In his Early Period, Douris painted cups made by at least three potters,
one of whom, Euphronios, was his teacher. The earliest cups by Douris share
the kalos name Chairestratos, and a special border, a trapped meander framing
the tondo and serving as a ground-line on the exterior. The subject matter of
the early vases focuses on komasts in scenes of revel, or on warriors. A cup
in Baltimore
(Baltimore,
Hopkins AIA B8; Illustration 7;
Illustration 8) shows two running warriors, the one in front
wearing Attic armor and carrying a shield (device: lion head); the second
figure, an archer, gorytos on his hip, wears an oriental sleeved and trousered
combination with a thin chiton over it, and a soft, peaked hat with ear flaps.
These warriors with their limber poses may be compared with the Amazons on
the body of Euphronios'
volute krater in Arezzo
(
Arezzo 1465;
Illustration 9;
Illustration 10;
ARV2, 15, 6).
The oriental sleeved and trousered combination featured by Douris, a favorite
also with his contemporaries, was popularized by Euphronios. Like Euphronios,
Douris was interested in the contrasting effects of different strengths of
glazes, but he uses them in an original way to help unify and focus his tondo
compositions, juxtaposing areas of dilute or full-strength glaze with the
patterns created by the lines of drapery folds. On the cup in Baltimore, the
dilute glaze lines of the archer's chiton contrast with the eastern style
black striped garment worn underneath. In this scene Douris utilizes a
standard compositional type which reflects an actual situation in battle when
lightly-armed archers shot from the cover of the hoplite's shield. The round
shields echoing the circular frame combined with the diagonal lines of limbs
and spears make it an attractive tondo composition. Here, Douris extends the
repetition of diagonals created by the juxtaposed limbs by giving the archer a
spear paralleling that of the hoplite instead of the bow he should normally
carry. Douris exhibits skill and individuality in using groups of lines and
gradations of glaze to help centralize and enliven the scene.
Euphronios also influenced Douris' fellow cup painters, especially
Onesimos, who, like Douris, painted cups made by Euphronios. Beazley suggested
that Douris and Onesimos sat side by side in Euphronios' workshop and the two
younger painters shared subject matter, ornamental borders, and unusual
techniques in their early periods; yet their artistic personalities were
different. Comparison of the fight scene on the exterior of a cup by Douris in
Boston
(Boston 00.338;
no. 125; Illustration 11;
Illustration 12)
with a fight scene by Onesimos also on a cup in Boston
(Boston 01.8021;
Illustration 13; Illustration 14;
no. 75; ARV2, 320, 14) makes the
difference clear.
Illustration 11 |
Illustration 12 |
Illustration 13 |
Illustration 14 |
The figures by Douris seem posed, graceful, and beautifully
spaced in the composition. In the scene by Onesimos the figures are larger
and closer together, the proportions somewhat clumsy, and it is clear that
Onesimos' prime concerns are to convey vigorous action, vivid
characterization, and effective narrative. Like Euphronios, Onesimos is
willing to sacrifice elegance to naturalistic effect. Douris is not; his
primary interest is in creating an elegant, graceful picture, but it might
have been at least partly due to Onesimos that he developed his own more
subtle method of story-telling. Euphronios and Onesimos remained the major
influences on Douris throughout the Early Period.
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