Ancient Inspiration: The Cycladic Appreciation of the Female Nude

Article Written By: Vance Lassiter

Cycladic Art encompasses a variety of art objects and styles originating on the Cyclades, a collection of thirty tiny islands in the Aegan Sea near Greece. The Cycladic culture flourished during the early Bronze age. The art work of this ancient culture was vastly different than anything else produced during the same era. 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."

Fine, white marble was readily available on the Cyclade islands. This afforded the Cycladic people with an exceptional medium with which to create figures and statues. 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. If the subject of the artwork was a male, he was usually depicted in an important role like hunter, warrior or musician. Figurines of animals and livestock were also common.

Yet it was the female form that garnered the most attention and a discovery of Cycladic 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. Theories range from the believe that they were used in prayer (as the figures heads are slightly tilted toward the sky) to the belief that they represented a "mother goddess" or "fertility goddess."

The majority of Cycladic art was produced during a 50 year period starting in 2800 BC. This era of productivity has been dubbed the "Early Cycladic II" period. This period defined the "canonical Cycladic art" characterized by the nude female figures, knees bent slightly, arms folded below the chest and flat heads that were pointed upward. A Cycladic figure 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.

Cycladic art has been a source of inspiration for many modern artists who appreciated the restraint and refinement found in the simple lines and geometry. The inspiration of Cycladic art can be seen in the art of Modigliani, like his sculpture Female Head Statue, along with other modern artists including Picasso. However, time robbed these modern artists of the truth. The Cyladic artists used paint and pigments to add jewelery, facial features, body paint and other decoration to their works in an attempt to more accurately approximate "real life." Time has worn away those artistic flourishes, leaving behind only the simple beauty of the Cycladic idols and an art form heralded for its simple, graceful beauty.

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