My favorite art cultures of the quarter

The topics and sculptures that interested me the most this quarter was that of the Aegean period. This period included Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean cultures. The reason I found this period to be the most fascinating is the significance each culture had on art in its own ways. Many of these art pieces stood out to me because they made me stare at them and analyze them. They seemed very interested due to the colors that were on it.

The Cycladic culture was also often called the Early Bronze Age. This culture excelled in pottery. This culture was known to develop pottery and other interesting things such as jewelry. In this culture were used and offered as grace offerings. These sculptures were called Cycladic idols. The Minoan Culture was also known to create good pottery. Not only were they well known just about pottery they introduced new aspects to pottery like spiral designs, rectangular or circular shapes.

Cycladic art that really caught my eye is the statues. They were not realistic looking. The arms of the people would be crossed in front. Their heads were all sorts of shapes, ranging from triangle to square edges. The legs were varying in shape. But the pieces were a great attempt to resemble the human figure.

The Minoan culture was known as the Middle Bronze Age. A lot of the art during this period showed that there was influence from other cultures invading the area. For example, pottery that was of horses shows that Indo-European invaders had influence. The Minoan culture had significant art in that it resembled naturalistic aspects. They used bright colors and smooth lines. They also began to create three dimensional figures, which influenced Greek mainland art that was eventually modified by their geometry.

From the Minoan culture the piece I liked the best was the Bull Leaping located in the text. I found this piece to be particularly interesting because it is hard to tell the meaning so it gets you thinking and leaves room for imagination. The fresco shows someone leaping over a bull and two women on either side. I personally think that it is for some kind of show or a way to win over the women’s love. He could win over their love by showing off his bravery and skill.

The Mycenaean culture was thought to be the tail end of the Aegean period. The style of this culture incorporated aspects of hunting and battle scenes. This culture’s art showed advancement from the previous cultures (Cycladic and Minoan). Advancements included geometric features and ideas.

The Mycenaean terracotta that I have added below is my favorite of this culture. This piece shows a battle scene of warriors riding in a chariot. It seems as though they are going off to battle and departing from their homelands. This piece does not display bright colors or anything but it is appealing through its drawings in scripted on the outer edges.