There was a far greater emphasis on pictorial subjects. The Greek artists used such things as mythology , legends, and daily life as subject material. Artistic skill increased in the archaic period as well, especially in Athens. . During the Archaic period, artists began signing their work. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but in this case it is.
Art historians are able to go back and trace the progress of specific Greek artists.
Just as people can tell the difference between a work by Picasso and a work by M.C. Escher, art historians can distinguish between certain vase painters. While the Black-figure style was actually invented in the seventh century BC , it didn't really emerge into mainstream Greece until the 500's. Artists decided that having some figures black and some figures outlined didn't look very good. So they created the Black-figure style. With this style, artists painted black images silhouetted against a red clay background.