The Origins of Art

Instructor: Mrs. Christine Ege

Introduction to Art – DAD Department

4th March, 2015

In the Beginning

In order to understand the development of art we must first look at the movement of people across the world

• Humans began moving out of Africa around 1 million years ago

• As they moved out of Africa, one group went towards Europe while another went towards Asia

• Humans moved into Europe and began settling around 690,000 years ago

• Humans moved into Asia and began settling around 700,000 years ago

• Humans then began moving south into South East Asia and Australia, while at the same time a different group moved north into Siberia, North America and South America

• In Europe humans began to create settlements

• These settlements were based around areas with food sources, and water

• People in these settlements traded with one another and gradually started developing their own culture

• These cultural systems became unique to the area and the people, and therefore once art was developed it was unique to that region

• This process was not found only in Europe

• This development happened at different times across the world, and therefore helped with the movement of artistic cultures from one region of the world to another

• Humans began creating objects that were purely functional

• The first human artifacts that have been found are spearheads

• Early humans would use rocks and flint stones to chip stone tools that could be used to hunt animals

• These tools were also used to hunt, cut apart meat, start fires, and create other tools such as rope, and baskets

• Spearheads start by being very rounded

• As humans developed and moved to other parts of the world the spearheads become more detailed and have a sharper point

• Archaeologists have also found that spearheads became a trading tool, and were vital to the lives of the people who created them

• This time in human history is divided into 3 separate time periods• Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) (2.6

million years ago – 12,000 years ago)

• Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) (20,000 BCE – 9,500 BCE)

• Neolithic (New Stone Age) (10,200 BCE – 2,000 BCE)

• During the time of early human settlement humans were Hunter & Gatherers

• As they became settled into communities (Sedentary Life) they started to experiment more with the concept of art, religion, and architecture

• The development of art, religion, and architecture can be divided into specific categories, including:• The Human Form• Animal Forms• Architecture• Other Forms

The Human Form

• When we look the development to art and art history we must start by looking at the development of basic forms

• Although the human form is quite complex it was one of the first forms that humans started to create• Many art historians believe they started to create

human forms because they found it the most intriguing (HUMANS LOVE THEMSELVES)• The development of human forms across time, and in

different places, allows us to see how the human brain works and how people look at art

Human with Feline Head, ca. 30,000 – 28,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Hohlenstein – Stadel, Germany)Mammoth Ivory11 5/8 inches HighUlmer Museum, Ulm Germanyhttp://www.ulm.de/ulm_museum/collections/archeology.110882.3080,110499,110872,110882.htm

Human with Feline Head• A natural ivory sculpture

• Estimated at around 30,000 – 28,000 BCE

• Found in a cave at Hohlenstein-Stadel in Germany

• It was found in pieces inside the cave, and then was put back together

• It is a male / female body with a lion head

• Would have been difficult from someone to carve this sculpture

• One of the first examples of creative thinking in art.

Human with Feline Head (detail), ca. 30,000 – 28,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Hohlenstein – Stadel, Germany)Mammoth Ivory11 5/8 inches HighUlmer Museum, Ulm Germanyhttp://www.ulm.de/ulm_museum/collections/archeology.110882.3080,110499,110872,110882.htm

Human with Feline Head (Detail)

• We do not know why the sculptor decided to carve this subject.

• We do know that this concept must have been important to the people who created it, because of its size (1 foot tall), and the material it was carved out of (ivory).

• Some art historians believe that these sculptures were used for ritual purposes.

• They think the human / animal body might represent a sorcerer dressed in a mask.

• These forms are common in The Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt, but are uncommon in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic era.

