Minoan and Mycenaean Art: Origins of Greek Culture
The Origins in Crete and Mycenae
A. Cycladic and Cretan Art
Greek art did not arise suddenly. Instead, it is the product of a long process of formation in which some local influences are essential. These include Cycladic art and Cretan art, developed on the island of Crete.
Art developed in the Cycladic Islands during the third millennium BC, around these islands in the Aegean Sea. Its pieces bear little resemblance to the art which would later be developed in Greece, but there is, in any case, a constant in the anthropomorphic theme. Its beauty is questionable, but today we are still surprised by its simplicity and capacity for abstraction.
Minoan art *did* exert a major influence on later art. It developed on the island of Crete during the Bronze Age. This is an amazing civilization with extraordinary activity, partly due to its maritime and commercial character.
Cretan art would develop a rich and varied culture, highlighting its architecture and plastic production. The surprising freshness, spontaneity, and richness of color in its mural decorations are notable.
The Famous Minoan Palaces
The apparent complexity of its construction led to its association with the famous labyrinth of the Minotaur, and the monumentality of its buildings with another no less legendary figure, that of King Minos. With all these relationships, it is not surprising that this culture is referred to as Minoan.
Speaking of the palaces of this period, we are referring to authentic city-states that perform a variety of functions. Hence, the constructions are called palaces or shrines. Its structure has nothing chaotic or labyrinthine in appearance. It is instead a logical and rational urban configuration.
The Palace of Knossos
The Palace of Knossos is famous for its mural decoration. Although the base of the paintings is authentic, it is also true that they were rebuilt during the early 20th century. They reproduced elements of the political-religious hierarchy, the celebration of festivals and sacred rites, and its cultural environment, but always with an intimate and casual tone that makes them particularly attractive.
They are made with the fresco technique, which is an undoubted advance. From a formal point of view, some aspects stand out:
The Parisian
Technically, it includes items of Egyptian influence, such as the disposition of the eye in profile and the face forward.
B. Subsequent Developments: Mycenaean Art
Minoan civilization was progressively replaced by the development of Mycenaean culture.
Many artistic elements are closely related to the Minoan civilization, but others are uniquely Mycenaean.
Its palaces have a larger military footprint and are more typical of a hierarchical society with aristocratic military minorities. Therefore, cities such as Mycenae, Tiryns, and Argos present Cyclopean constructions.
However, its greatest contribution will be the *Megaron*, a rectangular room that would have a dual function, both political and religious.
Other contributions from Mycenae include the Lion’s Gate, which was the entrance to the Acropolis and remarkable for its gigantic structures, and the Treasury of Atreus, actually a circular *tholos* tomb.