Understanding Greek Vases: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques (Looking at Series)

Rating:
Summary: compact and informative
Review: The book begins with a quick general overview on Greek ceramics - its history, techniques, trajectory in themes, artists, mythological characters, Greek culture/society that finds itself within the art, etc - that provides the reader with a pretty good base for the number of pages it takes up. There is then a short section on the 'conservation and care of ancient Greek ceramic objects' that explains some more technical things.

After that comes the large section on Greek potters and vase painters, listed in alphabetical order and accompanied by colorful and informative images of the relevant vases. The artist's period, name, style and whatnot are explained in detail. Definitions for unfamiliar terms used in this section can be found in the next part of the book, which explains vase shapes and technical terms in normal English (also with nice images). Thus through the cross-referencing, most of the book's content can be understood without much trouble. At the end is a chart of vase shapes, which is useful because you can compare them without having to flip a single page.

This book is excellent for purposes of quick reference. I would say that most people would not read it like they would a novel, but if you have any interest in Greek vase paintings, this is an excellent book to have.

Rating:
Summary: Understanding Greek Vases
Review: Understanding Greek Vases, published by the Getty Museum, is a compact reference guide that provides the essential background (painters, styles, terminology) needed to study and appreciate ancient Greek vases.

The major part of the book consists of short (half-page), encyclopedia-style, entries for Athenian potters, vase-painters, ceramic styles, and other essential terminology. Coverage, although limited to Athenian pottery, is broad and expert, ranging from "bilingual vases" to "Six's technique." Entries are generously illustrated, mostly in color, by important examples (including many "name vases") from museum collections in the U.S. and abroad.

What really sets this book apart is that the individual entries are so extensively cross-referenced, that they look and feel more like a hypertext-linked web site than a conventional book. For example, if you look up the entry for the "Brygos Painter," you'll get cross-references in the text to three other Cup-painters, to Cup-painting itself, to the Pioneers, to Workshops, to Attribution, to Kylix, and to seven illustrations.

This is an amazingly effective reference, one that I will use often at home, and take with me whenever I go to look at Greek vases in a museum. Tip: don't plan to read it cover-to-cover like an ordinary book. Begin with some topic that interests you, and follow the cross-references as you would with a Web page.