Venus of Willendorf , ca. 28,000 – 25,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Willendorf, Austria) Limestone4.25 inches highNaturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austriahttp://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en

The Venus of Willendorf• A small limestone sculpture

• Estimated at around 28,000 – 25,000 BCE

• It was discovered in Austria in the town of Willendorf

• This tiny statue changed the way that people looked at Mesolithic cultures

• Before discovering this statue people believed that Mesolithic peoples were unintelligent, and unable to think enough to create pieces of art

• Once studying this work archaeologists realized that people had higher rates of brain function earlier than they thought

• Some theories on their meaning are as:• Fertility goddesses• Trading materials• Communication devices• Self-portraits of pregnant women

Venus of Willendorf , ca. 28,000 – 25,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Willendorf, Austria) Limestone4.25 inches highNaturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austriahttp://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en

The Venus of Willendorf• Most figures of this type are called Venuses

• Venuses are any type of small female figurine that distorts the human form for the purposes of ritual ideal

• We do not know what these small figures were used for

• We can assume that from their size they were meant to be moved

• What do know is that these sculptures were not looking to make the human body look the way that it naturally does

• Exaggeration of the most important parts of the human form was what the sculptor was looking for

• If we think of this as an abstracted form we can better understand what it was used for

The Importance of Women

• Many art historians believe that the amount of Venuses found from the Neolithic era shows the importance of women at the time

• Sculptures of women are found from France, to Germany, Austria, The Czech Republic, Italy, and Jordan.

• Sculptures of women are found in the round, and in relief, as well as in all types of media

• Due to the lack of written records we will never truly know the belief of Paleolithic peoples towards women, but we can assume in one way or another women were important members of society

Dolnĺ Veštonice Venus, ca. 23,00 BCEArtist Unknown, Moravia, Czech RepublicFired Clay11 x 4.3 cmMoravske Museum, Brno, Czech Republichttp://www.mzm.cz/en/prehistory-of-moravia/

Woman from Brassempouy, ca. 30,000 BCEArtist Unknown, Grotte du Pape, Brassempouy, Landes, FranceIvory3.6 cm highMusée des Antiquités Nationales, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Francehttp://www.musee-archeologienationale.fr/objet/la-dame-la-capuche

Human Figure, ca. 6,750 – 6,250 BCEArtist Unknown, Ain Ghazal, JordanPlaster Painted and Inlaid with Bitumen3 feet and 5 3/8 inches highLouvre, Paris, Francehttp://www.louvre.fr/en/departments/near-eastern-antiquities

Human Figure Development• Representations of the human form vary across different parts of

Europe and the Near East

• In the Near East early human sculptures were not carved but molded• Groups of sticks would be bound together to make the skeleton and

then plaster put on the outside to create the form of the human

• Historians believe that early human sculptures in the Near East were used as representations of the dead, possibly as a way to keep them in the lives of the living

• These forms show us what was important (visually) to the people of the time

• The forms changed from those used in Europe (grossly exaggerated) to the ones used in the Near East (more detailed and realistic)

• After the Neolithic era the human form began changing

• This development is quite dramatic

• The development is also regional and based towards individual taste

• This happens all over the world

Animal Forms

• After working with the development of the human form, Neolithic peoples began looking beyond their own form

• Neolithic peoples began creating images of animals (not mixed with humans) about 5,000 years after starting to create human forms (this varies depending on place)• This change is believed to be due to an increase in

ritualistic activities among Neolithic peoples• The types of animals Neolithic peoples chose to depict

can tell us a lot about what was important to the people who created the art

Aurochs, Horses, and Rhinoceroses, ca. 30,000 – 28,000 BCEArtist Unknown, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, FranceLimestone, Cave PaintingChauvet Cave, Vallon-Pnt-d’Arc, Francehttp://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/

The worlds oldest paintings• Found in a cave at Vallon-Pont-dÁrc, France

• Dating around 30,000 – 28,000 BCE

• Only discovered in 1994

• Changed the way that archeologists think about cave painting

• The earliest form of perspective is found when we look at the placement of the animals

• Depictions of animals which would have been everywhere in the world of Neolithic peoples

• All animals are drawn in profile

• Art historians believe that people first painted like this because it made very clear what animal the artist was trying to depict

Spotted Horses and Negative Hand Imprints, ca. 22,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Pech – Merle, France)Lime Stone, Cave Painting11 feet 2 inches longPech – Merle Cave, Francehttp://www.pechmerle.com/english/introduction.html

