DOURIS

flourished 5th century BC also spelled Duris Greek vase painter of the early Classical period, known for his fine draftsmanship and crisp, clear lines. He worked in both the red- and black-figure styles, and he decorated his vases with many themes. He frequently selected themes popular during the Archaic period, for example, the Golden Fleece, but reinterpreted them to make them more relevant to his time. Douris was a prolific painter whose signature has been identified on about 40 vases. More than 200 vase paintings have been attributed to him; most are decorated in the red-figure style, though some are black-figure. (Red-figure style has red figures painted against a black glazed background; black-figure style is the opposite.) A cup depicting Eos Embracing Her Dead Son Memnon is frequently attributed to Douris. Other vessels that Douris is believed to have painted include a psykter (cooler) of Drunken Silenus, an Ajax and Ulysses, and a School Interior. It is possible that some of Douris' paintings may reflect the now lost monumental mural paintings of Classical Greece.