art 110 3.1 (and study questions)

Chapter 3.1

The Prehistoric and Ancient Mediterranean

PART 3HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields


Chapter 3.1 The Prehistoric and Ancient Mediterranean

Introduction

• Prehistory– Earliest humans– No written records survive

• Mediterranean region– Ancient Near East, northern Africa, southern Europe– Significant trade between cultures– Early agricultural techniques– Beginning of written records

3.1 Map of prehistoric Europe and the ancient Mediterranean




Prehistoric Art in Europe and the Mediterranean

• Earliest artworks made by humans– As early as 35,000 years ago– Paintings on cave walls– Small sculptures, usually made of clay

• Subject matter and meaning– Procreation– Food and hunting

3.2 Black horse, 27,000–19,000 BCE. Painting on top of finger tracings. Cosquer Cave, France




Black horse, Cosquer Cave, France

• Discovered in 1985 by the diver Henri Cosquer

– 300-ft cave complex

– Above water in prehistory

• Hundreds of cave paintings

– More than 170 images of animals

– Human hand tracings and prints

– Two phases

3.3 Landscape with volcano eruption, detail of watercolor copy of a wall painting from Level VII, Çatalhöyük, Turkey, c. 6150 BCE. Wall painting: Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Turkey. Watercolor copy: Private collection




Landscape with volcano eruption, wall painting, Çatalhöyük

• Painting shows volcanic eruption

– Owners of painting lived eight miles from active volcano

• Painting shows settlement

– Grid-like pattern of town replicated in painting

– Rectangular mud-brick homes entered from the roof

3.4 Reclining female figure of the Late Spedos variety, Cyclades, 2500–2400 BCE. Island marble, 23⅜” high

Reclining female figure, Cyclades

• Cycladic figure– Geometric– Originally painted– Small enough to hold in

one’s hand

• Female– Female sculptures far

outnumber male– Believed to be a fertility

figure

3.5 Ruins of Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece, c. 1700–1400 BCE. From 1900, parts of the palace were reconstructed, as seen here.




Ruins of the Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece

• Minoan Civilization

– Wealthy seafaring society– Origination of Greek myths of King Minos and Minotaur– Decline of civilization may have been due to:

• Volcanic eruption and subsequent tidal wave• Mycenaean invaders

• Palace complex

– Large and mazelike with more than 1,300 rooms– Home of ruler, King Minos – Site of governmental, ceremonial, and festive functions

3.6 Bull-leapers, from Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece, c. 1450–1375 BCE. Archaeological Museum, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

Bull-leapers, from Palace of Knossos

• Fresco

• Bull– Popular subject in Minoan art

(Minotaur)– Energetic and powerful figure

• Three acrobats jumping over bull– Athletic culture that enjoyed

spectacles– Gender indicated through

skin color– Light- female, dark-male

Mesopotamia: The Cradle of Civilization

• “The land between the rivers”– Tigres and Euphrates– Fertile Crescent

• “Cradle of Civilization”– Early urban centers – Frequent battles for

control over region– Polytheistic

Sumerians

• First great power of Mesopotamia

• Cuneiform – Earliest known form of

writing– Wedge-shaped symbols

• When: c.3400 – 1 AD Where: Southern Mesopotamia




3. AkkadianWhen: 2500 BC – 1st C AD Where: Mesopotamia

3.7 Standard of Ur, Early Dynastic III, c. 2600–2400 BCE; War (top) and Peace (bottom). Wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone, 7⅞ × 18½”. British Museum, London, England

Standard of Ur• Wooden box with inlaid

shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone

• Discovered in Royal Cemetery of Ur

• War side– Top register: ruler in center

receiving prisoners– Middle register: soldiers

marching and shaming enemies

– Bottom register: battle

Standard of Ur

• Peace side– Depicts musical banquet

in which food and gifts are carried in procession

– Ruler is seated in the top register, far left




Akkadians

• Conquered Sumerians

• Akkadian Empire founded by Sargon

• Rulers elevated to god-like status

Head of an Akkadian Ruler• Likely a portrait of King

Naram-Sin, Sargon’s grandson

• Bronze• Life-sized• Damage and theft

– Originally had precious materials in the eye sockets, but gouged out by ancient thieves