Cave Paintings at Pech – Merle• Found in a cave at Pech-Merle, France

• Dating around 22,000 BCE

• For a long time Pech-Merle was considered to have the oldest cave paintings in the world

• Dots, lines, and hand prints are often painted alongside the images of animals

• We are unsure what exactly these are meant for

• We can see clearly that the painters were using the actual space of the wall to help them with the painting of the animal (Horses Head on the Right)

• This shows us that the painters were quite sophisticated in their technique

• They were examining the cave wall much as a painter would do to their canvas

Two bison reliefs, ca. 15,000 – 10,000 BCEArtist Unknown, Le Tuc D’Audoubert, FranceClayEach 2 feel longLe Tuc D’Audoubert Francehttp://www.bradshawfoundation.com/france/bison-tuc-d-audoubert/bison-tuc-d-audoubert2.php

Bison Reliefs• Found in the cave of Le Tuc D’Audoubert

• Dating around 15,000 – 10,000 BCE

• Some of the largest Paleolithic sculptures known

• Utilized Bas Relief techniques to add depth and dimension to their representations of animals

• Special clay was brought from outside the cave in order to create these sculptures

• This means that the peoples who created this had to put thought into what they were doing before they did it

• The profile and position of the bison are similar to other depictions found throughout caves in Europe

• The first mixture that we know of combining depictions of animals and sculpture

Bison with Turned Head, ca. 12,000 BCEArtist Unknown, La Madeleine, FranceReindeer Horn4 Foot Long

Bison with Turned Head• Depictions of animals were not only used as

decoration for caves.

• We start to see art being added as decoration to ritual and everyday objects

• This shows a development where Paleolithic and Neolithic peoples were looking to take art with them

• We can assume then that the people creating these depictions of animals believed that by painting or carving them they were somehow gaining their power (why we find a powerful image of a bison on hunting weapon)

• This shows us that art was considered as an important aspect in the life of Paleolithic and Neolithic peoples

• Art becomes more than just decoration

• It becomes part of the community and its interactions with other communities

Bison Detail, ca. 12,000 – 11,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Altamira, Spain)Lime Stone, Cave Celling5 feet longAltamira Cave, Spainhttp://museodealtamira.mcu.es/

Cave Paintings • Found in a cave at Altamira, Spain

• Dating around 12,000 – 11,000 BCE

• Was the first cave painting to be discovered in Europe

• The hall of bulls is the largest painted section of the cave

• It is unknown what exactly these bulls were meant to represent but many believe that they were used as ritualistic offerings

• There is no perspective found in this painting

• This shows us that the bulls were probably not all painted at the same time, and that creating one common scene was not important to the artists

• The bulls are painted in profile • This is the same as with other cave

paintings of the time

Bison Detail, Hall of Bulls, ca. 15,000 – 13,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Lascaux France)Limestone, Cave PaintingsLargest Bull 11 feel 6 inches longLascaux Cave, Francehttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en

Hall of Bulls• Found in a cave near Montignac, France

• Dating around 15,000 – 13,000 BCE

• Animals are depicted using different styles

• It is unsure weather these were created at the same time or if the styles changed over time

• The main styles are:• Outlined

• The outlined images seem to be larger, so many art historians believe that they might have been created in later years

• Colored silhouettes• The colored silhouettes are common in

other caves throughout Europe, including Altamira and Pech-Merle

Animal Details, Hall of Bulls, ca. 15,000 – 13,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Lascaux France)Limestone, Cave PaintingsLargest Bull 11 feel 6 inches longLascaux Cave, Francehttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en

Hall of Bulls• Found in 1940 in a cave near Lascaux,

France

• Dating around 15,000 – 13,000 BCE

• The cave has around 600 paintings of cows, bulls, horses, deer, bears, rhinoceroses, cats, and an Ibex

• The cave has around 1,500 engravings of the same animals

• The animals are painted and engraved in profile, much like in the other caves found throughout Europe

• The cave paintings at Lascaux are unique because they seem to be in motion

• The artists were trying to show the animals in what they viewed as their most important state (LIVING)

