Cycladic Art: Inspiration in the Aegans

Cycladic art  refers to an ancient artistic style of figures and decorations that were produced on the Cyclades, a collection of thirty tiny islands in the Aegan Sea near Greece.  Cycladic culture and art was at its zenith 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.  The most popular source of inspiration was the nude female form. 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.  Figurines of animals and livestock were also common.

 

Yet it was the female form that garnered the most attention and remains the most common Cycladic art subject by nearly 20 to 1.  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. 

 

It was from 2800 BC to 2300 BC that Cycladic art was at its most prodigious, a period known as "Early Cycladic II."  During this time, the style defined as "canonical Cycladic art" was produced which were predominantly female figures with 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.  However, time robbed these modern artists of the truth.  Color was widely used to create detail on the sculptures including the addition of facial features, jewelery and body paint.  Time has worn away those artistic flourishes, leaving only the clean marble of the Cycladic idols and the illusion of abstract simplicity.