the British Museum." PhD diss., uuniversity of Pittsburgh, 2017.] [Schierup, Stine. "The reception of an Attic prize Vessel: On the import and local production of amphorae of Panathenaic shape in Southern Italy." In Greek Art in Context: An International Conference at the University of Edinburgh, pp. 198-210. Routledge, 2017.]
The artwork also represents the prestige associated with the event. The painting, structure, shape, and color indicates on the events as being rare occasions that transformed the feeling of those who attended and opted to make a difference by winning the race. Furthermore, the artist used a plan background and further made the feet for the artwork to be flat. The feet were meant to indicate on the little difference that was required in the competition towards making a huge winning of this prestigious event. The black figure technique used in the painting was also connected with the history of the Greek people. The conical shape of the vase was purposed to represent atrophy that had higher levels of prestige and was capable of making competitors feel the worth of pushing to emerge as winners. The symbols at the neck also represent the competitions that took place in Athens and were critically associated with religious connections and prestige as well as conservation of the culture overtime.[Vickers, Jonathan. "The Presence of Tumbling in Ancient Greek Athletics." Nikephoros-Zeitschrift für Sport und Kultur im Altertum: 27. Jahrgang 2014 27 (2019): 295-313.]
The story connected with the artwork is the great Athens competitions among the Greeks that were associated with individuals racing on four horse chariots and the ultimate price was this vase. The artists used two specific colors; brown and black to indicate the unity and integration that the competitions brought up in Greek. The choice of colors is specifically meant to have the vase have a beautiful appearance such that the decorations are easily recognizable. The color of the clothing worn by the racing man in this competition represents the sacredness of the competition. Eventually, the element of lighting was clear in the artwork. The neck and the upper-middle