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All Athenian black-figure vases - unique masterpieces as well as
mass-produced vases - reflect the conventions of Athenian pictorial
language. The starting point for this study is that knowledge of
this pictorial language provides a better comprehension of the
meaning of the representations. Athenians in the 6th century BCE knew
its conventions intimately, and one can assume they could easily
understand vase-paintings because a few elements or a specific
combination of elements were sufficient for them to identify the whole
picture. The modern viewer, however, can only approach the intuitive
knowledge of the ancient viewer by studying and analysing the surviving
images.
This study focuses on mass-produced vases, because large numbers provide
vital statistical evidence for understanding the meaning of gestures,
attributes, and other details, which makes it possible to deduce the
rules of Athenian pictorial language and to recognise what is
usual and normal, or unusual and exceptional. The methodology is
demonstrated in an introductory case study of the type scene 'Fighting
men separated'. Since the visual artists' use of pictorial
language resembles the way in which in oral poetry a singer tells
the story by using type scenes, formulaic verses, and epitheta
ornantia while adding, omitting, or varying details and names, in
this study terms are used that are borrowed from literary studies of
Homer's oral poetry like type scene (the compositional schema or
general arrangement of a depiction), subtypes, and typical
elements (e.g., figure types, attributes, gestures, and other
details).
In this study the imagery of more than 1,200 Athenian black-figure
vase-paintings of the type scene 'Chariot in profile' is
examined. Three subtypes are distinguished: 'Hoplites and other
men leaving' (with a hoplite and charioteer in or near the chariot, and
representations with an unarmed man instead of the hoplite in or near
the chariot), 'Wedding procession' (with a woman as passenger in the
chariot and a man holding the reins), and 'Apotheosis of Herakles and
divine departures' (with Herakles and Athena in or near the chariot, and
related representations of gods driving chariots).
The conclusions of this investigation are that Athenian vase-painters
composed their paintings according to a commonly understood system of
pictorial language; that they were free to make variations,
additions, and omissions, but stayed within the boundaries of the system
and did not randomly add or omit figures; that innovative compositions
were based upon existing compositions with a related meaning, since new
images had to be easily and quickly understandable by the public; and
that typical elements could have different meanings depending on
their context. Since the painters composed the paintings according to a
commonly understood system of pictorial language, knowledge of
this system will help the modern viewer to understand the deeper
meanings of paintings that at first sight are hard to grasp.
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