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Khairete!
In reading through recent topics, I've noticed that many people seem to use the terms 'red figureware' and 'black figureware' interchangeably. Isn't black figureware the older type that is pretty much black(or dark grey/purple/blue) on a white (or light grey/cream) background, while red figureware is the newer type that uses color (usually red, but also orange/white/gold/tan) on a black background?
Just wanting to make sure I haven't completely lost my mind here...
Archimedes
Wesley Guillory
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Well,for some time in the begining of the fifth century bc the two types coexisted.I think you have been a bit confused about the black figure because of the black&white photos.I can't explain otherwise why you said the background in black figure vases is white-grey!The background is yellowish-orange and in some cases redish-brown.The exact oposite is in red-figure.
Khaire
Giannis
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
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The difference is in technique more than color. To give a very simple explanation, leaving out the overly complicated details:
Black figure is when the design/picture is painted on the pot, but the details (like the lines of the arms, musculature, facial features) are left the color of the pot or scratched out. Sometimes details are painted white.
Red figure is when the area around the design/picture is painted in (and turns black when fired) and only the details of the image are painted (arms, faces, etc.)
The two are basically inversions of each other--if you can find a painter who does the same image in red figure and black figure (it happens, see [url:2d4ynv8p]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilingual_pottery[/url]) then the two should look like photo negatives of each other.
L. M. Anderson
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As I understand it, which is basically what I gleaned from John Boardman's books, black figure was the earlier of the two, developed around mid 7th century BC, with red figure appearing about 530 BC and displacing black figure over the course of the following half a century. Personally I think I prefer the red-figure but the best examples of either are awesome.
Phil Sidnell
