Cycladic Art of Ancient Greece - Essay Example

Task Cycladic Art of Ancient Greece Introduction Cycladic art of ancient Greece is traced from 3300 to 2000 BCE and refers to the visual arts that existed in Cycladic civilization. Aegean Art comprises of 3 core branches, one of the branches being Cycladic art (Gardner & Fred, 68). The art is related to Minoans and Mycenaean, the 2 groups comprising the Aegean culture. Art is a significant aspect that explains mysteries and civilizations of man throughout the early days, since it depicts the state of things in the earlier society. In this unit, the originality, significance and general information on Cycladic art of ancient Greece is discussed aptly. Cycladic Art of Ancient Greece The Cycladic art is divided into three periods in which it developed to be an attractive and fine art globally. The first period is traced at around 2800 to 2500 BCE, followed by 2500 to 2200 BCE and lastly, 2200 to 200 BCE. Islands such as Paros, Antiparos, and Amorgos practiced the art during the 1st period. The 2nd period of the Cycladic art was practiced in Syros Island. Melos was the Island in which the third period of the Cycladic art was observed to have been practiced. Interestingly, the sculpture looks eerily modern when viewed by a person, although they are more than 4000 years. This factor makes learning of historical facts on the sculptures fascinating. The common feature of the sculptures is that they have a face that has a nose as the only feature (Lawrence & Reich, 19). It does not have further facial features like the ‘eyes’, ‘ears’ and ‘mouth’. Even though Cycladic art of archaic Greece started many years in the past, it came into prominence in the 20th century. The main reason that made it unpopular is the practice of looting sculptures that were erected and positioned in archeological sites. For this reason, the world has little information related to the Cycladic art (Lawrence & Reich, 19). Greece has made efforts in protecting the historical culture of its people by building a museum in Athens. It was initiated in the year 1986 including a building put up to create more room and space of preserving the Cycladic art of archaic Greece (Miller et al, 128). The museum plays a major role in depicting the significance of the sculptures to the world; hence popularizing the sculptures to the global population. The visitors viewing the Cycladic art of archaic Greece are amazed by the simplicity of the images and abstraction features that motivate the art industry in the 20th century. The museum receives various kinds of people visiting the place to see the sculptures that inspire the modern art by their structures (Miller et al, 128). Both the young and the old persons from different continents have visited the museum in search of the Cycladic Art. Some of the personalities that established the museum; hence, making its constructions possible are Nicholas and Dolly in 1960s. The two individuals used to collect Cycladic figurines for a long time until they had a large collection. The collections were then distributed to different museums across the world. This factor caused the town to come up with a museum to keep Cycladic figurines safely and preserve them to prevent their extinctions (Miller et al, 128). It is estimated that 3000 artifacts of Cycladic have been discovered and are preserved in the museum for display. The Greek name for Cyclades is Kyklades referring to a circle that is formed by innumerable islands that are approximated to be 200, and located around the significant Island known as Delos. The area consisting of the small Cycladic islands in the Aegean became a place in which culture was exceptionally esteemed and practiced by the residents living in the area along time ago (Gardner & Fred, 68). The island had innumerable mining grounds that consisted of white marble, which encouraged and led the residents to practice modeling sculptures. Consequently, the core culture practiced in the area was the culture of stone-cutting. The most inimitable creation of the Cycladic creation was the Cycladic figurines that were exceptionally unique from other sculptures sculpted. The Cycladic figurines have specific characteristics that make them attractive and inimitable from other works of art. Cycladic art of archaic Greece mostly consists of nude women having their arms folded on top of their stomachs (Gardner & Fred, 68). Furthermore, they have long feet and soles that are inclined downwards; hence making them interesting to have a view. The sculptures are believed to be representing and symbolizing the worship of the ‘Mother Goddess’, and it is not certain whether they show mortals or deities of the nation’s history. Archeologists are not assured on what Cycladic figurines represented, what they meant for the society, and the factors that led the inhabitants to sculpt the Cycladic figures. The earliest Cycladic figurines have been discovered in the area due to burial rituals practiced by the residents. The act of burial involves digging holes, an activity that makes it possible to discover the covered and buried sculptures. In the recent years, many Cycladic art of archaic Greece have been discovered, but most have broken structures such hands, legs and arms. Some historians believe that it was a ritualistic behavior of breaking sculptures’ features of Cycladic figurines (Lawrence & Reich, 19). The island of Kero’s is believed to have the core area that practiced the ritual since all the Cycladic figurines brought from that place had some missing features. The island is a home for archeologists who are currently struggling to discover new facts about the Cycladic art of archaic Greece. They want to be acquitted and informed on the human behavior and human art. The scattering of Cycladic Art in Aegean proves that the sculptures were popular among the inhabitants in the society (Gardner & Fred, 68). One of the famous Cycladic Art discovered by archeologist is one that shows a person playing a harp on one hand and holding a pipe on the hand. This shows the inhabitants’ passion of music of the area and the lifestyle they lived. The sculptures are significant to Greeks and the entire world since they remind the current generation on the traditional practices performed in the past. The sculptures showing musicians playing their favorite instruments are considered as the earliest musicians originating from the area, Aegean (Gardner & Fred, 69). The representation of the Cycladic art of archaic Greece is similar to modern geometry because of their typically flat, geometric quality features. It is believed that the idols were brightly colored (Lawrence & Reich, 19). Archeological evidence rules out the thought that the Cycladic art of archaic Greece was used in practicing cult and idol worshipping. It is established that the images were significant during funeral event since they were found in almost every grave. The inhabitants believed that the Cycladic figurines were equal to human beings, therefore, were buried with the deceased. Grotta-Pelos and Keros-Syros were periods that most of the Cycladic marble sculptures were crafted by the inhabitants. The name ‘Cycladic art’ is derived from the Cyclades islands in which innumerable figures were found during the expeditions of the archeologists. The image of the figures amazed certain artists such as Picasso who was amazed on the classical and maturity of Greeks inhabitants’ art had at the time. Their stubby shapes make them appear tiny images, and perceived as clay-sculpted. It is interesting to note that the Cycladic art of archaic Greece that were fashionable several (4000) years ago are still attractive and imperative in the current world. This is proven by their statues that are located in various parts worldwide. They artists discovered marbles, which were proved to be favorable and easy to mould and make substantial structures. Conclusion The Cycladic arts of ancient Greece assist in understanding the historical and civilizing ways of life of a person. They are exceptionally popular across the world resulting to the construction of a museum in Athens, Greece that protects and preserves the artifacts. The core facts learnt about the artifacts is that they were treasured and exceptionally esteemed by the inhabitants living at the period. Consequently, I recommend and advise the Greek government to protect the artifacts since they play a prominent role in describing the cultural activities of the people. Works Cited Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Lawrence, Cunningham, and John, Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities, Without Readings + Resource Center Printed Access Card. Wadsworth Pub Co, 2009. Print. Miller, Korina, & Armstrong, Kate & Clark, Michael, & Deliso, Chris. Greece [2010]. Lonely Planet Publications, 2010. Print. Read More