Prehistoric Art
ART ID 111 | Study of Ancient Arts
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD NYIT Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology
Art : the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also : works so produced
(Merriam-Webster)
Aesthetics : a particular theory or conception of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight
(Merriam-Webster)
What was going on in the world?• There was a lot more ice, for one thing, and
ocean shoreline was different from that with which we're familiar.
• Lower water levels and, in some cases, land bridges (which have long since disappeared) allowed humans to migrate into the Americas & Australia.
• Humans at this time were strictly hunter-gatherers, meaning they were constantly on the move in search of food.
2 Types of Art:1.Portable – figurative2.Stationary – non-figurative
3 Major Art Forms:1.Sculptures & Figurines2.Cave Art3.Megaliths
Dating Conventions and Abbreviations
B.C.=before ChristB.C.E.=before the Common Era
A.D.=Anno Domini (the year of our Lord)C.E.=Common Era
c. or ca.= circa C.=century
Pebble resembling a human face
from Makaspansgat South Africa
ca. 3,000,000 B.C.E.reddish brown jasperiteapproximately 2 3/8 in. wide
Apollo 11 Cave
Namibia
ca. 23,000 B.C.E.charcoal on stone5 in x 4 3/4 in.
Human with Feline Head
from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany
ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.mammoth ivory11 5/8 in. high
Human with Feline Head
from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany
ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.mammoth ivory11 5/8 in. high
Venus of Willendorffrom Willendorf, Austria
ca. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E.limestone4 1/4 in. high
Woman of Lespugue
from cave of Les Rideaux, France
ca. 20,000 B.C.E.mammoth ivory5 3/4 in. high
Various European “Venus” figures Venus of Dolní Věstonice
Moravia, Czeck RepublicCeramic (fired clay)4.4in H 1.7inW
Woman of Laussel
from a cave in Laussel, Dordogne, France
ca. 25,000-20,000 B.C.E.painted limestoneapproximately 18 in. high
Bison reliefs
from a cave at Le Tuc d’Audoubert, Ariége, France
ca. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E.clayeach approx 2 feet long
Chauvet Cave paintings
Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche, France
ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone
Pech-Merle Cave paintings
Lot, France
ca. 22,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone
Altamira Cave paintings
Santander, Spain
ca. 12,000-11,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone
Lascaux Cave paintings
Lascaux, Dordogne, France
ca. 15,000-13,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone
Mammoth bone dwelling
from Ukraine
ca. 16,000-10,000 B.C.E.
Great Stone Tower of Settlement Wall
Jericho, Israel/Gaza
ca. 8,000-7,000 B.C.E.
Wall: 3.6m H x 1.8m width at baseTower: 3.6m H with staircase of 22 stone steps
Human Skulls with Restored Features
from Jericho, Israel/Gaza
ca. 7,000-6,000 B.C.E.skulls, plaster, shells
Human figure
From Ain Ghazal, Jordan
ca. 6,750-6,250 B.C.E.plaster, painted and inlaid with cowrie shell and bitumen
Çatal Höyük
Turkey
ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
çatal is Turkish for "fork", höyük for "mound"
Restoration of a typical interior
Çatal Höyük
Turkey
ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
Deer Hunt detail of a wall painting from Level III
Çatal Höyük, Turkey
ca. 5,750 B.C.E.
Çatal Höyük
Turkey
ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
Landscape with Volcanic Eruption
Çatal Höyük, Turkeyca. 6150watercolor copy of a wall painting
Figures of Man and Woman
From Cernavoda, Romania
ca. 4,000-3,500 B.C.E.ceramic4 1/2 in. high
Dolmens
Ireland, Scotland, England, France
Dolmens, also called "chamber tombs," usually contain one or more chambers or rooms in which the dead were buried. Some dolmens also contain long, stone chambers or halls which connect different rooms. These long chambers also are referred to as "Long tombs" and "passage-graves."
various Menhirs
Ireland, Scotland, England, France
Menhirs are large standing stones, or groups of standing stones, arranged in circles, or cromlechs, and henges.
Menhir alignments at Ménec,
Carnac, France
ca. 4,250-3,750 B.C.E.
Stonehenge
Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
ca. 2,550-1,600 B.C.E.sarsen and bluestone
Stonehenge was aligned with the rising sun at the midsummer solstice. It may have served to predict both lunar and solar eclipses.
Sources:http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/paleolithic.htmhttp://www.art-and-archaeology.com/timelines/europe/
prehistoric.htmlIntroduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000–8000 B.C. | Thematic Essay |
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/preh/hd_preh.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/http://www.donsmaps.com/Art Through the Ages, 12th/11th ed., Gardner
End of Lecture