Art History Prehistoric to Ancient Greek

Painting of a Bison Palaeolithic Cave Painting from the Altamira cave in Northern Spain

Human occupation was limited to the cave mouth, although paintings were created throughout the length of the cave. The artists used charcoal and ochre or hematite to create the images, often scratching or diluting these dyes to produce variances in intensity and creating an impression of chiaroscuro. They also exploited the natural contours in the cave walls to give a three- dimensional effect to their subjects.

Importance: It was the first cave in which prehistoric cave paintings were discovered. When the discovery was first made public in 1880, it led to a bitter public controversy between experts which continued into the early 20th century, as many of them did not believe prehistoric man had the intellectual capacity to produce any kind of artistic expression Age: In 2008, scientists utilizing Uranium-thorium dating estimate parts of the artworks are between 25,000 and 35,000 years old. Influence:Several painters were influenced by the Altamira cave paintings. Picasso is often quoted as having declared "after Altamira, all is decadence" however, no source exists for this quote and there is no record of him ever visiting Altamira or any prehistoric cave.

Venus From Willendorf Date: 24,000-22,000 BCE Material: Oolitic limestone Size: 43/8 inches (11.1 cm) high (Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna) Found in 1908 in Willendorf Austria, by the archaeologist Josef Szombathy. NP6XRLbYWo&feature=related

So eventually people domesticate animals and learn to gather and plant seeds. We now enter the Neolithic revolution. People don’t have to move around to follow game or gather food. It is in the Near Middle East where the first cities and towns are born. Catal Huyuk is one of the oldest settlements discovered. Its dated at around 7500 BCE.

To be civilized is to live as a citizen- Civilization is born However this change from hunters and gatherers takes place much slower in Europe. Its not until around 2000 BCE that Stonehenge in England is built.

The outer circle has evenly spaced posts supporting horizontal slabs, and two inner circles. The entire structure is orientated towards the exact point where the sun rises on the day of summer solstice.

In North America art takes the form of land manipulations like the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio. 300 BCE BCE

In South America large geoglyphs are carved into the desert floor.

These are called the Nazca Lines and believed to have been made between 200 BCE and 700 ACE. These lines are actually shallow designs in the ground where reddish pebbles that cover the surrounding landscape are removed, revealing the whitish earth underneath. The dry, windless, stable climate of the plateau preserved the lines to this day.

Remember I said it was in the Near Middle East where the first cites and towns are born, well they are not just born but flourish here. It’s the trade routes in Mesopotamia that really allow for the growth of a rich culture.

Large structures called ziggurats are built around 1250BCE

But the structure you probably know the best are the ones built by one of the longest reining civilizations in history, The Egyptians. The first dynasty starts around 3000 BCE

You can see the progression of their art over the long period of their reign.

Palette of King Narmer- they were just learning to use bronze tools, Upper and lower Egypt emerge as rival Kingdoms. The struggle ends with upper Egypt conquering the Lower Egyptian Kings. Narmer is one of these Kings, above is a ceremonial plate depicting his victory BCE

Pyramids of Giza 2470 BCE 2500 BCE and 2530 BCE

The Egyptians had a way of stylizing art. They didn’t use realistic figures in their depictions. v=FJbkxns8kvg

But the Greeks took what they could from Egypt and built upon this…