In this detail of Artemis, the dispassionate goddess coolly prepares to finish off Acteon. Note the strong compositional line created by her eye looking towards her bow, and the arrow line pointing directly at the dying Acteon. Her hands are beautifully drawn, and the action of her pulling back the string of the bow is convincing. Her tunic is also skillfully drawn, and it is in works such as this that the portrayal of the human figure in red figure ware shows such an improvement over black figure. Remember that in black figure ware, any details in the figure, such as musculature or clothing had to be done using the sgraffito (carving) technique. In red figure ware, such details could be painted in fine line slip, and this allowed the artist to achieve a greater degree of realism. The goddess wears a fallen deer around her shoulders, its limp ears, and cloven hoof clearly visible, a symbol of her prowess as goddess of the hunt. The scene depicted on this krater shows a world in which gods and men could interact on the physical plane, and even battle to the death. Far from being removed from the world of humans, the Greek gods were players in the drama of life.
Detail of Artemis, from the krater, Artemis and Acteon, by the Pan Painter
Greek Red Figure Krater, 470 BCE
