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Prehistoric Art PREHISTORIC ART THE BEGINNING Not until 25,000 years ago did out forebears invent art • The first art objects were created not to adorn the body or decorate the cavern--- But attempt to control or appease natural forces CAVE PAINTING • FIRST PAINTINGS WERE MADE ABOUT 15,000 YEARS • BEFORE THE DISCOVERY IN 1996 THE IMAGES AT LASCAUX, FRANCE WERE THE OLDEST KNOWN PAINTINGS IN EUROPE • PAINTINGS MOST REMOTE RECESSES OF THE CAVE—WHERE THERE WAS NO SUNLIGHT WHY DID THEY PAINT THESE IMAGES? • Maybe : • certain animals are symbolic • others represent mythical spirits • to contact spirits in another world • to track migration patterns • related to ritual occasions HORSE CAVE PAINTING 13,000 B.C. SCULPTURE OLDEST SURVIVING ART OBJECTS ARE SCULPTURES VENUS OF WILLENDORF • 25,000- 20,000 BC • ONE OT THE EARLIEST KNOWN HUMAN FIGURES • VENUS GODDNESS OF LOVE • FERTILITY IMAGE • CARRIED AROUND AS AN AMULET—GOOD LUCK CHARM • ONLY FEATURES SHOWING BELLY, BREASTS AND PUBIC AREA • ONLY 5 INCHES TALL • Paleolithic Period:::OLD STONE AGE • After 4000 years gave way to: • NEOLITHIC OR NEW STONE AGE • New stone tools---learned to farm—domesticate animals (cattle—goats –etc.)help with labor, food, milk and leather • Technology of pottery • Settled communities ---architecture of stone and wood were starting to be built ARCHITECTURE STONE HENGE 2,000 B.C. Certain conditions foster preservation of Art • Durable materials ( stone-metal-fired clay) • Local of environment not destructive to artworks • Stable population- • Putting artworks in places of limited or no accessibility—tombs underground caves CHARACTERISTICS OF PREHISTORIC TIME PERIOD • CAVE PAINTINGS • MAGIC • SURVIVAL MESOPOTAMIA • DEVELOPED ON THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVERS • RIVERS PROVIDED TRANSPORTATION—SOURCE OF WATER—IRRIGATION • CITIES DEVELOPED: RELIGIONS— ARCHITECTURE • Lack of boundaries easy to invade/difficult to defend Invented: • 360 degree in circle • 24 hours in a day • 60 minutes in a hour • How many days in a year lacking 26 minutes • Men could go bankrupt • Women could be priests • Mastered irrigation/flood control • Invented city-state-formal religion-mathematics- law • Writing used over 3000 years ( cuneiform) Architecture • Sun dried brick basic building block • Devised complex cities/centered around the temple/also included workshops- homes-stores • One king palace had 200 rooms covered 25 acres-stood on 1 square mile man made mound above the city NANNA ZIGGUARAT 2100-2050 • a Temple Dedicated to the moon God Nanna It was a meeting place for heaven and god SCULPTURE • Predominant art form of Mesopotamia— besides architecture was---Bas-Relief Sculpture • Popular subject to sculpt was the • “Lion Hunt” HUMAN-HEADED WINGED LION 883-859 BC LIMESTONE • Stood at the gates of the Citadel to protect the palace from it’s enemies • Horned cap indicating dive status GROUP OF STATUETTES FROM THE SQUARE TEMPLE OF THE GOD ABU • Figures represent priests and worshipers large eyes are for communication with their Gods-the eyes are the window to their souls • Serve the God of vegetation CHARACTERISTICS OF Mesopotamia • Beards • Worship figures • Huge eyes • Ishtar Gate • Low reliefs EGYPT THE ART OF IMMORTALITY PLATO WROTE: EGYPTAIN ART DID NOT CHANGE FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS---- EXAGGERATION---BUT MANY THINGS REMAINED THE SAME OVER 3,000 YEARS In pursuit of