Dr. Schiller: AP History of Art. Global Prehistoric Art:

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1 Dr. Schiller: AP History of Art Global Prehistoric Art:

2 What is Prehistoric Art?

3 What is the meaning of Prehistoric Art? can t know for sure!

4 What is the meaning of Prehistoric Art? can t know for sure! Prehistoric art: predates the invention of writing Can only theorize So most speculative area of art history.

5 What is the meaning of Prehistoric Art? can t know for sure! Prehistoric art: predates the invention of writing ( prehistory : before writing) Can only theorize, so most speculative area of art history For our purposes, prehistoric period divided into: Paleolithic Neolithic:

6 Paleolithic: ~30,000 BCE to ~7,000 BCE The Old Stone Age Neolithic: ~7,000/2,000 BCE after Paleolithic period, still prehistoric, but farming and animal husbandry have begun beginning of Neolithic varies place to place The New Stone Age

7 Makapansgar pebble: Discovered with bones of australopithecus Approximately 3,030,000 BCE Resembles human face But no modification by humans! To be art, it must have been modified by human intervention beyond mere selection

8 Paleolithic Art

9 PALEOLITHIC ART: PAINTING Apollo ll stones, Namibia (seven slabs of rock with traces of animal figures that were found in the Apollo 11 Cave)

10 1.Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Apollo ll stones, Namibia 4. Paleolithic, Africa 5. Date of creation: 26,000-24,000 BCE 6. Media: painted (charcoal, ochre, white) stone slabs of brown-grey quartzite [Note: the white comes from ground up calcite] 7. Special facts: The oldest scientifically-dated rock art in Africa memorable/named after Apollo moon landing 8. Visual Analysis: twisted perspective, solid animal shape, thin legs, no facial features, only texture from stone medium, no background, dark silhouette contrasting with lighter background, unity-one animal, abstract yet representationa 9. Contextual Analysis: maybe felines and/or bovids; one in particular has been observed to be either a zebra, giraffe or ostrich, demonstrating the ambiguous nature of the depictions/art has roots in Africa

11 Hall of the Bulls (left wall), Lascaux Cave, France,

12 1.Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Great Hall of the Bulls. Lascaux, France. 4. Paleolithic/France 5. Date of creation: 15,000-13,000 BCE 6. Media: ochre painted on cave ceiling 7. Special facts: Most famous cave painting. Has one human image (painted images of humans are very rare in Paleolithic art,

13 1.Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 8. Visual Analysis: No vegetation or illustration of the environment is portrayed around the animals/twisted perspective 9. Contextual Analysis: most of the paintings depict local animals like horses, bison, mammoths, ibex, aurochs, deer, lions, bears, wolves. The depicted animals comprise both species that would have been hunted and eaten (such as deer and bison) as well as those that were feared predators (such as lions, bears, and wolves).

14 WHAT ELSE CAN WE SEE IN THIS PAINTING? PERSPECTIVE Use of twisted perspective: a convention of representation in which part of a figure is seen in profile and another part of the same figure frontally. 1.side view of head but can see both sets of legs 2.brings out movement, sturdiness of animal 3.twisted perspective very important in cave art

15 Context: The location of the Lascaux caves themselves already show that humans were moving from Africa out into Europe and beyond. All the animals in Lascaux were painted with natural dyes and pigments, from this we can tell people were aware of their surroundings enough to mix them and create color. The overlapping nature of the animals also suggests that these paintings were a continuous effort, possibly involving more than one person. This meant, that people were beginning to settle enough to keep returning to certain areas enough to paint them and, that those people kept in groups. The subject choice of animals, however, shows people at the time were still more impacted by the natural world and food sources than their own forming societies. 15

16 Chinese Horse from Lascaux

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18 PALEOLITHIC PAINTING When people think of cave paintings, they tend to think of walking into a cave and immediately seeing a big painting on the wall.

19 But many of the cave paintings are very hard to get to, far from the cave mouths. So what was the purpose of cave paintings?

20 List of reasons possible reasons for cave paintings: 1) Record of events? 2) Sympathetic magic? 3) Teaching tool? 4) Decoration? 5) Mythology? 6) Fertility?

