Execias

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Execias. Greek vase painter and potter, active in Athens in the second half of the 6th century bc, the most famous exponent of the black-figure technique. His work is distinguished by grandeur of composition, precision of draughtsmanship, and a remarkable subtlety of characterization (he was capable of conveying a sense of pathos or psychological tension in spite of the inherent limitations of the black-figure technique). John Boardman (Athenian Black Figure Vases, 1974) writes that ‘the hallmark of his style is a near statuesque dignity which brings vase painting for the first time close to claiming a place as a major art’ and that his figures make those of earlier artists look like ‘at best, elegant puppets’. Many of his subjects were taken from the Trojan War, as with his best-known work, an amphora (wine jar) showing Achilles and Ajax gaming (Vatican Mus.), which he signed as both potter and painter: ‘Execias made and decorated me.’