– Artwork looted as recently as 2003 from National Museum of Iraq, but has since been returned

3.8 Head of an Akkadian Ruler, c. 2300–2200 BCE. Bronze, 15” high. National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad




Assyrians

• Ashurnasirpal II was the first great Assyrian King

• Slave labor was used to build a grand palace in Nimrud

• Palace covered with relief sculpture showing battles and hunting scenes

Human-headed winged lion (lamassu)

• Guardian figure placed at gateway to Ashurnasirpal’s palace

• Five legs show simultaneous movement and stillness

• Symbolized King and his power– Horned cap symbol of divinity– Lamassu

• Mind of a man• Strength of a lion• Sight of an eagle

– Larger than humans

3.9 Human-headed winged lion (lamassu), from gateway in Ashurnasirpal II’s palace in Nimrud, Mesopotamia, Neo-Assyrian, 883–859 BCE. Alabaster (gypsum), 10’3½” high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York




Babylonians

• Rulers of Mesopotamia several times, and defeated the Assyrians

• Nebuchadnezzar II built palace in Babylon

3.10 Ishtar Gate from Babylon (Iraq), reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE), Vorderasiatisches Museum, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany

Ishtar Gate from Babylon

• Entrance to the city • Link between

Processional Way and the local ziggurat

• 120 glazed reliefs of lions, the symbol of the goddess Ishtar




Ancient Egypt• Region of Africa that grew out of the river Nile

• Pharaohs commissioned large-scale tombs and temples

• Hieroglyphs help us to understand the meaning of their art

• Strong belief that one’s life force, or ka, lives for eternity after earthly death




Some stylistic characteristics of Egyptian art:

• Subject matter relates to the afterlife and pharaohs

• Painting: delineated flat figures

• Use of twisted perspective

• Sculpture: static bodies

• Hieroglyphs and symbolism

• Hieratic or hierarchic scale

3.11 Great Pyramids and Sphinx, c. 2558–2532 BCE, Giza, Egypt


Gateway to Art:



The Great Pyramid of KhufuBelief in the Afterlife

• Egyptian belief in an afterlife– The pyramids housed the tombs of the pharaohs– The pharaohs were buried with everything they used

in their daily lives• Sphinx at Giza

– Connected to the medium-sized pyramid of Khafre– Mythical creature representing royal power and the

Sun god• Mummification

– Complex process to preserve the body for the afterlife– Organs separated into canopic jars– Body wrapped and buried in layers of sarcophagi

3.12 Khafre with the falcon god Horus embracing the back of his head, c. 2500 BCE. Diorite, 5’6⅛” high. Cairo Museum, Egypt

Khafre with the falcon god Horus embracing the back of his head

• Statue of pharaoh who was responsible for mid-sized pyramid at Giza

• Resting place for the ka– Found at Khafre’s temple– “Sculptor” means “he who keeps

alive”

• Represented as powerful even in death– Sky God Horus is shown as a falcon

on his shoulder– Made from diorite (a hard stone)

•

3.13 Detail of receptacle for internal organs, reign of Tutankhamun (1333–1323 BCE). Gold, cornelian, and vitreous paste, 15⅜ × 4¼ × 4¾”. Cairo Museum, Egypt

Hieroglyphs• What do hieroglyphs tell us?

– Written form of the Egyptian language

– Can represent objects, ideas, or sounds

– Written on many artworks, often describing who or what is depicted, and the subject’s significance

• Rosetta Stone– Object that made the translation of

hieroglyphs possible• Deciphered in 1822 by Jean-

François Champollion– Carving of edicts by Ptolemy V – Written in three languages

• Hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek

3.14 Funerary mask of Tutankhamun, reign of Tutankhamun (1333–1323 BCE). Solid gold, semi-precious stones, quartz, and vitreous paste, 21¼” high. Cairo Museum, Egypt


Perspectives on Art:



Zahi HawassThe Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun

• King Tut

– Richest tomb discovered, but minor king

– Discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter

• The mask

– Found under three layers of sarcophagi

– An image for the soul to enter in death

– Gold with inlays of semi-precious stones and colored glass

– The vulture and cobra atop the brow represent the goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, both under the pharaoh’s care

