Pisticci Painter
Encyclopedia
The “Pisticci Painter” was a vase painter who lived in the second half of the V century B.C., thus called because much of his artistic works were discovered in Pisticci, a small town few miles away from Metaponto, Basilicata, Italy.
It was observed that ceramic of typical Attic taste started being produced in Magna Graecia colonies around the end of the V century B.C. which means that it was not imported anymore. It is thought that the founders of those workshops were vase painters trained and educated in Attica. Very likely, the political instability of the time in Athens determined the migrations of those painters to the Magna Graecia colonies. Supposedly, the Pisticci Painter was educated in Athens and worked as an apprentice with the artist Polignoto because the works of the italiotes vase painter can be associated to the ones of this artist for stylistic characteristics.
The Pisticci Painter is considered the father of the Lucanian school which is the oldest among the other Italiotes schools (the beginning of its activity was around the 440-430 B.C.) : therefore the vase painter is believed to be the first of the masters of red figure vases that worked in Italy.
His workshop also includes works of other painters such as the Cyclops Painter, the Amikos Painter and the PKP group (the Palermo Painter, the Carnea Painter and the Policoro Painter).
The discovery of potter’s kilns along the northern walls of the colony of Metaponto containing fragments of vases of other painters who belonged to the Lucanian school, leads to think that the Pisticci Painter operated in that important colony.
The Pisticci Painter's raffigurations show an exquisite Attic taste for the themes and techniques. The scenes most commonly painted are pursuit scenes (Eros pursuing female or male figures, Eos pursuing Kephalos or Tithonos, Boreas pursuing Oreithyia), Dyonisiac scenes with maenads and satyrs, scenes of departure of warriors, athletes, oblations near hermas, mythological scenes (Pandora, Io, Zeus and Aigina, Polynices and Eriphyle, Laocoön).
The works of this artist enrich the most prestigious collections of the world ( Vatican Museums, British Museum, Musée du Louvre, Hermitage, Museum of Fine Arts, Metropolitan Museum, National Museum of Naples)
It was observed that ceramic of typical Attic taste started being produced in Magna Graecia colonies around the end of the V century B.C. which means that it was not imported anymore. It is thought that the founders of those workshops were vase painters trained and educated in Attica. Very likely, the political instability of the time in Athens determined the migrations of those painters to the Magna Graecia colonies. Supposedly, the Pisticci Painter was educated in Athens and worked as an apprentice with the artist Polignoto because the works of the italiotes vase painter can be associated to the ones of this artist for stylistic characteristics.
The Pisticci Painter is considered the father of the Lucanian school which is the oldest among the other Italiotes schools (the beginning of its activity was around the 440-430 B.C.) : therefore the vase painter is believed to be the first of the masters of red figure vases that worked in Italy.
His workshop also includes works of other painters such as the Cyclops Painter, the Amikos Painter and the PKP group (the Palermo Painter, the Carnea Painter and the Policoro Painter).
The discovery of potter’s kilns along the northern walls of the colony of Metaponto containing fragments of vases of other painters who belonged to the Lucanian school, leads to think that the Pisticci Painter operated in that important colony.
The Pisticci Painter's raffigurations show an exquisite Attic taste for the themes and techniques. The scenes most commonly painted are pursuit scenes (Eros pursuing female or male figures, Eos pursuing Kephalos or Tithonos, Boreas pursuing Oreithyia), Dyonisiac scenes with maenads and satyrs, scenes of departure of warriors, athletes, oblations near hermas, mythological scenes (Pandora, Io, Zeus and Aigina, Polynices and Eriphyle, Laocoön).
The works of this artist enrich the most prestigious collections of the world ( Vatican Museums, British Museum, Musée du Louvre, Hermitage, Museum of Fine Arts, Metropolitan Museum, National Museum of Naples)