Cycladic art

Cycladic art, Bronze Age art of the Cyclades, an island group of the central Aegean. Early tomb remains include several types of jugs, pots, and bowls decorated in geometric designs, as well as figural sculptures made of marble. The latter are predominantly female fertility figures of many sizes, restrained in expression and refined in execution. They are frontal and geometric in style. Figures of musicians have also been discovered. In pottery of the 17th cent. B.C., found at Phylakopi in Mílos, considerable Minoan influence is discernible (see Minoan civilization). Cycladic art was absorbed by the Mycenaeans c.1400 B.C. (see Mycenaean civilization).

See studies by C. Dovmas (1981) and P. Getz-Preziosi (1987).

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Cycladic art

Cycladic art is the art and sculpture of the ancient Cycladic civilization, existing in the islands of the Aegean Sea from 3300 - 2000 BCE. Art mainly manifested itself in the form of marble idols, often used as offerings to the dead. Idols possessed a flat, geometric quality, giving them a striking resemblance to today's modern art. A majority of the figuirines are female, depicted nude, and with arms folded across the stomach. It is unknown whether these idols depict a goddess, or merely Cycladic women.

Neolithic Art

Almost all information known regarding Neolithic art of the Cyclades comes from the excavation site of Saliagos off Antiparos. Pottery of this period is similar to that of Crete and the Greek Mainland. Sinclair Hood writes: “A distinctive shape is a bowl on a high foot comparable with a type which occurs in the mainland Late Neolithic" (Hood 28).

Early Cycladic Art

Although Early Cycladic Art is divided into three periods (EC I (2800-2500 B.C.E.), EC II (2500-2200 B.C.E.), and EC III (2200-2000 B.C.E.)), the art is by no means strictly confined to one of these periods, and in some cases, even representative of more than one of the Cycladic islands. The art of EC I is best represented on the islands of Paros, Antiparos, and Amorgos, while EC II is primarily seen on Syros, and EC III on Melos (Higgins 53).

The best-known art of this period are the Marble Idols, which had been refined since Neolithic times. These marbles are seen scattered around the Aegean, suggesting that these figures were popular amongst the people of Crete and Mainland Greece (Doumas 81). Perhaps the most famous of these Marble Idols are musicians: one a harp-player the other a pipe-player (Higgins 61). Dating to approximately 2500 B.C.E., these musicians are sometimes considered “the earliest extant musicians from the Aegean” (Higgins 60).

The local clay proved difficult for artists to work with, and the pottery, plates, and vases of this period are seldom above mediocre (Higgins 53). Of some importance are the so-called ‘frying pans’, which emerged on the island of Syros during the EC II phase. Most scholars believe that these ‘frying pans’ were not used for cooking, but perhaps as fertility charms or mirrors (Higgins 54).