Ode Grecian

Entering the Greek and Roman art section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, I was first struck by the skillful lighting and the overall professionalism inherent in the displays. There were not as many people in this section as in some of the others I had visited that day. Yet because of the caliber of artifacts exhibited at the Met, I still felt continuity with the greater world of ancient art. Looking around the gallery containing the Archaic Greek vases, painted in the "black figure" technique, I was immediately impressed by the range of imagery that was depicted on the vases. The sheer age of the vases was astounding. I know most of them were restored painstakingly by experts, but these were items about 2500 years old. I was drawn to one vase in particular, a "neck-amphora" made of terracotta construction and finished with...
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