Frescoes By Bogdanoff

I was introduced to the Minoan civilization back in 1990. I was at a party in Hollywood, CA, and hanging on one wall were two painted panels depicting blue monkeys and antelope. The backgrounds had intriguing designs comprised of geometric shapes resembling puzzle pieces, in blues and reds. The artist was at the party and, knowing that he was relocating to Ireland in a few weeks to ‘retire’ (i.e. drink himself to death), I pumped him with questions about his technique. I wrote down everything he told me on a cocktail napkin, thus the birth of my interest in frescoes. I didn’t think to ask him about the subject matter.

Beverly Hills Public Library

Days later I went to the Beverly Hills Library, which had (and still has) an extensive art department. I went through countless art history books and found a book entitled The Arts of Assyria, which had a cover of a wall mural which had colors similar to those of the panels I admired days earlier. I couldn’t find any monkeys or antelopes, but I did find a bronze relief that I liked. I made a copy of it at the library and created my first fresco.

It wasn’t until many visits later, that I found what I was in search of. There, in the ancient Greek section on the shelves, I came upon Art and Religion in Thera; Reconstructing a Bronze Age Society, by Dr. Nanno Marinatos. I had never heard of Thera, but I thought that it couldn’t hurt to skim through this small book rich with pictures. I could have easily missed it, but there on page 115 were the blue monkeys!

I felt like I had struck gold! I sat for hours devouring the book. Page after page of beautiful frescoes: swallows, saffron gatherers, boxing boys, a fisherman, antelope (yes, the same ones I saw in the panels at the party), landscape and seascape scenes, flotillas, and those blue monkeys that would later have a huge impact on my life as a professional artist. I wanted to possess this book, but it was out of print and I had no way of owning it. Remember, this was before the internet and Amazon was popular, so all I had was this book and a copy machine at the public library at my disposal. I made a copy of the entire book, which was my bible on Thera and the Minoan civilization. Of course, thanks to the internet and outlets like Amazon and many other online resources, I now own all of the books that I used to pour through at the library.

The Minoan civilization is considered to be the one of the greatest civilizations in the Greek Bronze Age (the other being the Mycenaean civilization). The Minoan civilization, named after the legendary King Minos, was based on the island of Crete. This civilization possessed a feature unshared by other civilizations, which was an architectural complex of great proportions called a “palace.” The palace housed the rulers that presided over the city or settlement. It was on the walls of these palaces where numerous frescoes were created.

The Minoan civilization was at the height of existence between 2200 and 1450 BC (end of the Early Bronze Age). Its richest and finest period was around 1725 BC, after the old palace period ended with the destruction of most of the existing palaces by a powerful earthquake. The more notable Minoan palace was at Knossos. The palace offers a rich source of frescoes throughout its walls.

Many of the wall paintings discovered in the Aegean region were produced between 1550 and 1450 BC. The Minoan artists style of painting was spontaneous and exuded grand expression.

The subjects of the frescoes generally fell under two categories: nature scenes and palace life. Nature scenes consisted of landscapes, animals, birds and marine life, and were painted with an impressionistic style. Palace subjects included religious festivals and processions, and court ceremonies.

More recently, archeologists have discovered a lost existence on Thera. The excavations at Akrotiri on Thera, now modern Santorini, provides much knowledge about this rich settlement. Thera was made up of wealthy houses c.1500 BC. Soon after these homes were built, they were destroyed by lava in a huge volcanic eruption. Much of the settlement has been recovered by the Greek Archaeological Service. Here, among the debris, excavators uncovered extraordinary frescoes.

Artists from the area created wall paintings with a style that set them apart from the Cretan artists. Though they possessed an execution similar to the artists of Crete, the Theran artists expressed their stylings through coarse application and depiction of life on the island. Theran artists used brilliant colors in their work, as evidenced in an elaborate scene from the room of the blue monkeys. Other subjects of frescoes found included fishermen, boxing children, crowd scenes, antelopes, and landscapes as they appeared prior to the island’s devastating volcanic eruption.

Frescoes at Akrotiri That Have Most Inspired Me

Blue Monkeys fresco at Akrotiri

The blue monkeys, without question, have made the greatest impact in my fresco career. The wall mural of the blue monkeys was found in a palace room at Akrotiri. Here, a family of monkeys are climbing up on the rocks of the volcano that ultimately destroyed the settlement. The monkeys were considered servants to the gods, and it is believed that the room they were depicted was a room of worship.

Saffron Gatherers

The saffron gatherers are found on the east wall in room 3a of Xeste 3. One woman is shown with her arms outstretched, while gazing at a woman opposite her, with a lively and impatient expression, as if anxious for reassurance that she is performing the task correctly.

Fresco of the Lilies

The Fresco of the Lilies, on the ground floor in room 2 at Akrotiri, as been a large influence for my Swallows With Lilies series. The original fresco adorned three walls from floor to ceiling. Swallows fly amid stalks of red lilies. The slight bend of the stalks implies a gentle breeze. It is believed that the artist was attempting to express the beginning of spring. Because a millstone and sickle were discovered in room 2, the room is thought to have been a shrine where rites were practiced in relation to a harvest festival and/or the processing of grain.

Antelope of Akrotiri

The middle zone on the west, north and east walls of Room Beta 1 were devoted to a study of the antelope.  Though the antelope are rendered in outline only, the artist revealed the strength of his talent, giving them expression and depicting them in an amorous converse, as is shown by the movements of the heads, of the lips and the tails.

Flotilla Festival

The frieze on the south wall in room 5 of he West House depicts a procession of ships, splendidly adorned, which moves between two towns. It has been recognized that the town on the right is Akrotiri itself. It’s unclear what town the ships are coming from. The subject of the frieze is a festival, where a naval fleet plays a large role. The ships vary in size. The passengers are wearing either tunics or long robes. it is reasonable to suggest that they represent people of higher status. This is all the more likely because the ships are in parade and a display of status is surely involved. The special ornamentation of the ships with nature symbols, such as flowers, butterflies and swallows, betokens a religious occasion. dolphins playfully jump around the ships, as if to guide them home.