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Aegean Art

AEGEAN ARTTerm used to describe the Bronze Age that occurred in the land in and around the Aegean Sea.

Three basic periods:

CYCLADIC (Cyclades Islands) 3000-1600 BCE

MINOAN (Crete) 3000-1400 BCE

MYCENEAN (Mainland Greece) 1400-1100 BCE

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Prehistoric Aegean

The tradition of Greece is often the first in which Westerners feel they can recognize themselves. Greeks were the “first” to place human beings at the center of the universe. However, preceding the Greeks in the Aegean Basin were the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.

•Early Greek Civilization is known through 3 sources: a. Monuments themselves, b. Roman copiesc. Literary sources- (these often conflict)

•Early Greek civilization started out as tribal groups - the Dorians, who settled mostly on the mainland, and the Ionians who inhabited the Aegean islands and Asia Minor

•Early Greeks remained divided into small city-states (the polis) but united themselves for all-Greek festivals. Rivalry between states stimulated the growth of ideas

BASIC INFORMATION

Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean

• As with Egyptians, the Ageans were organized into a complex caste system: Nobles, Merchants, Artisans, Bureaucrats, and Laborers

• Life for Ageans was unusually peaceful…very few weapons found at archeological sites

Cycladic Art

Most examples are from the NEOLITHIC period and are usually female

Cycladic Islands rich in metal ores and marble (Parian Marble from Paros considered some of the best in the world)

Very abstracted, geometric figures found in stone burial chambers

                                                                                                                                       

This marble figure is one of the earliest known representations of musicians from the Early Cycladic period. It shows a man

playing a harp while seated on a chair with an elaborate backrest. The musician

tilts back his head and draws his lips forward as he sings. He holds the front of

the harp with both hands, resting the weight of the instrument against his

right leg and shoulder. His right thumb is raised as he sounds a note and listens

with large hollowed ears to the resonating string. The muscles of his

arms and his carefully articulated elbow joints, fingers, and ears are modeled

with uncommon sensitivity.The back of this musician's head was

once painted, perhaps indicating a close-fitting cap. A belt, which may be

understood as part of a clothing sheath, encircles his waist.

Title: Seated harp playerDate: ca. 2800–2700 B.C.

Medium: Marble

Art at the Same Time: Compare and Contrast

Future influencesFuture influences

Minoan Art

Artwork found on the island of CRETE – called Minoan because of the legend of King Minos

Very rich civilization with many references to bulls and ocean themes

PALACE OF KNOSSOS – Huge palace about 6 acres in size! 1st excavated by Sir Arthur Evans in 1900

Amphora – two handled vase used to carry wine, oil, olives, etc.Amphi ("on both sides") +phoreus ("carrier")

The Mycenaean octopus vase is highly stylized, unlike the more naturalistic

Minoan vase.

The Minoan octopus vase, known as the Dendra Vase, is a famous example of the naturalistic, fluid, style that characterizes Minoan

painting.

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Title: Octopus jarDate: 1500 BCE.

Medium: Clay

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Stairwell in the residential quarter of

the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, ca. 1700–1400 BCE.

19Figure 4-5 Plan of the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece,

ca. 1700–1400 BCE.

Pictures taken from the Palace of Knossos – Note the repeated bull and marine themes which indicate the importance of fishing and ritual in their culture.

Like their Egyptian contemporaries living 500 miles southeast of them, the Minoans illustrated figures with legs standing in profile and eyes, in profiled faces, staring at the viewer. So, the Minoans were not entirely revolutionary painters. Minoan artists did, however, figure out how to show torsos in profile. They drew bodies as working wholes, not as figures awkwardly twisted in the middle. More importantly, the outlines of their figures are rounded and lively. By comparison, the figures in Egyptian scenes appear stiff and uncomfortable.“The Fisherboy” was excavated from a house preserved beautifully by volcanic ash.

Minoan Fresco

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Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, ca. 1450–1400 BCE. Fresco, 2’ 8” high, including border. Archaeological Museum, Herakleion.

See the influence Prehistoric paintings had?

ReligionReligion

• Most Minoan life revealed through its religious practices and art.

• 1. Matriarchal society

• 2. Center of worship was a mother goddess

• 3. Earth goddesses portrayed in various forms.

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Snake Goddess, from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, ca. 1600 BCE.

Faience,

Mother GoddessesMother Goddesses

MycenaeMycenae

The Mycenaean's placed a pair of 9.5 foot lions above the arch a symbol of protection against intruders.

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Lion Gate, Mycenae, Greece, ca. 1300–1250 BCE. Limestone, relief panel, 9’ 6” high.

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Three methods of spanning a passageway: (a) post and lintel, (b) corbeled arch, (c) arch.

Lion Gate of Mycenae

Guardian-like lions that guarded the entrance to the Citadel… Heads are now gone.

Post & Lintel

Corbelled Arch

Mycenaeans = “Rich In Gold”

Thanks to tombs, graves excavated in Mycenae find many kings and their families buried with gold, much like the Egyptians…Woman with jewelry, Men with weapons and golden cups.

Mask of Agamemnon: The mask was created by hammering gold into a thin leaf

over a wooden form.

Repousse: a technique whereby metal is hammered from the back to make a relief

Early Figure SculpturesEarly Figure Sculptures• The primary forms began to show more details in the body

and muscle structure. These kinds of figures were called:• kouros, freestanding statues of male youth• kore, freestanding statues of young maidens