Discovering Cycladic Art



Posted: Sunday, February 07, 2010

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Your Museum Store

Cycladic art refers to an ancient artistic style of figures and decorations that were produced on the Cyclades, a 30 small islands off the coast of Greece in the Aegan Sea. Cyladic art and culture flourished during the early Bronze age and its art work was quite distinct from any other culture of that time period. These island dwellers incorporated artistic motifs into many everyday objects, but it was their interpretation of the human body and in particular, the female form, that defined "Cycladic art."

The widespread availablity of high quality, white marble in the Cyclades gave the civilization a beautiful medium in which to express their burgeoning artistic tendencies. By far, it was the nude female form that inspired the artists of this period. Cycladic sculptures recovered from burial sites are nearly always sculptures of a woman's body. The exceptions tend to preserve images of men performing culturally important roles such as story teller, 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 a discovery of Cyladic art will like be of a female 19 times out of 20. Unfortunately, no writing exists from the pre-literate Cycladic society to help explain the purpose 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.

Cycladic art reached its zenith in the period from 2800-2300 BC, known as the Early Cycladic II period. This period defined the "canonical Cycladic art" characterized by the nude female figures, arms folded across the abdomen with flat, slanted heads and knees slightly bent. A Cycladic idol ranged in size from statues about the size of a man to tiny figures no more than an inch tall. Remnants of azurite and cinnabar suggest that painint the idols was a common practice.

Many modern artists have taken inspiration from the ancient works of the Cyclades. The simple geometric forms have inspired many of the most revered artists of the last century. The influence can be seen in the work of Modigliani, especially his sculpture Female Head Statue, along with the art of Picasso and many others. In some ways, these modern masters have misintepreted Cycladic art to a degree. Color was widely used to create detail on the sculptures including the addition of facial features, jewelery and body paint. The passage of time has caused those details to erode, leaving behind only the simple beauty of the Cycladic idols and an art form heralded for its simple, graceful beauty.

Find a museum gift to satisfy your inner archaeologist. From Egyptian statues and Greek statues to art from Aztec, Celtic, Roman, Hindu and Buddhist cultures, Your Museum Store sells unique, museum quality reproductions of art work from the finest museums around the world. Our selection includes statues, busts and wall reliefs from ancient cultures along with dinosaur skulls, fossils and collectibles from the Parastone Mouseion collection.

Rob Mabry is a former Army jouralist. He enjoys writing about ancient history and is the owner of Your Museum Store.

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