• Many archeologists believe that the people who made these paintings were trying to show them mid hunt

Bison, ca. 12,000 – 11,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Altamira, Spain)Lime Stone, Cave Celling5 feet longAltamira Cave, Spainhttp://museodealtamira.mcu.es/

Hall of Bulls, ca. 15,000 – 13,000 BCEArtist Unknown (Lascaux France)Limestone, Cave PaintingsLargest Bull 11 feel 6 inches longLascaux Cave, Francehttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en

Dear Hunt, ca. 5,750 BCEArtist Unknown, Catal Höyük, TurkeyWall PaintingMuseum of Anatolian Civilization, Ankarahttp://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/

Wall Painting from Çatal Höyük• By the Neolithic era people began

depicting themselves and animals together

• What became important was the interaction on animals and humans (THE ACT OF THE HUNT)

• On the walls of the Turkish city of Çatal Höyük people began painting images of their most important interactions

• The people of Çatal Höyük began domesticating animals and therefore changed their interaction with most important part of their art

• Even after the domestication of animals people still depicted themselves hunting animals

• People are found in groups• Shows us that the act of hunting was

the important part, not individual

Architecture

Stonehenge, ca. 2,550 – 1,600 BCEArchitect Unknown, Salisbury Plain, EnglandBlue StoneCircle is 97 feet in diameter, trilithons 24 feet in highSalisbury Plain, Englandhttp://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

Stonehenge• Located on Salisbury Plain in Southern England

• Blue stone Monolithic structure

• Dated between 2,550 – 1,600 BCE

• Probably the most famous Monolithic structure from the era

• Was built in stages over several centuries

• Circular design consisting of large sandstone monoliths on the outside with a smaller circle of smaller bluestones on the inside

• It is still unclear what exactly Stonehenge was used for

• Archeologists know that these “Henges” were used for ritual purposes

• Some archeologists believe that they were used in connection with the summer solstice

• Some archeologists believe that they were used as a place to connect the world of the living and the world of the dead

Aerial View, Stonehenge, ca. 2,550 – 1,600 BCEArchitect Unknown, Salisbury Plain, EnglandBlue StoneCircle is 97 feet in diameter, trilithons 24 feet in highSalisbury Plain, Englandhttp://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

Stonehenge• There are many similar (smaller) structures

across Europe

• They are mostly found in northern Europe

• In England and Ireland they are made from stone

• In Germany, Denmark, and Sweden they are made from wood

• What is most impressive is how the Neolithic peoples of southern England were able to move such large stones from their quarry into their current position

• There are many theories as to how they did this

• Some believe that they moved them on the many rivers in the area

• Some believe that they were moved with a series of levers, and wooden pols

Gallery Leading from the Main Chamber of the Passage Grave, ca. 3,200 – 2,500 BCE.Architect Unknown, Newgrange, IrelandBlue StoneNewgrange, Irelandhttp://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/newgrange/

Newgrange• Located near Dublin, Ireland

• Dating around 3,200 – 2,500 BCE

• Tumulus = 280 feel (diameter) and 44 feet (height)

• Passage Grave = 62 feet (length)

• Is a passage grave with a large tomb at the end encased in a tumulus (large earthen burial mound)

• Newgrange shows us that remembering the dead was important during the Neolithic era

• This seems to be a time when people became obsessed with building tombs for the dead

• Passage graves can be found throughout Europe, and were mostly created during the Neolithic era

• The stones are placed in order to carry their own weight

• The stones are also decorated with engravings depicting what archaeologists believe were special motifs representing spirits

Aerial View, ca. 3,200 – 2,500 BCE.Architect Unknown, Newgrange, IrelandBlue StoneNewgrange, Irelandhttp://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/newgrange/

Architectural Plan View, ca. 3,200 – 2,500 BCE.Architect Unknown, Newgrange, IrelandBlue StoneNewgrange, Irelandhttp://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/newgrange/

Great Stone Tower, ca. 8,000 – 7,000 BCEArchitect Unknown, JerichoStone5 feet thick, 30 feet high, and 33 feet in diameterJericho, Israelhttp://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/barkai327/

