Bucolic art

Bucolic art is directly interwoven with pastoral life. It occurs in all aspects, such as the vesture and textiles of the shepherds, their music – the traditional art in general. The origin of bucolic art is considered to be ancient Arcadia, where the inhabitants used to live in a simple, peaceful way, secluded from the outer world. While watching their flocks, Arcades got accustomed of playing the flute, which is an instrument that, according to mythology, was invented from the native god Pan, son of Hermes and the nymph Driopi. “Arcadia” became the symbol of the place of imagination and paradise, and bucolic music started to inspire important poets of the ancient world. Their lyrics referred to shepherds that interchanged chants in an original natural landscape. In the 3rd century B.C., the Greek poet Theocritus initiateda new literary movement, the bucolic poetry that adverts to the shepherd’s erotic adventures. Three centuries later, Virgil, the most important Roman poet, wrote the “Bucolics”. Theocritus’ and Virgil’s bucolic art supported a new art stream with exceptional masterpieces such as the famous painting “Et in Arcadia Ego” by Nicolas Poussin.