Minoan Art

Minoan Art

In their paintings, the Minoans used a "wet" painting method suggesting that because it had to be done quickly the painters were very skillful. The fluid brush strokes translated into graceful outlines that are a common trait to Minoan paintings. Some scenes from social life are represented, such as sporting events like the boy balancing himself on a bull with his hands. Animals seem to be important, as there is a painting of dolphins and fishes as well as a one of a lion looking animal and gold jewelry of a person with a bird in each hand. What can be deduced from their paintings is that they were a slightly dark skinned race, with dark hair, and large eyes and eyebrows. The painting of two persons fighting show curved figures that seem to be muscular and have thin shoulders, showing that they were athletic people. Minoan potter has naturalistic scenes decorating its surfaces but they also seem to be abstract. Their sculptures seem to focus on the representation of bulls, which can lead to assumptions that it was an iconic sacred animal for their society. The architecture of their palace is made of columns that look like the Greek ones at first glance but are actually wider at the top than at the bottom. The art of the Minoans depict a society of joyous disposition that are in touch with the environment and respect the natural world around them, meaning the fauna and flora, and develop their skills and art. They lived in prosperity and were rarely involved in conflicts and wars, and thus, were able to dedicate their time to art.

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