The Greek myths and legends were a vast source of subjects for narrative painting. These tales, many of which can be traced back to the Akkadians, were the result of mixing Doric and Ionic deities and heroes into the pantheon of Olympian gods and Homeric sagas.
Certain themes were taken from the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’ as frequently shown as, afterward, the Annunciation in Italian Painting.
The traditional subjects, the Centaurs and Lapiths, the Amazon War, Theseus and Adriane, Perseus and Andromeda, were frequently depicted.
The vase painting arose 900 BC with the Geometric period. Figures were black silhouettes formed by circles, triangles and squares.
In Archaic black and red figure vase painting males and females are presented in mythological or everyday scenes.
According to the literary sources Greek wall painting did not come into its own until about 475 – 450 BC after the Persian Wars. During this period artist gradually discovered how to model figures and objects and how to create a sense of spatial depth.
History of painting art in Greece
