Homer and the Artists Text and Picture in Early Greek Art [Paperback]

A study on Homer, myth and art.This is a study of the works of art from early Greece which have long been presented as 'illustrations to Homer', but which are argued here to be nothing of the kind Early Greek artists showed no preference for Homeric subjects and, when their interests did coincide with Homer's, treated his account as, at best, one of the possible variants. Close descriptive analysis of texts and pictures and of the artists' aims, together with statistical evidence, provide the basis for the argument.This is a study of the works of art from early Greece which have long been presented as 'illustrations to Homer', but which are argued here to be nothing of the kind Early Greek artists showed no preference for Homeric subjects and, when their interests did coincide with Homer's, treated his account as, at best, one of the possible variants. Close descriptive analysis of texts and pictures and of the artists' aims, together with statistical evidence, provide the basis for the argument.This is a study of the works of art from early Greece that have long been presented as illustrations to Homer, but that are argued here to be nothing of the kind. Early Greek artists showed no preference for Homeric subjects and, when their interests did coincide with Homer's, treated his account as, at best, one of the possible variants. Close descriptive analysis of texts and pictures and of the artists' aims, together with statistical evidence, provide the basis for the argument.1. The prestige of Homer; 2. Learning to read in the dark; 3. The Geometric artist reassessed; 4. Beyond the Geometric; 5. The inscribed image; 6. The burden of proof; 7. The question of composition in art and in literature; Epilogue. ...Homerists, as well as fine art historians, will want to take notice of this book. Philologists and undergraduates, as well as specialists, will find the work accessible, since the text is lucid... Jonathan Burgess, Religious Studies Review ...readers ofl³°