3.15 Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, c. 1350 BCE. Painted plaster, 38⅝ × 8¾”. British Museum, London, England

Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun

• Found in tomb of the scribe Nebamun

• Shows desires in the afterlife– Hunting and fishing,

endless food– Family – wife and daughter

• Figures– Hierarchical scale– Composite view/twisted

perspective




Art of Ancient Greece

• “Man is the measure of all things”– Valued the achievements and potential of humanity– Portrayed idealized human bodies (mostly nude)– Athletic, democratic, intellectual culture

• Polytheism– Gods and goddesses often the subject of art– High above each city was an acropolis, a religious

center with a temple dedicated to the city’s protective deity




Some stylistic characteristics of Greek art:

• Subject matter: mythological gods, goddesses, and heroes

• Idealized nudes reflect Greek belief in humanity

• Use of contrapposto

• Evolution of Doric and Ionic architecture in temples

• Built temples to the Gods

• Significant use of marble and bronze

3.16 Reconstruction view of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece, at the beginning of the 4th century BCE




The Acropolis, Athens, Greece

• Athens dedicated to the goddess Athena after she won a battle with Poseidon

• Original temple complex destroyed by Persians

– The regrowth of Athena’s olive tree inspired the Athenians to rebuild

– The Persians were seen as barbarians and the Greek cities united to prepare for future battles

3.17 Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon, 447–432 BCE, Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon• Function

– Temple to the goddess Athena– Housed combined war treasury

to provide funds in the event of another battle with the Persians

• Art object– White marble, originally

painted in bright colors– Included several sculptures to

Athena including a colossal statue made of gold and ivory

– Exemplar of Classical architecture

3.18 Diagram of the Classical architectural orders, differentiating between the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Key parts of Greek temple design, such as the pediment, entablature, frieze, capital, column, shaft, and base are also identified

Architectural Orders• Doric

– Simple and masculine– Triglyphs and metopes in frieze– First used in 6th century BCE

– Used on exterior of Parthenon

• Ionic– More feminine and delicate– Scrolls on the capitals– First used in 6th century BCE

– Used on inner frieze of Parthenon

Architectural Orders• Corinthian

– Most ornate order– Acanthus leaves on capitals– Begun at the end of the 5th century

BCE

– Used most often by the Romans

• Continued use– Different orders can be seen in

buildings throughout Europe from the Classical period through today

– Used often in capital cities in the U.S., particularly on governmental buildings

3.19 Metope of a Lapith and centaur in combat from the south side of the Parthenon, designed by Pheidias, c. 445 BCE. Marble, 52⅝” high. British Museum, London, England

Metope of a Lapith and Centaur in combat

from the south side of the Parthenon• Lapiths and Centaurs

– Greek myth about humans battling with half-horse creatures

– Symbolic of the Athenians’ battle with the Persians

• Metope– Relief sculpture – Covering Doric frieze of the

exterior of the Parthenon– Current location at the

British Museum due to Lord Elgin

3.20 and 3.21 Andokides Painter, Achilles and Ajax Playing Dice, c. 525–520 BCE. Black figure and red figure (bilingual) two-handled jar (amphora), 21” high. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts

Andokides Painter, Achilles and Ajax Playing Dice

• Two sides of the same amphora• Archaic Greek style• Black-figure painting

– Slip used to paint design– Incised details into slip– Areas that remained covered by

the slip are black

• Red-figure painting– Slip used to outline figures and

paint in details– Areas in which the slip was used

are black– Figures look slightly more three-

dimensional than with the black-figure method

Left: 3.22 Statue of a kouros (youth), Naxian, c. 590–580 BCE. Marble, 6’4⅝” high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkRight: 3.23 Roman version of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos,120–50 BCE, after a bronze original of c. 460 BCE. Marble, 6’6” × 19” × 19”. Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Sculpture Throughout Ancient Greece

• Archaic– Late 7th–early 5th century

BCE

– Shows slight movement and often an “archaic” smile

• Classical– c. 480–323 BCE

– Polykleitos• Developed a canon for

idealized proportions• Contrapposto

3.24 Laocoön and his Sons, copy of bronze original probably made at Pergamum c. 150 BCE. Marble, 6’½” high. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

