Anna Shkinder

The kantharos is one of the most distinctive forms of ancient Greek drinking vessels. With its tall, sweeping handles, rounded bowl and sculptural stem, it has an almost ceremonial presence — a vessel that feels made to be held, shared, and remembered.

In ancient Greece, the kantharos was a drinking cup, and the form became closely associated with Dionysos, the god of wine, celebration and festivity. It belonged to the world of drinking, gatherings and the rituals surrounding wine.

But I’m less interested in recreating the object exactly as it once was. I’m interested in the feeling it carries.

I imagine a woman who might have held one. A woman who knows the weight of her own victories. Who gathers people around her, pours the wine, and somehow makes everyone stay a little longer.

Not because she serves the room — but because she gives it its atmosphere.

This painting is for her.