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83 Overview of the Work of the Codrus Painter 14 T he Codrus Painter was a distinctive Athenian vasepainter of the second half of the fifth century BCE. His drawing, accurate and detailed in his early works, gradually decreased in vivacity and precision. A comparison with his contemporaries shows that he has some affinities with the Eretria Painter, a significant impact on the style of Aison, and a noticeable influence on Aristophanes and other minor cup-painters. He had close ties with painters of large shapes, such as the Dinos Painter, the Peleus Painter, and others from the Group of Polygnotos, judging from the similarities of their work. The corpus of vases produced by the Codrus Painter and his Circle can be organized into four phases, based on chronological and stylistic observations. I have questioned some attributions to the Codrus Painter, while vases and fragments previously considered to be in his Manner have been reconsidered. Everyday scenes, mainly athletes and youths in the palaistra , attracted the interest of the Codrus Painter and his Circle and are found on most of the vases attributed to them. Fresh and original in the beginning, the athletic compositions gradually declined in liveliness and energy and eventually, in the hands of his followers, become monotonous and repetitive. Thiasoi of satyrs and maenads, Dionysos and his court, and images derived from theatrical productions had an appeal for the Codrus Painter and his Circle. One of his finest and largest cups represents the god of wine and his consort, while two cups depict scenes associated with satyr plays, and at least one is inspired by a tragedy. These vases by the Codrus Painter are reflections of Athenian society, mirroring contemporary concerns with warfare, athletics, and religion. To his hand are attributed some of the most intriguing episodes of Athenian mythology , portraying legendary kings and patriotic heroes, as well as more generic scenes of warriors departing for battle, engaged in battle, or making a libation with the help of a woman. The political and military realities of the decade between 440 and 430 meant that Athenian households experienced similar departure scenes. It was in the same period, when the male adult population of Athens was leaving home to fight in the Peloponnesian War, that heroic figures were evoked as role models in literature and the visual arts. The Codrus Painter followed this same trend, as he extended the imagery of heroes and their sacrifices to young Athenian warriors ready to die defending their city. He was active in a society that was imbued with the glorious memories of the Persian Wars and was soon to be engaged in another monumental conflict. Athens’ talented leader, Pericles, promoted the city’s supremacy on all levels and entrusted the sculptor Phidias with the artistic realization of this vision. Surrounded by this flourishing of the arts, the Codrus Painter imprinted on clay the most characteristic aspects of the society that was unfolding around him, often under the cloak of mythological episodes. Monumental painting must have had an important influence on the Codrus Painter’s work, as one may assume from the ample use of inscriptions and three-dimensional rendering of figures. The use of dilute glaze for details, the ornate drapery and hair, as well as the careful depiction of musculature and jewelry all support this argument. Although it is hard to prove, his Triton cup (cat. 18, pl. 14) and Cassandra cup (cat. 19, pl. 16) are two examples of vases that may have originated from well-known monumental paintings. Sculpture—and especially the Parthenon sculptures and relief cult statue bases by the Phidian workshop— had a clear influence on the vases attributed to the Codrus Painter and his Circle, in terms not only of style, but also 84 Overview of the Work of the Codrus Painter ist in that sense, but he was deeply influenced by the contemporary flourishing of all the arts. He was talented enough to establish his own style and to separate himself from other vase-painters by being one of the best representatives of the Phidian style in pottery. Perhaps this was why most of his works were found outside Greece, mainly in Etruria and in other Mediterranean sites, while most contemporary vase-painters produced equally for Greek markets (i.e., Athens, Attica, Euboea, and the Aegean islands) and non-Greek ones—or even predominantly for the Greek markets. Attic subjects depicted on the Codrus Painter’s cups...

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