Huddilston, John H.: The attitude of the Greek tragedians toward art (London, 1898)

Tragedians toward Art 73

ever amateurish his work in art may have been,
it affords us, if we accept it as a fact, the key to
his originality in introducing the artistic.

Direct allusions to paintings, although not
abundant, are still adequate to assure one of
the poet's love of the art. Hippolytos declares
his purity and innocence of life—he knows
nothing of the affair which the world calls Love,
except what he has learned by hearsay and
from the Love-scenes ia paintings1. The endless
number of vases which show us the coquetting
and amorous groups of Athenian youths and
maidens are adequate evidence that this subject
was, from the beginning of the fifth century b. c.
at least, a favourite theme for vase decorators.
Hippolytos therefore is speaking quite within
the bounds of truth when he remarks that he
had noticed Love in this form. Hekabe, in
reflecting upon the prospects of slavery and the
attending sea voyage, begins: ' as for myself,
I have never been on board a ship, yet I under-
stand what it would be, judging from what
I have heard and from the paintings that I have
seen V The vase paintings, again, illustrate well
what the maritime activity of the Greeks was.
Nautical scenes were no less inviting than the

1 Hipp. v. 1005. ■ Troad. vs. 686 ff.