Description
Repetition and symmetry are the fundamental aesthetic principles underlying the shape and decoration of ancient Athenian vases. This book is the first comprehensive study of the role of repetition beyond its aesthetic value, and as part of a code that conveys meaning to the viewer. Relying on the theoretical background provided through information theory and narratology, Ann Steiner uncovers the different kinds of meaning that painters created through the use of repetition. Using the reading of painted verbal inscriptions as a springboard, she demonstrates how repetition of imagery in multiple fields of a vase can create narration, paradigm, exploration of perceptual and ideological points of view, and parody. Steiner shows how the results of repetition on Archaic Athenian vases reiterate the activities of the elite symposion and the broader cultural values of the elite Athenians. She provides an entirely new way to read ancient Athenian vases.
The first comprehensive study of repetition in ancient Athenian vases beyond its aesthetic value.
About the Author
Ann Steiner is Shirley Watkins Steinman Professor of Classics, and Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Franklin & Marshall College. A scholar of Greek art, she is author of Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Joslyn Art Museum and Joslyn Art Museum: Ancient Greek Pottery. Her field experience includes work at ancient Torone, Corinth, and Poggio Colla where she has been Director of Research since 2002. She has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Reviews
"This book presents a convincing argument for the multivalency of repetition among scenes on a single vase. Such repetition is normally ignored, considered incidental to other meaning, or overlooked altogether on the grounds that it is insignificant to narrative. Steiner has made a sound case for the relevancy of even small redundancies and for the interconnectedness of individual scenes on a vase." - Kathleen M. Lynch, University of Cincinnati
Book Information
ISBN 9780521732352
Author Ann Steiner
Format Paperback
Page Count 364
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 870g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 177mm * 22mm
The first comprehensive study of repetition in ancient Athenian vases beyond its aesthetic value.
About the Author
Ann Steiner is Shirley Watkins Steinman Professor of Classics, and Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Franklin & Marshall College. A scholar of Greek art, she is author of Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Joslyn Art Museum and Joslyn Art Museum: Ancient Greek Pottery. Her field experience includes work at ancient Torone, Corinth, and Poggio Colla where she has been Director of Research since 2002. She has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Reviews
"This book presents a convincing argument for the multivalency of repetition among scenes on a single vase. Such repetition is normally ignored, considered incidental to other meaning, or overlooked altogether on the grounds that it is insignificant to narrative. Steiner has made a sound case for the relevancy of even small redundancies and for the interconnectedness of individual scenes on a vase." - Kathleen M. Lynch, University of Cincinnati
Book Information
ISBN 9780521732352
Author Ann Steiner
Format Paperback
Page Count 364
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 870g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 177mm * 22mm