21 ILLUSTRATION OF SYMPATHETIC MAGIC: THE MAN HOPES HE KILLS THE BULL/THE BULL HOPES HE KILLS THE MAN

22 Could this work have been intended as a teaching tool? Wounded bison attacking man, Lascaux Cave, France, ca. 15,000-13,000 BCE, largest bull approx long Gardner, plate 1-13

23 PROBABLY NOT! Because it was found down a very deep well (16 feet) at the back of a series of difficult-to-reach caves

24 Ibex-headed spear thrower, from Le Mas d Azil, Ariége, France, 16, BCE, carved antler, 11 5/8 long An ibex is a wild goat.

25 Define what similarities you find in color and composition and emotional effect. Art changes, but it doesn t get better. Marc Chagall, I and the Village, 1911, oil on canvas Gardner, plate 33-52

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28 Camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine. Tequixquiac, central Mexico, 14,000-7,000 BCE, Bone 28

29 Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine,tequixquiac, central Mexico 4. Paleolithic/Mexico 5. Date of creation: 14,000-7,000 BCE 6. Media: sculpture: carved and incised bone 7. Special facts: one of the earliest cultural artifacts to have ever come to light in Mesoamerica. Carved from the sacrum of a now extinct American relative of the camel, its original use remains unknown. Most 8. Visual famous Analysis: cave painting. The Has shape one human was image created (painted by using subtractive techniques and utilizing already apparent features in the bone, like the holes for eyes. 9. Contextual Analysis: carved to look like an ancient dog and thought to be used a a mask in ceremonies 29

30 Context: As hunters, early people had access to bones and the materials to carve them with. It was a first look at how people began manipulating their environment to created what they wanted. The reason why this bone was chosen could be because it already resembled the shape of a canine face or, it was because the artist(s) had already developed beliefs about the sacrum in relation to reproductive organs or the fact that it holds up the spine. Since it's accepted that this bone may have been a mask used in ceremony, the fact that it's an animal face shows us that people were still influenced by the other creatures in their environment and often connected them with spirituality. People at the time had even begun domesticating dogs, perhaps resulting in the chosen subject. 30

31 Neolithic Art

32 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Running Horned Woman 4. Neolithic/Tassilin' Ajjer, Algeria 5. Date of creation: 6,000-4,000 BCE 6. Media: ochre painted on a rock wall 7. Special facts: illustrates humans instead of animals/ overlapping nature of the paintings also indicates that the smaller people could have been painted first and the larger woman painted over, which would require somewhat settled people to return to the painting and also, maybe, different artists 8. Visual Analysis: Style: The painting shows great contrast between the dark and light mediums used. There is also great detail put into the decorations of the woman. Most interestingly, though, there is a transparency to the larger woman and the figures behind her show through. 9. Contextual Analysis: a large, horned woman running among a crowd of other human figures. There are also what seem to be ornaments decorating the woman's body and a raincloud over her head. 32

33 Context: The most noticeable aspect of this painting is that it illustrates humans instead of animals. Perhaps the painting is relaying that the survival of the human race started to rely more on organized, settled groups of people rather than animals. With the archeological searches in the area, it has been found that the area was, in fact, inhabited by several generations. There is also some thought that, because of the several headless figures scattered throughout, the painting actually was depicting some sort of event. This was the very start of the idea that art could be used to document historical events, and, that the people of this time were already figuring that out. The large woman's ceremonial dress supports this. The only thing that still remains animistic and natural about the painting is the woman's horns (still showing symbolic spiritualism to animals) and the apparent raincloud above her (and possible rainbow below her, held by another figure) shows that people were still very much involved and inspired by their natural environment. They could still be very dependent on it as well, the rain cloud shows their need for the rain to provide them with water and allow their crops to grow. 33

34 Beaker with ibex motifs. Susa, Iran 34

35 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Beaker with ibex motifs 4. Neolithic/Susa, Iran 5. Date of creation: 4,200-3,500 BCE 6. Media: ceramic sculpture (pottery)/painted with mineral and plant paint and incised terra cotta 7. Special facts: one of first ceramic pieces, made from clay. 8. Visual Analysis: The painting might have been done with small brushes made from plant material or human or animal hair/ The design applies linear movement and lines, as well as animal shapes, circles, and exact parallelism around the vessel. 9. Contextual Analysis: The vessel portrays a Ibex, a type of goat native to the area, and also canine figures along the rim. At the time, dogs were used to hunt animals 35 like Ibexes.

