The Work of Art

This paper is an analysis of Vase with Relief of the Apotheosis of Homer, 1778 as presented by Josiah Wedgwood. Greek art is often though to influence the changes in fine art over the years.  Artists of this century have borrowed a lot from the styles that were used in the ancient times. Those styles and designs are seen to be fine. Some popular ancient arts works of Alexander the Great and Greco- Buddhist continues to gain popularity in countries like Japan.

A wide range of materials were used to make artistic carvings and sculptures. They included stones, marble, clay and limestone. They were readily available in Greece. Clay was less used because it proved to be too fragile. Currently, readily available materials used are porcelain, wood glass and other artificial substances are being used. In some countries, ivory was used but because its extraction could lead to elephant and rhino extinction. Most governments have banned the use of ivory.

Greek sculptures were used to communicate religious messages. They were used to tell tales about gods, religious creatures, events, festivities, and heroes. The sculptures were also used to give information on other aspects of the Greek culture. This practice of using carves and sculptures to give information about cultures in our society have heavily borrowed from the Greek. It is appropriate to use art when one wants to study about cultures of other communities which he or she is not familiar with. Unfortunately, there is not much left of ancient sculptures from Greek because they aged and withered with time. However, the Romans had great respect for the Greeks. Because of this, they copied some Greek sculpture. The Greek sculptures available have a Roman decent.

Apotheosis Homer vase originated from Greece. It was designed by Josiah Wedgewood. He is a European who developed an interest in Greek and Roman classical art styles. He therefore borrowed a leaf from those styles and came up with the vase. This neo-classicism did not end but has continued into these present times. This vase is comparable to Greek art by the style which was used to design and make it.

The color of the body of this vase is purple and has white handles. The lid is a white statute. The drawings on the body are also white in color. These two colors; purple and white symbolize royalty. This is further accentuated by the drawing on the vase. It is a drawing depicting a master with his servants at service. Two of the servants are angels. This is likely to suggest a religious theme where the master signifies God and the servants representing angels. ''This continues to be comparable to Greek sculptures which are still used to tell about religion''.

The vase made by Exekias has Greek origin too. Exekias was a potter and painter from Greece. The two vases have some similarities and are comparable because they have similar origin. The shapes are also the identical. They both have a round shape with large handles on the sides. It is also notable that only two theme colors have been used on the vases. The Apotheosis vase has purple and white color while the Vase by Exekias has a shade of orange and black. The drawing on the Exekias vase shows two men working together. This depicts an aspect of culture that suggests unity of people and working together in harmony. Both vases have a classical design. 

The Greek art has really contributed a lot to the field of art and has been used to enlighten the society on values and lessons about lifestyle.