Art Post: Minoan Magic Mirror

[minoanmiss]

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This is the last recursive drawing I have available in my to-post folder. I have two others, but I'm going to make holiday cards of them, so I don't think I'll post them here.

I haven't drawn in about two weeks and I feel weird about it. On the one hand, fallow period, and I have a lot of creative stuff to do (including mailings and maybe even writing). On the other I feel like my pantry is empty or something, having nothing queued to post.

ANYWAY. *rolls eyes at self*

Comments

[dine]

I've always been fascinated by the open bodice, bare breasted Minoan costume; never really done any research on it, but I admit to being curious about just how that developed. I mean, yay, no body shame but it's still pretty radically different from most women were wearing in other cultures at the time

Look out, here comes my hyperfixation!

[minoanmiss]

https://minoanmiss.dreamwidth.org/592627.html

The Minoan ladies' clothes aren't actually that different from neighboring countries' ladies, they're mostly just worn differently.

The reconstructions I've read about postulate a top which is a tunic (short sleeves, T-shaped) with a very deep neck opening or even all the way open in the front. Take away the sleeves and the open front and this is not dissimilar to the sleeveless Ancient Egyptian dresses. Atop this Minoan ladies wore a tight, reinforced belt to accentuate their narrow waists (I do wonder how they dealt with that in pregnancy) and a skirt which was either long and 'bell-shaped', a broad piece of cloth wrapped around and fastened with the belt, or maybe a spiraled band of cloth. (Different scholars have reconstructed the famous flounces as a spiraled band of cloth or as bands sewn to a broad piece of cloth.)

There's an earlier style of Minoan dress -- it's on the lady dressed in purple in my Three Graces drawing -- which is a semicircle of cloth with arm holes, wrapped around with the opening in front. You can see how the later tunic and skirt could evolve from that.

The reason Minoan ladies are so often bare-breasted in Minoan art is for religious display of breasts -- while working at stuff they probably kept their bosoms tucked out of the way just because the girls can get rambunctious if not under control.

Anyway, I'll shut up now. *blushes*

Re: Look out, here comes my hyperfixation!

[darkmarcy]

This was fascinating! And the art is cute, I like how the mirror images are sepia toned. It is okay to feel weird about an empty art queue, but as I said already, I trust that art will find you again! Or it will sit waiting for you once you have time and energy for it. ^_^

Re: Look out, here comes my hyperfixation!

[sabotabby]

Oh that is fascinating!

(I for one could not let the girls hang out; they feel like the majority of my body weight most of the time.)

Re: Look out, here comes my hyperfixation!

[ororo]

That was fascinating to learn. Thank you.

Re: Look out, here comes my hyperfixation!

[dine]

I'm glad you expounded on this! it's great to get a little more background on the religious reason for the bare-breasted look in artworks

[amaebi]

How lovely.

[goss]

The colours in this whole piece are really pleasing to me. :) Love the desaturated look for the mirror effect.

I haven't drawn in about two weeks and I feel weird about it.

Aww, that sucks. :/ But at least your creative energy is being channeled in some other way in the mean time.

Also, this might be weird to say, but I kind of admire the fact that a two week absence of making art is something odd for you. I sometimes go for months at a time without creating, so people who have that drive to constantly create tend to inspire me to try increasing my own output.