What are the ways that artists transformed stories into images, and what are the limitations that artists faced? The ancient artists employed two main approaches to transform oral and literary stories into images. One way was to illustrate some particular episode of the story, the other way was to give a picture of the entire myth. If artists chose to show the single episode, they depicted the climax, the earlier, or the later moment of a story. The whole myth was presented through a sequence of events or a synoptic view. Strength and limitations of each illustration method allowed an artist to show the story from a specific point of view and, therefore, to create a unique version of the myth. Let’s take a closer look at those methods. The …show more content…
. . the depiction of an earlier or a later moment can be both powerful and moving.” (Woodford 33). Focusing on the moment before the climax - suggesting the cause - may produce strong unexpected effect. For example, the preliminary episode in the story of suicide of Ajax is depicted on the Attic black-figure amphora. (Fig.20 Woodford 29) Ajax is yet alive, but he is planting the sword in the ground to throw himself on it. Exekias compels viewers to feel the sadness of the moment before the unescapable tragedy over and over again. Anyhow, the people who don’t know the story may completely misread the image. Therefore, illustrating the phase before the climax contains a disadvantage of possible misunderstanding the story by …show more content…
The restricted choice of colors (black, red, and white) and the requirement to fill with images some problematic spaces (long narrow friezes or triangular pediments) were among the most noteworthy. Anyhow, artists turned their limitations into their potentials and created unique images. For example, the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olimpia illustrates the story of the chariot race between Oinomaos and Pelops. (Fig.21b Woodford 37). Zeus is the highest and stands in the center. Oinomaos, his wife, Pelops, and his bride are on the right and on the left of Zeus and shorter than the God. After them follow horses, charioteers, and sitting servants, also shorter than the principal figures. And finally, the figures of river gods lie in the corners of the triangle. All figures have the different height and body positions. Therefore, the problem how to fill the awkward space was gracefully