permanence the Egyptians established essentials of a major civilization— literature,medical science, higher mathematics---While else where lesser civilizations rose and fell with the annual floods of the Nile, Egypt sustained the world’s first large scale –unified state for 3,000 years CHARACTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN ART • ESSENCE OF: • STABILTY • ORDER • ENDURANCE • CONTINUITY PALETTE OF NARMER • illustrates many characteristics of Egyptian Art It was used for mixing cosmetics Egyptian Painting • Reveals the same clear visual design and works in stone • If you compare works of art such as “The Palette of Narmer”even a thousand years later you would not find them separated in time. • The pose of the human form would still be seen in the same “Wall painting from Thebes” • depicting a hunting scene poses the main figure very much like Narmer even though they are 1650 years apart in time SPHINX • Symbol of most important characteristic of Egyptian art STABILITY AND EDURANCE BUILT 2530 BC ---65 FT. HIGH PYRAMID OF CHEOPS AT GIZA EGYPT • LARGEST STONE STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD leveled 13- acre site- base perfect square built 26,000 BC To construct the Great Pyramid this is what you would need. • 2,300,000 limestone blocks—each weighing 2 ½ tons • Copper and stone cutting tools • Barges to float blocks down the nile • Log rollers • Pearly white lime stone—facing surface to finish 480 ft. of the pyramid • 4,000 construction workers to move the blocks weighing up to 15 tons with the benefit of no animals or wheels • Completion time 23 years (average life span35 yr) SCULPTURE • FOLLOWED A RIGID FORMULA FOR REPRESENTING THE HUMAN FIGURE • FRONT VIEWS OF THE EYES AND SHOULDERS AND PROFILE VIEW OF HEAD, ARMS AND LEGS • STATUES INTENDED TO LAST ETERNALLY • MADE OF HARD SUBSTANCE GRANITE/DIORITE QUEEN NEFERTITI 1345 BC --- Limestone AKHENATEN AND HIS FAMILY 1345 BC • Sunken relief—figures do not project upward from surface--- outlines are carved deep into surface— figures are modeled within them surface down MUMMY ART • PROVIDE A DURABLE RECEPTACLE FOR THE DECEASED SPIRIT • PERFECTED THE SCIENCE OF EMBOLMING • 70 DAYS TO MUMMIFY • BODY SOAKED IN BRINE FOR MORE THAN A MONTH • HUNG OUT TO DRY • WRAPPED AND NESTED INTO COFFINS AND STONE SARCOPHAGUS MUMMY OF RAMSES II • DISCOVERED WITH 39 OTHER DEAD KINGS MOSES GREW UP IN HIS COURT KNOW AS “THE GREAT” SIRED MORE THAN 100 CHILDREN 67 YEAR REIGN TUTANKHAMUN 1325 BC--- GOLD MASK 1922 THE AEGEAN • ALONG THE GREEK PENINSULA AND CONTINENT OF MODERN DAY TURKEY • PARALLEL IN TIME WITH EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA 3 MAJOR AEGEAN CULTURES • CYCLADIC: GROUP OF SMALL ISLANDS IN THE AEGEAN • MINOAN: BASED ON THE ISLAND OF CRETE • MYCENAEAN:MAINLAND OF GREECE STATUETTE OF A WOMAN • Cycladic Art is a puzzle art only consists of all nude female figures -- -2ft to life size fertility images TOREADOR FRESCO FROM PALACE AT KNOSSOS – 1500 BC---HEIGHT 32” • MINOAN CULTURE NUMEROUS FRESCOES SURVIVED LIGHT HEARTED, HAPPY AND CHEERFUL PEOPLE RHYTON (DRINKING CUP) • SHAPE OF A LIONS HEAD 1550 BC—GOLD—8” MYCENAEAN CULTURE KNOWN FOR ELABORATE BURIAL CUSTOMS AND TOMBS HAD GREAT SUPPLIES OF GOLD MASTER GOLDSMITHS CHACTERISTICS OF THE AEGEAN CULTURE • PARALLEL IN TIME WITH EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA • 3 MAJOR AEGEAN CULTURES • CYCLADIC • MINOAN • MYCENAEAN.
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