36 Context: The existence of ceramic art meant that people were beginning to further manipulate their environment: they had to know where to find clay, sculpt it, and make and control a fire. Another reason ceramics came into existence: storage, which meant that people were starting to settle down, farm and store their crops in vessels like this one to survive or even create a surplus of food. The delicate painting designs give this vessel value, yet it was found around the area of an ancient, excavated gravesite. This meant that the people at Susa had a belief in the afterlife and might have buried valuables with people who had died, similar to the ancient Egyptians. The city of Susa might have even been a trading city with connections and cultural transfers with Egypt.

37 Anthropomorphic stele. Arabian Peninsula. Fourth millenium BCE (4,000-3,000 BCE) 37

38 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Anthropomorphic stele 4. Neolithic?/Arabian Peninsula 5. Date of creation: 4,000-3,000 BCE 6. Media: Sculpture carved from sandstone 7. Special facts: possibly headstone or honorific stele 8. Visual Analysis: Very stylized but still a very general shape of a human but has facial features and distinct clothing. 9. Contextual Analysis: Has a male image and carries knives in sheaths across the chest and a knife tucked into a belt. 38

39 Context: These figures were thought to mark graves like headstones or, in other cases, were simply used to honor someone of importance. They might have been used as rewards for heroic actions as well. In any case, this specific stone seems to represent a warrior, all the more reason to believe there were given out as an honor. These were also the first step in recognizing the individual in society, instead of just the collective, human group. 39

40 Jade cong, China. 3,300-2,200 BCE 40

41 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Jade cong 4. Neolithic/China 5. Date of creation: 3,300-2,200 BCE 6. Media: carved jade 7. Special facts: the Chinese placed value on Jade 8. Visual Analysis: This piece was carved subtractively and incised from the semiprecious stone of jade. It holds a circular shape inside its square one. There is great precision in the decoration as well 9. Contextual Analysis:decorative carvings, unique shape, and symbolic purpose. 41

42 Context: cong: In form, a cong is a tube with a circular inner section and squarish outer section. The outer surface is divided vertically or horizontally such that the whole defines a hollow cylinder embedded in a partial rectangular block. Proportions vary - a cong may be squat or taller than it is wide. The outer faces are sometimes decorated with mask-like faces Even though the people of the ancient times could not have know that China was one of the only places in the world to find a surplus of jade, it seems they still placed value on the carved pieces that were made from it. The stone might have held spiritual or symbolic meanings to the early cultures of China. Many similar congs have been found and are thought to perhaps been monetary value for trade, ornamental, or just 42 reserved for high people in the early societies.

43 Nude woman ( Venus of Willendorf ) ca. 25,000 BCE, limestone, ~4 high, Willendorf, Austria Gardner, plate 1-4

44 Also discovered in Europe (Germany)

45 NOTICE THESE WORKS: Artist built up the relief out of clay, rather than cutting into stone This technique is called modeling Smoothed the surface and then engraved heads and mane with a burin Cracks from drying process

46 Neolithic Monumental Sculpture * As early as 5,000 BCE have found monumental sculpture * Stones so big that historians call them megaliths

47 Neolithic Monumental Sculpture The henge (also called a cromlech) was a circular arrangement of stones

48 Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, aerial view, ca. 2,550-1,600 BCE. Circle is 97 in diameter; stones approx. 24 high.

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50 Standing apart and to the east is the heel-stone, which marked the point where the sun rose at midsummer solstice if you were looking outward from center

51 Aerial view of Stonehenge 51

52 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Stonehenge 4. Neolithic/Wiltshire, UK 5. Date of creation: 2,500-1,6000-BCE 6. Media: The stones are believed to be from local quarries and farther off mountains. There is also evidence of mud, wood, and ropes assisting in the construction of the site. 7. Special facts: Stonehenge is a famous site know for its large circles of massive stones in a seemingly random location as well as the mystery surrounding how and why it was built/post-and-lintel style still used today 52

53 8. Visual Analysis: The site was believed to be built starting with the inner most circle first and then built outwards. The stones were kept in a brick-like shape, it is thought, so they could be easily quarried. There is evidence, however, that the tops of the upright stones were tapered to provide the correct perspective. The most important element of the design is still the trilithon construction pattern which involved two megaliths vertically supporting a horizontal lintel that lays across them 9. Contextual Analysis:decorative carvings, unique shape, and symbolic purpose. 53

