The Cycladic Culture

Over the course of human history, there have always been many different factors which have shaped daily life. Some general examples of these are religion, social culture, government, and education; each of these has played a major role in defining the art that has been created in each culture. The profound changes which took place in the realm of art between around 2500 BCE and 100 BCE is truly astounding; the level of artistic achievement attained spanning from the bronze age to the Greek Hellenistic period was one of a truly monumental scale. However, if one truly takes a far closer look at the general aspects which frame each culture, one can see how similar the values and staples of culture remained relatively unchanged; the same basic

They are speculated to have originated from Asia Minor. They led relatively simple lives, consisting mainly of fishing and hunting. There was also evidence they farmed, had multiple forms of livestock, and even engaged in sea trade with mainland areas surrounding the islands. This often included exporting raw material goods such as silver, lead, marble, and copper. People lived in small, rural communities. During the age that our Cycladic figure was created, art and craftsmanship was widespread and common in these islands. This art, (which typically included pottery, tools, fortifications, and figurines) which would nowadays be considered modern and minimalistic, is almost caricatured in its fixed similarity. This similarity does echo the standards of art during the Hellenistic period of sculpture, where such artistic values as geometry, style, and characteristics of the subject matter were highly uniformed. “Standing Cycladic female figure”, for example, is a perfect representation of the “Speedos” figurine type. This type of figurine is generally defined as having folded arms and a slim appearance. The shoulders and arms are thin as well, with the breasts near the arms. The knees are usually bent, and the overall size is relatively small, no more than a foot or two high. The only facial feature which shows up most Cycladic figurines is the nose. The figure is fully nude, and does not give away any features, save for the genital area, that would suggest what we in modern times might call “feminine”. Even though, in comparison, Venus de Milo’s aesthetic is far more realistic and advanced, both artists needed a great deal of mathematical precision to achieve the desired effect; they Cycladic figure’s components are so precise that they would have needed to have been planned using a compass. Personally, I find that Standing Cycladic Female