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Cycladic Art: The Art Of Ancient Greece
Cycladic art refers to an ancient artistic style of figures and decorations that were produced on the Cyclades, a collection of thirty tiny islands off the coast of Greece in the Aegan Sea. Cyladic art and culture thrived during the early Bronze age. The art work of this ancient culture was vastly different than anything else produced during the same era. Artistic expression is evident in many everyday objects from the Cycladic period including bottles, vases and pottery. However, it is the interpretation and expression of the human form that is most closely associated with what we think of today as “Cycladic art.”
Fine, white marble was readily available on the Cyclade islands. This afforded the Cycladic people with an exceptional medium with which to create figures and statues. The most popular source of inspiration was the nude female form. These idols were most often placed at burial sites and nearly always figures of women. If the subject of the artwork was a male, he was usually depicted in an important role like hunter, warrior or musician. Animals and lifestock were also frequent subjects of Cycladic art.
Yet it was the female form that garnered the most attention and remains the most common Cycladic art subject by nearly 20 to 1. As the Cycladic culture was pre-literate, no writings exist to shed more light on the purpose or use of the idol figures. Some scholars believe they were used in prayer rituals, suggesting that the slightly tilted head of the idols indicates supplication to the gods. Others believe they may represent a “mother goddess” or priestess.
It was from 2800 BC to 2300 BC that Cycladic art was at its most prodigious, a period known as “Early Cycladic II.” This period defined the “canonical Cycladic art” characterized by the nude female figures, knees bent slightly, arms folded below the chest and flat heads that were pointed upward. A Cycladic figure could range from figurines tiny enough to fit in the palm of the hand to monuments slightly larger than a man. Remnants of azurite and cinnabar suggest that painint the idols was a common practice.
Cycladic art has been a source of inspiration for many modern artists who appreciated the restraint and refinement found in the simple lines and geometry. The inspiration of Cycladic art can be seen in the art of Modigliani, like his sculpture Female Head Statue, along with the art of Picasso and many others. However, time robbed these modern artists of the truth. The Cyladic artists used paint and pigments to add jewelery, facial features, body paint and other decoration to their works in an attempt to more accurately approximate “real life.” Time has worn away those artistic flourishes, leaving behind only the simple beauty of the Cycladic idols and an art form heralded for its simple, graceful beauty.
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