Painter of Andokidès

The Peintre of Andokidès is a Greek artist ceramics decorator who lived in the area of Athens towards the end of the {S|VI|E} front J.C., in activity from 535 to approximately 515. There remained anonymous because he did not sign his works, one indicates it by the name of a potter for which he worked. Its importance is crucial in the history of ancient ceramics Greek because he is regarded by the major part of the specialists as the inventor and the first user in the technique in painting on pottery called red figures which will supplant thereafter completely the old technique with black figures.

Genesis of its art

The Painter of Andokidès began his activity in the technique of the time with black figures, undoubtedly it was a pupil of Éxékias, one of the Masters of the time. Technical limits reached by this manner about the middle of the {S|VI|E} did not make it possible perhaps any more new artists to hope to be made a name, and several of them sought a means of exceeding their Masters. After tests without continuation to use white painting with the brush directly on a black bottom glazed, which made unfortunately the addition white fragile, as on an amphora preserved at the Musée of Louvre (inv. F203) which is allotted to him, the Painter of Andokidès had the idea to reverse the process radically and to hold in black shining the bottom instead of the silhouettes of the figures like front. In this way, the red color of the ground became the absorbing bottom on which were painted in black the details of the characters with a fine brush what allowed a larger smoothness of details than the incision the graver or the stylet on the black silhouettes before.

It is towards 530 av. J.C that the first witnesses of this technique appear which will spread gradually. One can follow the transitional period precisely since the Painter of Andokidès produced parts, in particular Amphore S, which present treated faces one in black figures and the other in red figures, sometimes with the same scene, like tests to present a new technique step yet sufficiently known of the customers. These vases are called bilingual . Thereafter, it will produce nothing any more but vases exclusively with red figures.

It was not, at that time, to only launch out in these innovations, others, like Oltos or Épictétos produces also bilingual vases , but the majority of the specialists are of agreement to date works from the Painter of Andokidès of a few former years to the other production what makes it possible to think that he was the principal inventor of the technique of the red figures towards 530 av. J.C., innovation which will make the fortune of ceramics attic for almost two centuries.

Style and works of the Painter of Andokidès

A score of parts with black figures, whose attribution is however disputed to him by some researchers, show that it had reached a great control and virtuosity in the details which it will not find at once in the novel method which appears a little impressed of stiffness with the beginning and one will still find some uses of the incision for example for chevelures. Thereafter, it will benefit a better from the red figure, exploiting the range of the colors of the red to brown dark. He announces the arrival of the large artists of the red figure like Euphronios. Its topics of predilection are the mythological scenes representing of the gods and the heroes, in particular Héraclès, its favorite character.

One allots to him:

a score of vases with black figures
an amphora on white subject on black bottom (Louvres, inv F203)
Six amphoras and a cut bilingual
Seven amphoras and a vase with red figures

(factual source: Encyclopædia Universalis 1997)

See too

Ceramic Greek antique
Typology of Greek ceramics

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Painter of Andokidès

Genesis of its art

Style and works of the Painter of Andokidès

See too

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