Cyprus: the island that painted the Pyramids

For thousands of years, the island’s pigments were prized by kings, pharaohs and even Da Vinci. Alix Norman meets the woman recreating ancient artistic techniques

From its copper veins to its ochre-streaked caves, Cyprus has painted the world for thousands of years. Malachite, azurite, haematite, jasper – our island’s unique mineral hues have coloured the tombs of kings, the pyramids of the pharaohs, and the bodies of the world’s most desired women. Cyprus, says Marina Olympios, is the planet’s palette.

A painter and geologist, Marina is passionate about the unique composition of Cyprus’ earth: the mineral kaleidoscope that was being mined and exported when Stonehenge was built, millennia before the New World was discovered. It’s a singular geology found nowhere else. And its lineage links those of us who walk the island today not just with the peoples of the past but with the entire cosmos.

“The vast majority of elements found on Earth, including minerals, were formed through stellar processes,” she explains. “You, yourself are made of the same stuff: the basic building blocks of life, such as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, were forged through stellar nuclear fusion. This is the inextricable link that joins us to the earth, and the earth to the universe. And in Cyprus, we find a mineral masterpiece that is a testament to both these terrestrial and heavenly origins.”

In her latest exhibition, An Everlasting Love – A Future Dream, the 54-year-old has woven the crystal hues of Akamas, the rich earths of Polis Chrysochous, and the blue agates and green jaspers of Mitsero into works that speak of an abiding love for our mineral origins.

“In the past, all our art featured natural pigments – hues made from the very earth on which we live. These mineral pigments appeared in everything from the cave paintings of Lascaux to the red lips of the beauties of Mesopotamia. Nowadays,” she adds, “some artists use ‘plastic’ paints – synthetic, man-made shades made from resins and solvents. But the true colours, those that would have been employed in ancient times, give those of us who still use them a direct link with the past.”

Many of these ‘true’ pigments originated in Cyprus. And as a former museum researcher in both Paris and New York Marina is well-versed in their provenance. “We have letters from the pharaohs to the first rulers of the island talking of how they use Cyprus’ copper and ochre in their frescoes. The first Lusignan king was buried in a tomb of green jasper, a mineral which, in Cyprus, undergoes a crystallisation process found nowhere else in the world. Leonardo da Vinci himself used the terra verde of Nicosia in his paintings.”

These minerals, says Marina, give us a clearer picture of our island’s history. “A team from the archaeology department of the Natural History Museum of Paris has recently discovered drawings in caves near Limassol made from local ochre – these drawings date the history of people in Cyprus far further back than was originally believed. Much of our earliest pottery is dyed with the same mineral: depending on how you treat it, ochre can give you the yellows, oranges, and blacks that decorate the ancient amphorae in our museums.

“This is the same ochre that, today, is still mined and sent around the world to be made into pigments. Used by artists far and wide, it’s often incorporated into porcelain or pottery, and is a particular favourite with those who restore old paintings.

“It’s the same with terra verde,” she continues. “The ‘green earth’ of Cyprus has been identified in pottery from Pompeii, frescoes in Rome, and in many medieval paintings. It’s still mined on the plains of Nicosia; even today, it’s prized by painters, crafters and restorers.”

With her vast knowledge of geology and her talent for art, Marina has used these natural pigments in her many exhibitions (her art has been showcased around the world, from Paris’ Pompidou Centre to the Daskalopoulos Collection in Los Angeles, and the Galerie Pierre Nouvion in Monaco), drawing inspiration from the earth of Cyprus.

“In ancient times, ochre was mined in Skouriotissa, Troulloi, Lythrodontas,” she reveals. “Today, I find mine in the Mitsero area, both in its yellow form – ‘ochros’ in ancient Greek meant pale – and, when the ground warms, in its red, brown and even black hues.

A satellite across the emptiness

A tender heart is always flying

Beautiful Helen & the Moon

Woman holding the world

“I go to Kampia for my green terra verde. To Mitsero for my cobalt blues. To Skouriotissa, which still boasts one of the biggest copper mines in the world, for my lighter blues and greens. To Polis for the agates I use to stabilise the colours.

“Of course it’s not as easy as simply collecting the earths and applying them to the canvas,” she adds. “This is painting the way it would have happened in the past – it’s very different from buying a commercial tube in a shop and pressing it onto a palette. First you have to gather your pigments, travelling far and wide to find the exact colours and textures you’re after. Then you need to turn each into a powder; stabilise it with oil; and wait until it dries down into a usable hue.”

The process, says Marina, can be tiring. And it’s certainly lengthy. “But it offers both artist and viewer a direct link with our earth. By using the natural pigments of Cyprus, I’m creating a living myth – a story of past, present and future writ in the colours of my country. The pigments I use today are the same used to paint the sacred stone in the Bronze Age Temple of Aphrodite in Palaepaphos; the frescoes in the first settlements in Cyprus; the walls of the Stone Age caves in Limassol.”

Using the natural minerals of the earth, Marina makes magic; her paintings an invitation to explore both past and future. “It’s art alchemy,” she concludes. “Painting, like storytelling, is an act of chronological intervention that affects the flow of time. Through my works, viewed in the present, we peer into the past. And we dare to explore our future.”

Marina’s exhibition is organised by the Riana Raouna Gallery and takes place at Almyra Hotel in Paphos from July 1 to 21. For more information, visit www.marina-olympios.com.cy