Nearly every one of his vases offers something new. Inscriptions not only identify figures, but are an integral part of the composition. His figures have enormous dignity, often expressing sensitive emotions in a restrained manner bold gestures are kept to a minimum movements are never exaggerated tragic situations are more poignant by being understated. They are the intrinsic characteristics of Exekias’s work that not only define his style, but also establish his artistic personality. Meticulously incised line combined with restrained use of accessory red and white creates a perfect balance between texture, glaze and color. 1 Exekias’s sensitivity to shapes and the ornaments and compositions that decorate them is particularly laudable. He also produced two sets of handsome funerary plaques, which are not part of this study. As a potter, he was instrumental in developing and perfecting the amphora Type A, the eye cup, and the variant of neck-amphora that became standard in the last decades of the sixth century B. Mackay examined first hand all but two of the 30 extant vases that comprise the work of Exekias two others, known today only from photographs, bring the total to 32.Įxekias was not a prolific artist, but his achievement in the Attic black-figured technique is rivaled only by that of Kleitias, Nearchos and the Amasis Painter. Her new book has had a long gestation but it was well worth the wait. Anne Mackay’s interest in Exekias began with her 1982 dissertation, Exekias: A Chronology of His Potting and Painting, and the painter has been a friendly presence in her life ever since.
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