54 Context: Although nothing is sure about the purpose of Stonehenge, there are certain influences that could have inspired its construction. One being it's ability to act as a seasonal and astronomical calendar. Apparently, neolithic people were observant enough of natures cosmic and seasonal patterns to construct a site that warns them of the changing environment. This would help them better prepare and survive their changing world. The site could have also been a ceremonial temple. In any case, it still shows the extent at which early humans were able to manipulate their surroundings for their beliefs and ultimate benefit. 54

55 The Ambum Stone 55

56 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. The Ambum Stone 4. Neolithic/ Ambum Valley, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea 5. Date of creation: c. 1,500 BCE 6. Media: subtractive sculpted Greywacke stone (hard, dark sandstone) 7. Special facts: Since this statuette was found out in the Polynesian islands, it can be inferred that early people were able to develop some nautical sense and develop civilizations on far off land bits. That fact really encompasses the fact that humans were spread through the entire world by the neolithic period. 8. Visual Analysis: With intense use of subtractive sculpting, this piece achieves a freestanding neck and head while still maintaining much of the original shape of th stone. It still uses natural materials and depicts a natural animal. 9. Contextual Analysis: This is a sculpture of some sort of anteater-like creature made from a very rounded stone. 56

57 Tlatilco female figurine. 57

58 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Tlatilco female figurine. 4. Neolithic/Central Mexico, site of Tlatilco 5. Date of creation: 1, BCE 6. Media: modelled ceramic female figure, figure is decorated and was once painted 7. Special facts: Why the two heads? Don t know. 8. Visual Analysis: With intense use of subtractive sculpting, this piece achieves a freestanding neck and head while still maintaining much of the original shape of th stone. It still uses natural materials and depicts a natural animal. 9. Contextual Analysis: A ceramic female figure, this statuette has large hips and legs and two faces or heads. 58

59 Context: This figurine has emphasis on her lower half and for some reason, two heads. The statuette's location, however, does say something about how far humanity has traveled from the cave paintings in Africa and Europe, both literally and artistically. The piece also stands as foreshadowing of the great civilizations that develop in south and Meso-America and the art that is produced.

60 Terra cotta fragment. Lapita 60

61 1. Global Prehistory, 30, BCE 3. Terra cotta fragment. Lapita 4. Neolithic/Solomon Islands, Reef Islands 5. Date of creation: 1,000 BCE 6. Media: incised terra cotta is decorated and was once painted 7. Special facts: The term Lapita refers to an ancient Pacific culture that archaeologists believe to be the common ancestor of the contemporary cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and some areas of Melanesia. The culture takes its name from the site of Lapita in New Caledonia, one of the first places in which its distinctive pottery was discovered 61

62 8. Visual Analysis: Lapita art is best known for its ceramics, which feature intricate repeating geometric patterns that occasionally include anthropomorphic faces and figures. The patterns were incised into the pots before firing with a comblike tool used to stamp designs into the wet clay. Each stamp consisted of a single design element that was combined with others to form elaborate patterns. 9. Contextual Analysis:Many Lapita ceramics are large vessels thought to have been used for cooking, serving, or storing food. Some of the designs found on Lapita pottery may be related to patterns seen in modern Polynesian tattoos and barkcloth. In addition to vessels, a number of freestanding pottery figures depicting anthropomorphic and zoomorphic subjects have been unearthed at Lapita 62 sites, as well as a single bone image representing a stylized human figure.

63 Key terms Global Prehistoric Unit

64 1. paleolithic 2. neolithic 3. human intervention: some sort of action taken by one or more humans, not just by nature 4. ochre 5. twisted perspective 6. silhouette 7. abstract 8. representational 9. depiction 10. sympathetic magic 11. fertility 12. spear-thrower 13. sacrum 14. canine 15. incised 16. subtractive technique 17. domesticating 18. transparency 19. spiritualism 20. ibex 21. ceramic 22. pottery 23. terra cotta 24. parallelism 25. manipulate 26. anthropomorphic 27. stele 28. honorific 29. cong 30. jade

65 31.burin 32. modeling 33. hand imprint 34. megalith 35. monumental 36. domen 37. henge 38. post-and-lintel 39. solstice 40. trilithon construction