As one enamored with decorative painting, I cannot help but admire the work of the ancient Minoans. The Minoan civilization was an Aegean Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands such as Santorini and flourished from approximately 2600 to 1400 BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of British archaeologist Arthur Evans. Will Durant referred to it as “the first link in the European chain.”
The Minoans were primarily a mercantile people engaged in overseas trade. As such it should not be surprising that Minoan art often featured the flora and fauna of the oceans upon which they depended.  Natural subjects included flowers such as lilies, irises, crocuses, roses, and also plants such as ivy and reeds, as well as octopus, dolphins, fish, sea shells, choral, etc… Indeed, the Minoans were one of the earliest cultures to paint natural landscapes without any humans present in the scene; such was their admiration of nature.
Of course Minoan art also included imagery of various religious rituals… such as the priestess or goddess charming snakes:
… and the painting of a young prince:
There are also paintings of fantastic mythological creatures… such as a griffin:
… or an octopus stylized almost to the point of pure abstraction:
There are also paintings of sporting events such as boxing and bull-leaping:
The overwhelming impression given by Minoan art is that of sheer joy in fluid, naturalistic  movement and graceful forms represented in an elegant stylized manner. Although the Egyptians did not use true fresco, some of the colour conventions of their architectural painting were adopted by the Minoans such as the red skin tones for male figures.
Later Egyptian paintings, especially those of the Amarna Period (14th century BCE) suggest elements borrowed in return from the Minoans… especially the fluidity of linear movement…
… and the focus upon the natural world of flora and fauna:
There may even have been an influence upon the paintings of the Etruscans:
The joie de vivre, the elegant abstraction of form and fluid movement, the embrace of pattern, and the love of nature found in Minoan painting reminds me of no art so much as that of Henri Matisse:
Considering the marvelous decorative works of the Minoans, Will Durant’s suggestion that they were "the first link in the European chain,“ does not appear that great of an exaggeration.Â
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