Laocoön and his Sons• Hellenistic

– Same idealized nudes as Classical sculpture

– Dramatic tension and movement

• Laocoön– Punished by Poseidon in

story of Troy– Shown with his two sons– Statue discovered and

studied by Renaissance artists, especially Michelangelo

Left: 3.12 Khafre with the falcon god Horus embracing the back of his head, c. 2500 BCE. Diorite, 5’6⅛” high. Cairo Museum, EgyptRight: 3.22 Statue of a kouros (youth), Naxian, c. 590–580 BCE. Marble, 6’4⅝” high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Compare and contrast Egyptian and Greek sculpture

• Egyptian sculpture of Khafre– Static, little movement– Still part of the block from

which it was made– Seat for a soul to visit– Subject matter is a ruler– Clothed figure

• Greek kouros sculpture– In the round– Shows subtle movement and

therefore life– Subject matter is a human– Designed as an offering to a

god or as a grave marker– Nude figure




Roman Art

• The Roman Empire took over much of the Mediterranean region, but also absorbed many of the traditions of these cultures in its art

• Roman emperors were the patrons for most art while they were alive, and were often deified upon death

• Images of the emperor were spread throughout the empire

• Forums (marketplaces) were surrounded by temples, basilicas, and civic buildings

3.25 Reconstruction illustration of ancient Rome. In this image, the River Tiber can be seen flowing by the city. The two enormous stadiums (Circus Maximus and the Colosseum) stand out as an oblong and circular shape respectively.




Some stylistic characteristics of Roman art:

• Built structures as evidence of imperial power

• Civic leaders are primary subject matter for sculptures

• Males wear Roman togas and are rarely nude

• Figures are realistic in facial features and show age

• Created copies of many Greek works

• Used mostly Corinthian architectural order

• Extensive use of vaults, arches, and domes made possible by concrete

3.26 Patrician carrying death-masks of his ancestors, c. 80 BCE. Marble, life-size. Barberini Museum, Rome, Italy

Patrician carrying death-masks of his ancestors

• Sculpture of Roman holding busts of his father and grandfather

• Reinforces his social status

• Roman art often shows realistic likeness and aging of figures

3.27 Detail from Dionysiac mystery frieze in Room 5 of the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy, c. 60 BCE. Wall painting, 5’4” high

Dionysiac mystery frieze in Room 5 of the Villa of the Mysteries

• Fresco

• Shows ritual of the cult of Dionysus

• Found in Pompeii– The Roman city of Pompeii was

covered during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE

– The excavation of Pompeii and its neighboring Herculaneum took place in the eighteenth century, stimulating a great interest in the ancient world

3.28 Pantheon, entrance porch, c. 118–25 CE, Rome, Italy

Pantheon, Rome, Italy

• Pantheon is a “Temple of all the Gods”

• Completed under Emperor Hadrian in 125 CE

• Uses the Corinthian order

3.29 Pantheon, interior view, c. 118–25 CE, Rome, Italy

Pantheon interior view

• Coffered dome with oculus

• Roman engineering– Concrete made the

creation of the dome possible

– Water drains away quickly thanks to gradual slope of floor




Click the image above to launch the video

3.30 Arch of Constantine, south side, 312–15 CE, Rome, Italy

Arch of Constantine, Rome, Italy• Constantine

– Associated himself with Apollo and other pagan gods

– Legalized the practice of all religions, including Christianity

• Triumphal Arch of Constantine– Commemorates the victory at

Milvian Bridge– Intended to enforce his lineage

to earlier emperors• Placed near the Colosseum,

which had been built by earlier emperors

• Covered with sculpture taken from earlier imperial monuments

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3.1 Drazen Tomic3.2 Photo Jean Clottes3.3 Images courtesy the Mellaarts/Çatalhöyük Research Project3.4 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California3.5 Photo Jeff Morgan Travel/Alamy3.6 Archaeological Museum, Heraklion3.7 British Museum, London3.8 Iraq Museum, Baghdad3.9 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1932, Acc. no. 32.143.2. Photo Metropolitan Museum of