The Tower of Jericho• Located in the Jordan River valley

• Dated around 8,000 – 7,000 BCE

• Walls = 5 feet (thickness), 30 feet (height), 33 feet (diameter)

• Monumental architecture was common in the Ancient Near East during this time

• This is the first permanent stone fortification

• The Tower of Jericho belongs to a large city – state area

• Much of the site has still not been excavated

• Archaeologists do not know if the Tower of Jericho was only one, or if it was one of many that were used as a type of fort

• The discovery of Jericho shows us the importance connecting the art and architecture of the past to cultural stories and traditions

Restored View of Çatal Höyük (ca. 6,000 – 5,900 BCE)Architect Unknown, Çatal HöyükStone, Mud, and WoodÇatal Höyük, Turkey

Çatal Höyük• Located in South Central Turkey

• Dated around 6,000 – 5,900 BCE

• One of the largest early human settlements

• Buildings were arranged in different levels for different purposes, and some believe for different levels of society

• The layout of the city is well organized and tells us that the people were using high levels of thought in order to plan out the city

• The city also has a lot of art work• Monolithic stones with engravings• Wall paintings

• There are no burials inside of the city which tells us that burial mounds, or burial grounds must have been placed somewhere outside of the city gates

Asian Settlements• China has one of the first sedentary

settlements

• Anyang • People began creating houses that

were more permanent• These houses were placed in a

circular format, centered around a communal work area

• This is when people began raising animals and farming simple plants

• Because of the change in lifestyle people began to have more time to create art objects

• The burial grounds at Anyang are the first examples we have of Chinese art objects

• Japanese settlements developed a little after the sedentary developments of China

• Communities were organized much like the ones in China, but catered to the culture of the people in Japan

Other Forms

Pottery (Japan, 12,000 BCE)Jomon Period (Japan)

Pottery• Developed across the world at different

times

• Some of the earliest examples of pottery come from Japan

• Early hunter and gatherers used pottery to hold food and liquids which they wished to keep for later

• As potters techniques developed people began creating stronger forms which could be used for cooking and longer storage

• Japanese pottery techniques moved into China and Korea and eventually helped move people from a hunter and gatherer life style into a sedentary life style

Jade Disc (ca. 2,500 BCE)China, Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, around 2,500 BCEDiameter 18,000 cm The British Museum, London, EnglandOn loan from a private collection OA 4:1Room 33b: Chinese Jadehttp://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/asia/j/jade_disc,_or_bi.aspx

Religious Items• As the Neolithic period developed people began

creating more objects for religious purpose

• We do not know exactly what these objects were meant to represent

• One of the main religious objects created in the Neolithic Period is the Jade Disc (bi)

• Jade Discs are very difficult to create

• Believed to be related to the kingdoms of heaven and earth

• Have been found laid across the chest of the deceased

Jericho Skull (ca. 8,500 – 9,300 BCE)Palestine, Neolithic PeriodThe British Museum, London, Englandhttp://blog.britishmuseum.org/tag/neolithic/

Human Remains• Many people might not think of human rains as part of art

history, but they are important to our understanding of the people of the time

• By looking at what people did with humans after they passed away we can see the importance of religion and rituals to the peoples of the time

• For example if we look at The Jericho Skull, we can see that the people of Jericho wanted to keep the deceased in their daily lives

• This human skull was striped of all flesh, and cleaned. It was then covered in plaster, and left to dry (much like pottery). It then had shell laid into the eye sockets, and was painted

• Although we might find this very odd today, people of the Neolithic period were very connected to their ancestors and had no problem interacting with them as if they were still alive

Vocabulary• Settlements

• Spearheads

• Flint

• Hunter & Gatherers

• Sedentary Life

• Ritual

• Sorcerer

• Fertility goddesses

• Abstracted

• Engravings

• Silhouettes

• Tumulus

• Exaggeration

• Representations

• Realistic

• Archeologists

• Profile

• Bas Relief

• Monolithic

• Henges

• Quarry

• Domestication of animals

• Passage grave

• Excavated