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Chapter 1Art Before History

AP Art History

Paleolithic Sculpture

• Subject matter: animals and women (things to control or possess or things pertinent to survival)

• Created descriptively convincing images (rather than optical images)

• Purpose unknown, although conjectures exist – must have been important

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Found in Austria

Some art historians felt that her exaggerated anatomy suggested that this served as a fertility image

Like most Paleolithic figures there is no facial features

Curly hair or a hat woven out of plant fibers?

Venus of Wilendorf, ca. 28,000 -25,000 BCE. Limestone.

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Figure 1-7 Two bison, reliefs in cave at Le Tuc d’Audoubert, France, ca. 15,000–10,000 BCE. Clay, each 2’ long.

Paleolithic Painting

• Subject matter: animals • Created descriptively convincing

images (rather than optical images) • Purpose unknown, although

conjectures exist• Limited media led to limited color

palette

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Figure 1-11 Hall of the Bulls (left wall) in the cave at Lascaux, France, ca. 15,000–13,000 BCE. Largest bull 11’ 6” long.

Figure 1-13 Rhinoceros, wounded man, and disemboweled bison, painting in the well of the cave at Lascaux, France ca. 15,000 – 13,000 BCE. Bison 3’ 8” long.

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Neolithic Architecture• Created with megaliths (large

stones) in post and lintel constructions

• Trilithon: group of threestones

• Henge: circle of stones (also called cromlechs)

• Menhir: single stone • Alignment: line of stones

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Figure 1-20 Aerial view of Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England, ca. 2550–1600 BCE. Circle is 97' in diameter; trilithons 24' high.

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