Art/Art Resource/Scala, Florence3.10 Photo Scala, Florence/BPK, Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, Berlin3.11 iStockphoto.com3.12 Gianni Dagli Orti/Egyptian Museum, Cairo/The Art Archive3.13, 3.14 Egyptian Museum, Cairo3.15 British Museum, London3.16 Peter Connolly/akg-images3.17 Nimatallah/akg-images3.18 Ralph Larmann3.19 British Museum, London3.20, 3.21 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Henry Lillie Pierce Fund3.22 Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1932, Acc. no. 32.11.1. Photo Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art

Resource/Scala, Florence3.23 Minneapolis Institute of Arts3.24 Vatican Museums, Rome3.25 © Altair4 Multimedia Roma, www.altair.it3.26 Palazzo Torlonia, Rome3.27 Giovanni Caselli3.28 Image Source Pink/Alamy3.29 © Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis3.30 iStockphoto.com

Picture Credits for Chapter 3.1

1. What achievements characterize the beginning of civilization?

– a. Planned cities– b. Written language– c. Agriculture– d. All of the above

2. Prehistoric art concentrates on sources of food and

– a. procreation.– b. gods.– c. sports.– d. afterlife.

3. Where did the Minoan civilization thrive?

– a. Cycladic Islands– b. Crete– c. Athens– d. Çatalhöyük

4. The light-skinned figures in the Minoan fresco Bull-Leapers are

– a. elite.– b. slaves.– c. men.– d. women.

5. Mesopotamia means "the land between the rivers." Which rivers does this phrase reference?

– a. Tigris and Euphrates– b. Nile and Euphrates– c. Tigris and Nile– d. none of the above

6. The Sumerians were

– a. atheistic.– b. monotheistic.– c. polytheistic.– d. agnostic.

7. Which civilization developed cuneiform?

– a. Akkadians– b. Sumerians– c. Assyrians– d. Babylonians

8. The Sumerian Standard of Ur, created between 2600 and 2400 bce, is an example of which art form?

– a. fresco– b. relief– c. ziggurat– d. inlay

9. What do the lamassi, the human-headed winged lions that protected Ashurnasirpal II’s palace, represent?

– a. the power of the Assyrian ruler

– b. the divinity of the Assyrian ruler

– c. the goddess Ishtar– d. both a and b– e. both b and c

10. Which organ was believed to be the organ of thought for the Egyptians?

– a. brain– b. liver– c. heart– d. lungs

11. In Egyptian writing, "he who keeps alive" translates as

– a. pharaoh.– b. god.– c. sculptor.– d. writer.

12. What does the fowling scene from the tomb of Nebamun, painted c. 1350 bce, teach us about life in ancient

Egypt?

– a. hunting techniques– b. importance of the Nile River

– c. pastimes of Egyptians– d. all of the above

13. Which two architectural orders are visible at the Parthenon?

– a. Doric and Ionic– b. Corinthian and Ionic– c. Doric and Corinthian

14. What purpose are kouros sculptures believed to have served?

– a. representations of gods

– b. portraits of elite figures

– c. grave markers– d. devotion to a god

15. In which work of art is the figure portrayed in a "contrapposto" stance?

– a. Doryphoros by Polykleitos

– b. Statue of kouros– c. Patrician carrying death-masks

– d. Khafre with falcon god Horus

16. All of the following are characteristics of Roman sculpture, except

– a. figures that were depicted realistically.

– b. sculptures focused on emperors and leaders.

– c. clothing that reflected the figure’s social status.

– d. elder members of society were rarely depicted.

17. What Classical word means "Temple of all the Gods"?

– a. Pompeii– b. Parthenon– c. Pantheon– d. Poseidon

18. Which emperor rebuilt the Pantheon to enhance his status?

– a. Trajan– b. Constantine– c. Augustus– d. Hadrian

19. Constantine’s victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge is commemorated by which famous Roman monument?

– a. Colosseum– b. Arch of Constantine– c. Pantheon– d. Ara Pacis

20. Which emperor aligned himself with both the pagan gods and Christianity?

– a. Constantine– b. Hadrian– c. Trajan– d. Augustus

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art 110 3.1 (and study questions)

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