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