Although many different artefacts have been excavated from the Cyclades, it is the marble figures from the early Bronze Age that are of importance in this study. This chapter begins with an introduction to Cycladic figurative sculpture and its significance to contemporary artists. An outline of the chronology and the various styles and types of figurative sculpture of the period is then provided. I will then give an analysis of selected examples of Cycladic figurative sculpture and show how I have related them to elements of minimalism.

The Cycladic culture derives its modern name (adapted from the Greek Kyklades) from the small archipelago in the Aegean Sea more commonly known as the Greek Islands. This prehistoric civilisation was given its name because the thirty or so small islands it populated, were believed to encircle (kyklos) the island of Delos, the birth place of the Greek gods Artemis and Apollo. A farmer ploughing his fields discovered the first Cycladic artefact at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Since then, Cycladic art and the archaeology of this region have been studied extensively. It is now known that the Cycladic culture and its art dates from the late Neolithic (c.5000 - 3200BC) through to the Early Bronze Age (c.3200 - 2200 BC).

The marble figures excavated over the last 200 years have been the subject of increasing interest. Scholars such as Renfrew, Doumas, Getz-Preziosi and Tsountas, among others, have studied this pre-historic culture extensively and have amassed a volume of documentation as a result of their investigations and research. There now exists several extensive public collections of Cycladic sculpture throughout the world.

This interest has not been confined to archaeologists. Artists such as Picasso, Arp, Modigliani, Giacometti and Brancusi also had a fascination with Cycladic sculpture. The Cycladic influence was literalised in the work of some of these artists. Modigliani, for instance, quoted directly in pieces such as Head of a Woman (1911) and Head (1913). Although not literally expressed, Brancusi’s understanding of the Cycladic figures is evident in works such as Mademoiselle Pogany (1919) and The Beginning of the World (1920) (Renfrew 1991). Similarly, the ceramic artist, Hans Coper, also had an interest in Cycladic sculpture. A direct reference can be seen in his Cycladic figure series (1974 –76)(plate 4).

The Cycladic culture of the early Bronze Age has been divided up characteristically and symbolically into three phases. Early Cycladic I, I-II and II (abbreviated as EC I, EC I-II and EC II)⁴.. Each phase is also divided up by the different types of artefacts, generally named in relation to their provenance. From EC I, (c.3200 - 2800 BC) otherwise known as the Archaic phase, the Violin and Plastiras figures have been identified. EC I-II (c.2800 - 2700BC) or the Transitional phase, denotes a strong developmental reference to both EC I and EC II which are in themselves quite individual. In this period, the Louros and Kampos types are identified. EC II (c.2800 - 2200 BC) is also identified as the Classical phase. There are many figurative types from the EC II period, which include the pre-canonical, Kapsala, early and late Spedos, Dokathismata and Chalandriani types.

The examples I am using in support of my argument have been selected because they are quite typical representations covering the late Neolithic through to the early Cycladic period. They are the Dokathismata figures from EC II, the Louros figures from the EC I-II period and the Violin figures from the late Neolithic and EC I periods. Also included is a brief description of the late Neolithic figures excavated from the small island of Saliagos and the Plastiras figures from EC I. This is to show how a minimal form of sculpture developed from the more representational pre-early Bronze Age style through to the essentially minimal style of the EC I-II and EC II periods of the Cycladic culture.

The following descriptions of Cycladic figurative sculpture outline their formal and aesthetic qualities, which I will contend, can also be associated with modern practices within the minimalist genre. Violin Figures