The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens.

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (...), 1992. 1st ed. XII,350p. Soft cover. 'Any book by Martin Robertson will arouse great interest in the filed of Greek art: as former Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at Oxford, retired since 1978, he commands respect (?). In the present volume Robertson returns to what one suspects is his first love: Classical Athenian vase-painting. The title is carefully chosen, as Robertson explains (pp.XII,1-6), and immediately faces the reader with one question which has been much debated recently, whether vase-painting can be counted an art, or was merely a utilitarian craft. Characteristically, robertson tackles the question head-on from the beginning and at appropriate places in the narrative. In a sense, the question is of little significance: if one enjoys the artifacts, that is sufficient reason to study them. (?) The approach of this book is firmly traditional, concentrating attention on the developmental sequence of vase-painting, by means of the study of style which is the backbone of this study. (?). This is a book of immense learning, truly a lifetime's work, with painter profiles varying from thumbnail to several pages, according to what can be attributed to their hand, to how important they may be counted, and to Robertson's personal preferences.' (K.W. ARAFAT in Hermathena, 1993, pp.82-84).