Painter of Darius

The Peintre of Darius is a painter on vases apulien; it owes its name with the crater with volutes of Naples H3253 found in the necropolis of Canosa in 1851, crater on which is represented the king achéménide Darius {{Ier}}.

Working life

Its working life, located according to A.D. Trendall between 340 and 320 av. J. - C. is all the more interesting as it is contemporary conquests of Alexandre Large the in Asia. Many exégètes old as contemporary think that it is one of the very first artists to have illustrated Alexandre the Large Darius prosecutor. The Painter of Darius is located in the line of the Peintre of Varrese, of the Peintre of the situles of Dublin and the Peintre of Lycurgue.

Set of themes

The mythological repertory of the Painter of Darius is without any broadest doubt of all the history of painting on vase (painting with red figures and black figures confused). Certain alternatives of Greek myths are known today only by its vases (the myth of Médée in Eleusis or the myth of Leucon for example).

The interest of this artist for the Eastern subjects the such Trojan War, the epic of Jason, the historical victories of the Greeks against the Persian S, causes many questionings especially coming on behalf of an inhabitant from Italy from the south.

If the vases which it decorated are produced for indigenous local customers, one rather badly includes/understands why it illustrates with many recoveries the personification of victorious Greece, Hellas whereas these same natives are in conflict with the Greeks of Italy of the south.

Characteristics

As the majority of the painters on vases of the end of IVe century it uses the technique of the red figure. The painter of Darius makes use of white appreciations, yellow, red ochers binds wine but also the brown ones. Its art is characterized by decorations of a great richness, composition subtly organized.

One can recognize his hand by the harmony of the proportions of the bodies, the dramatism and the expressivity of the faces. The profiles and the three-quarters are other elements which make it possible to distinguish the painter from his predecessors and its successors. We do not know the exact extent of its production: initially because all the tombs which contain its vases were not found and in addition because few commentators are qualified enough to recognize its style.

The Peintre of Darius was initially confused with the Peintre of the Hells but Margott Schmidt could distinguish in 1960 in its study Der Dareiosmaler und center Umkreis which it was an artistic personality with whole share.

One finds some of the decorative reasons used by the Peintre of Darius - in particular the Rinceaux and the Palmettes - to Alexandria, in Egypt and, in Macedonia, with Vergina and Pella. Many a exégètes modern thinks of seeing in its workshop the mark of the influence Macedonian, others, on the contrary, think that its works are former to those of Macedonia. At all events, it is the demonstration which the diagrams of composition travelled through the the Mediterranean.

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