Art history question. I cannot remember what it means that women in minoan art are lighter shade than the men?

Question

I am in AP Art History and I cannot remember this to save my life. I was doing a short answer and my teacher asked me this and I didn't even remember learning that. I looked through my lesson books and couldn't find it. I remember I knew it though;

but anyways what does it signify?

thank you!

Answer 1

Greetings.

Minoan culture, as i know, was matrilineal, their religion matriarchal. This, in conjunction with the meaning of the colour white being omnipotence, purity (egyptian sources), makes a good case why the women were painted white.

Women having such a high status in their society (the priesthood being almost totally female), it also might represent that their skin colour remained white from staying mostly indoors, while the male skin colour is red-brown from exposure to the sun. The latter reason though might be challenged by the fact that women had a role in every aspect of life, not just as priestessess.

I do not know whether the color coding of sexes had any meaning wrt. differentiation from foreign people/cultures.

I hope it helps.