Bull Leaping

Bull Leaping is a wall painting of the late Minoan period, 1550-1450 BCE. and is located in Knossos, Crete.  Aegean art was very much so influenced by the sea because the cluster of Islands known as the Cyclades were surrounded by the Aegean Sea, therefore resulting in many organic forms, shell like patterns, and a lot of motion!  For example, the border of Bull Leaping is of a repetitive pattern of forms that look like jelly fish, also resembling the flow of waves.  And motion is also a major element conveyed in this wall painting.

Motion is conveyed in the border as well as the actual Bull Leaping event taking place.  The women are the lighter skinned figures and the man is supposedly the darker figure.  The woman to the left holds the bull's horns, perhaps preparing herself for the jump, while the man is in the process of jumping the bull in mid air, and the other woman on the right is standing ready to catch the man.  The bull is in action as well, as he leaps in mid air.  Everyone is in motion.  There is also a passage of time present in this piece.  It shows the process of Bull Leaping, almost like a 'how to...' demonstration.  Bull Leaping may represent a fertility or initiation ritual of a sort.