Pre-Historic Paleolithic Mesolithic Neolithic Artist as Magician
Paleolithic- Old Stone Age Mesolithic-Middle Stone Age Earliest form of craft seen Connecting form and function Shaped rock to meet needs as tools Earliest form of ART- 35,000 years ago During the time of the last Ice Age Objects found mostly in Africa, Spain and southern France People were nomadic and lived in caves or over hanging rocks Artwork was completed for ritualistic purposes Artists because they first asked the questions: What shall be my subject? How shall I represent it?
Altamira- -Images are incised or painted onto rock-often use natural projections of the rock to fit the drawing -bison is lifelike due to shading and roundness -animals only- no landscape backgrounds -painted from ocre and ash from the surroundings- used as much as 3 colors Altamira, Wounded Bison All pre-historic art is presented in strict profile- why?
Lascaux, France Pictures are drawn far inside the caves, away from entrances, sites used for centuries Pictures are superimposed- no separation between image and reality Once the animal has been killed, the spirit has been killed and a new animal is drawn on top Purpose of the drawings were to lure animals for the hunt-they were scarce
-wanted fertility both for animals and for themselves (this MAY be an example) -small figures carved from naturally shaped rocks -central point in the design, the navel is a natural crevice in the rock Only 4 inches tall Name is misleading Venus of Willendorf, Austria
Neolithic- New Stone Age 8000 BC- Near East Ice age receded around 9000BC Began with the onset of farming- domestication of animals and food grains Still used stone tools Created permanent settlements- new crafts- pottery, weaving, spinning, architecture
Jericho- first evidence of monumental architecture- why? -Actual human skull- face has been recreated and tinted, decorated with seashells -strong individuality- but not really portraits of specific people -meant to perpetuate life beyond death -displayed above ground, rest of body was buried- first recognition of belief of life beyond death -believed in a spirit, located in the head that remained after death- these heads were meant to trap spirits in their graves (MAYBE!!) Sculptured Head, Jericho, 7000 BC
Catal Huyak, Turkey 7000-5000 BC -Lived in houses of mud and brick centered around courtyards -no streets or doors- people entered through the roof -large number of shrines -plaster walls with paintings- 1st known artwork on man-made surface, no more actual hunts- everything is ritual- in honor of male and female deities
Landscape drawing of Catal Huyuk -1st evidence of goddess worship- mountains always shown in profile-MAYBE -definitely 1st painting depicting a landscape devoid of animals and people -houses shown from above- both a map and a landscape
Stone Henge, 3000 BC Neolithic Europe not as advanced- Megaliths- large stone structures solely for religious purposes Megalithic- culture that produces megaliths Made up of Dolmens- tombs with upright stones, slab roof (lintel) Cromlechs-other stones that form a setting Outer circle and 2 inner circles with a center altar Oriented towards the point at which the sun rises on the Summer Solstice
Mound Builders, North America Totems of animals from a specific tribe- echos the natural formation of the land. Mound Builders, North America