Minoan fresco painting is a central part of Minoan art. It was a form of ancient art which focused on the divine and the secular, preserving details of religious ceremonies and beliefs as well as what Minoan architecture looked like and scenes from daily Minoan life. Its art techniques were sophisticated and spread across the Greek world.
Archaeology of Minoan Frescos
Most Minoan frescos have been found in palaces or high status villas. Usually only fragments survive, either in fragments under spoil or under later floors. Very few frescos remain in situ on surviving walls.
Many Minoan pictures have been restored from these fragments. Often results rely heavily on the archaeologist’s imagination or from examples elsewhere because remains are so fragmentary. Many scenes are recreated from only one or two fragments of fresco. Generally, because of their regular nature, it is easier to restore reoccurring motifs and patterns.
Minoan Fresco Painting Techniques
Initially, a layer of rough plaster was applied to the wall. This was generally clay mixed with straw. This was followed by several thin layers of finer quality plaster made from lime and animal hair. The final layer of plaster was a layer of undiluted lime. It was to this that the paint was applied.
The main parts of the fresco were applied to wet plaster. Compositions were firstly drawn in orange or yellow or engraved into the wall. String was used to mark out borders in straight lines and compasses were used to perfect circles. It is even possible that patterns were used.
The colour then followed. Sponges were used for backgrounds and colour blocks, brushes for more detailed work. The fine details were added after the plaster had dried.
Once the painting was completed, it was preserved with a glaze of egg tempera which was allowed to dry before being rubbed to a high gloss.
Minoan Paints
The earliest background colours were usually plain red or red and white. In the later Minoan period, an Egyptian inspired bright blue became popular. In figures, white paints were always used for female flesh tones whereas for men a red brown was used.
Paints were generally made from natural ingredients. White was made from lime whereas reds were from ferrous oxide or haematite. Yellow ochre was commonly used for yellow paints and black from argillaceous schist or charred bones. Green was achieved by mixing blue and yellow or from malachite.
The only artificial colour was blue which was made from a mix of silicon, copper oxide and calcium oxide, according to an Egyptian formula.
Fresco Designs
Different types of frescos could be found in different parts of a room. Wall paintings such as landscapes were usually positioned centrally, level with the top of doors and windows with the bottom about a metre above the floor. This lower areas area was usually plain stone or marble or painted to resemble marble.
Narrow friezes ran along the very tops of walls and ceilings were usually covered with patterns such as spirals.
All paintings generally had borders along their tops and bottoms that acted as a frame for the composition. Generally two colours were used together: black and white or blue and black.
Frescos were not just applied to walls and ceilings. They were also applied to plastered cult objects such as altars
Themes of Minoan Frescos
The themes of Minoan frescos fall into four main categories:
- Religious. Minoan art celebrated the divine in nature rather than preserving the deeds of Minoan rulers. Scenes in murals show rituals, sacred processions, cult activity, festivals, worship of the gods and priesthood, sacred contests such as bull leaping and religious symbols.
- Everyday life. Many frescos showed scenes from everyday life. Examples from Knossos have helped in the recreation of the palace’s architecture as well as showing details of Minoan sporting contests and scenes from court life. Details of dress, hairstyles and the ideal Minoan physique are also preserved in these wall paintings
- Nature. Closely affiliated with the divine, Minoan frescos celebrate the flora and fauna of Crete, and are filled with flowers such as lilies, crocuses, roses as well as sacred animals such as the bull and the griffin and Cretan marine life such as dolphins and octopuses
- Patterns. Used to fill in borders and cover ceilings, common patterns included rosettes in rows, spiral patterns, borders of garlands.
The Spread and Influence of Minoan Art
Knossos was the centre of Minoan art, with its innovations spreading not only across Crete but to the islands of Thera and Milos and beyond.
Source:
Knossos: The palace of Minos. A Survey of the Minoan Civilisation. By Sosso Logiadou-Platonos. Athens
Minoan Crete: From Myth to History (1999) by Andonis Vasilakis. Adam Editions: Athens
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