The philosophy of humanism is aimed to be based on the human earthly experiences, the daily tasks and emphasis on the emotions and feelings experienced by humans. It goes along with naturalism, with a focus on the natural elements of all being and things, such as the natural curves and imperfections of the human body, as well as the depiction of detail in representations. A significant portion of Ancient Greek poetry and art was concerned with the folklore of their deities, the supernatural, and legends. While Sappho touched upon these subjects, there was a growing trend in the lyric poetry towards human emotion, particularly emphasizing love and beauty. Humanism is meant to demonstrate empathy and connection, as can be seen in the lines “although you/ being far away forget us,/ the dear sound of your footstep/ and light glancing in your eyes…” (“To an army wife, in Sardis…”). Love is one of the deepest and most natural feelings that a human being can fundamentally experience. Some appreciate it, others lose it, while for some it never reaches its potential – no matter the case, the experiences unite people, and the various contexts of love such as marriage, being away from each other, heartbreak, and others can be seen in the humanistic lyrics of Sappho’s poetry.
When taking into consideration the art form of pottery, such as “Women at a Fountain House,” it is similarly excellent of portraying a visual element of humanism and naturalism. The vase portrays a simple scene of several women filling vessels with water at a some sort of public fountain. Despite the simple visual expression, it can be seen that the women are actively interacting with each other, either helping with the task at hand or potentially engaged in active conversation as the two women on the right side. It is a demonstration of humanism as it portrays the simplistic daily chore in its reality, the heaviness of the vases that they have to carry with water as well as the pastime of talking with other women, who may be their friends. It is a portrayal of a social activity that was an inherent part of life back then. Naturalism can also be seen in the portrayal of the females and their bodies. Although, they are not nude, they are portrayed naturally, there is no attempt to beautify them. These are everyday women, wearing their dresses, some having jewelry and even unique hair styles. It is a natural expression and pose of their being and bodies which goes along with the humanistic perspective of a simple grounded experience.