Visual Game No. 05

An Object from Another Time

Terracotta Column-Krater

Attributed to the Group of Boston 00.348

Ca. 360-350 BCE

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Look closely at the vessel. Notice its silhouette, the arrangement of figures, and the shapes created by its decoration.

Now choose just three colors from your palette.

Using only those colors, reinterpret the vessel in collage. You might focus on its overall shape, the scene painted on its surface, or a detail that catches your attention.

There's no need to reproduce it exactly. Let your palette change what you see.

A few tips

• Cover the white paper completely to create a world of color and shape.

• Begin with the largest shapes before adding details.

• Move your pieces around before gluing them down.

• Remember, your colors don't have to match the original.

Learn More about the object:

This ancient Greek vessel was used for mixing wine and water. Remarkably, it depicts an artist applying colored wax to a sculpture of Herakles, the mythological hero.

Depictions of artists at work are rare in ancient Greek art. The scene offers a glimpse of how sculptors and painters brought stone figures to life with color, a reminder that many ancient sculptures were originally painted, rather than the bare white marble we often imagine today.