Frescoes

Where did the influence of Mycenaean frescoes come from?

The Minoan civilisation

Where were many frescoes found?

In the palace such as the megaron, as well as on the walls and floors of houses belonging to noblemen, public buildings and workshops

How is a fresco made?

A thick layer of lime plaster is added to the wall, then a finer plaster layer is placed on top and then colour is painted on before it dries

How was the composition of the artwork straight?

Sometimes string would be used and placed on the wall before adding colour to ensure that the artwork was correctly proportioned. Occasionally the lines from where the string was placed is visible today!

How long lasting was a fresco?

There are many frescoes which are still visible today, so they were very permanent artworks, but if there were any lighter colours added after the plaster had dried, this has since faded

What colours could a fresco be painted in?

Green, yellow, blue, white, black, red

How was blue made?

Copper compound, which was very expensive

How was yellow made?

Ochre

How was green made?

Either mixing together yellow and blue colours, or using malachite

How was red made?

Haematite

How was black made?

Carbon

How was white made?

Either using lime or cutting through the plaster to reveal the white background beneath

What was Akrotiri?

A Minoan site destroyed by fire at the start of the Mycenaean period which may have influenced Mycenaean frescoes

What does the Akrotiri fresco contain?

8 large ships, 3 boats which are decorated with lilies, other flowers, butterflies and swallows, also dolphins, a large town with people in it wearing fine clothes and many flowers. This may be a procession, although the helmets under the canopies of the ships suggest that this was an act of war

What is the fresco with the girls picking saffron?

There is significant detail of the girls’ matching bracelets and the brown clothing. One of the girls is gently smiling with clear facial features. The fresco dates to the 16th century

How are Mycenaean men typically portrayed in art?

With dark orange-brown skin to reflect that many work in the sun outside all day so would get a dark tan

How are Mycenaean women typically portrayed in art?

They often have white skin showing their status as part of the upper class since they could afford to (and were expected to) remain indoors so not get a tan

What colour were animals painted?

Lions were yellow and monkeys were blue

How are the frescoes useful in our understanding of the Mycenaean culture?

Use of colour in explaining gender norms and expectations for Mycenaean men vs women

Demonstrates the Mycenaean interest in art

Clothing depictions are helpful as no physical articles remain intact, also showing the nudity standards present within society at the time

Shows the materials that they had access to, such as copper compound

Demonstrates the distribution of wealth within society through the rich decoration of the palaces and wealthy houses in contrast to those belonging to poorer people

Suggests that the culture was often peaceful and wealthy due to the extent of art found from the time and the priority given to beautiful objects

How are the frescoes unhelpful in our understanding of the Mycenaean culture?

Frescoes aren’t always understood (such as why monkeys were painted blue)

Some portrayals of people were idealised so not realistic or accurate to life (skin colour and men’s body shapes with muscular thighs and narrow waists)

Some physical damage to frescoes limits our understanding of the images (paler colours may have been added, but we do not know since they do not survive until today)