Greek art usually brings to mind magnificent statues and gleaming temples. So impressive are these works that one rarely thinks about the Greeks’ other achievements. I hope this article and the future ones compensate for this neglect.
The richness and variety of Greek designs may surprise some; it will surely delight all.
Nowadays we think of Greece as a single country, but in antiquity things were different both politically and geographically. There is been research into the products of pre-historic Greece, the civilization of the people called Minoan and Mycenaean; the people who lived in Greece long before Greece emerged.
It is safe to say, Greeks borrowed decorative forms from Phoenicians and the people of Western Asia. However, Greek art and its principles are all their own and those principles are contrast to the Minoan and Mycenaean art.
Minoan and Mycenaean art mastered the use of decorative forms and sometimes pleasant use of naturalism. The interesting part is that without those qualities ancient Greeks, over the years built a distinguished identity of their own. In later articles, I’ll carefully explain art and design identity from ancient to modern age.
Vase Painting
There is an engaging vitality and freedom in the painting on the vases decorated by the Mycenaean Greeks during the later bronze age (c. 1450 -1200 BC). Examples include images of suggestive marine life sometimes reduced to elegant motifs, quadrupeds with flanks cored with a variety of unlikely patterns and free flowing floral designs.
If you notice there is a lot of naturalism and freedom in design.
With the decline of Mycenaean civilization during the course of the twelfth century BC, the quality of the vases and their decoration gradually deteriorated until little groups were left to suggest its style from the past.
A little bit about the Bronze Age:
The various people living in what is now Greece during the Bronze Age (300–1000 BC) were relatively new to sciences and art but intelligent and eager to learn. As they gradually made contact with more advanced civilizations (i.e. Egyptians, Syrians, Cretans) they were able to catch up with the others and eventually adapted Cretan syllabic script to their language and produced fine works of art.
The Bronze Age Greeks were unique for their pottery, defensive walls that suggest war-like habits, and myths of communities fighting against each other giving birth to legends like the Trojan War (later developed into poetry).
Since Mycenae stands out as a strong center, celebrated in the poetry of Homer and yielded cultural riches to archeologists, the name ‘Mycenaean’ is used to characterize the period of power and wealth of Bronze Age Greeks.
Wrapping up ~
In the modern world, there is growing importance to understanding design as art because without expressions, design becomes a static field.
The value of Greek art is generally less recognized for the simple reason that most western nations have an interest in ancient literacy or the vast majority had looked up to Italian and French arts.
When I was studying both Greek literature and art I noticed that Greek design follows a similar pattern to its creation. For example, Greek drama and the Greek temple are constructed in parallel lines.
If you want to study modern cultures you should understand its roots. Greek design conditions vary from period to period, from school to school, from designer to designer, so it is hard to generalize in short articles. In the end, art is an expression and that essence favors all possibilities.
Author Note:
My long term research project Design Around The World has allowed me to growth insights that are escalating in a rapid manner. I would like to share and learn from other members.
Greek design is not the only country I been studying with great depth so expect articles from other cultures I had put time to research and visit.
Thank you for your time :)
Work References:
Special thanks to dear Greek friends and professionals.
Tsountas, Chrestos., and Manatt, J. Irving. The Mycenaean Age ; a Study of the Monuments and Culture of Pre-Homeric Greece. 1897. Print.
The Grammar of Ornament; The Grammar of Ornament — https://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/9200271/BibliographicResource_3000058903440.html. Jones, Owen (b.1809, d.1874). University of Edinburgh — http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/UoEgal~5~5~60086~105509. CC BY — http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
L’Odyssee D’Homere; L’Odyssee D’Homere — https://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/9200271/BibliographicResource_3000100382919.html. Homer. University of Edinburgh — http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/UoEgal~5~5~90496~107158. CC BY — http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Poulsen, Frilhgricchiache Kunst \uid Orient. Compare Gardner, New Chapters in Greek History, 1892, p. 126.
