Prehistoric Era - ART Flashcards
This is the Prehistoric Era of art - Not only background knowledge but examples of artworks and how to interpret them.
Prehistoric History (before c. 3000BCE)
Refers to the time before written history. In the west, writing was invented in Ancient Mesopotamia just before c. 3000 BCE - so this period includes visual culture (paintings, sculpture and architecture) made before that date.
- Paleolithic or “Old Stone Age”
- Mesolithic or “Middle Stone Age”
- Neolithic or “New Stone Age”
Neolithic revolution
One of the most profound developments in all of human history, occurs during Prehistoric Era.
Where our ancestors learned to farm/domesticate animals + settle down to build up cities/civilisations
Representational imagery
Fine arts depicting or attempting to depict objects, scenes, figures directly as they are seen - naturalistic
Oldest Art from this era?
Most come from Africa dating back 100 000 BCE. 82 000 years ago Nassarius snail shells found in Morocco were pierced and covered in red ochre.
OLDEST CAVE PAINTINGS = 40 800 years ago… Used to think only Homo Sapiens Sapiens made art - anthropologist now speculate that Neanderthals may have made at least SOME of these very early images
Neolithic art - Changes in lifestyle had what effect on the art work?
Changed the way humans related to nature - started to control nature (building farms etc)
Statues became bigger as they no longer had to carry them around.
Pottery became more widespread (used in farming and to store things etc)
architecture first appeared in both interior/exterior forms.
Examples of Neolithic Art
Stonehedge was built during this era
Plaster skulls were found around Levant. Originally thought to be a means of preserving/worshipping male ancestors - however, now scholars believe that it was more of a way to aid the mourning process.
Neolithic Era - changes on people
Nomadic to settlers. Humans began to externalize their thoughts - communicate using language.
Important steps in the Journey towards the invention of writing
PICTOGRAM: a drawing that depicts the physical object it represents. (a river is depicted via a squiggly line)
IDEOGRAM: a conceptual picture of an abstract idea. (middle, calm, dangerous - something that is hard to represent in a mere picture)
Ancient Mesopotamians used both of these in their invention of writing.
How did “writing” begin during the Prehistoric/Neolithic period.
Our ancestors used natural materials to create a picture representation of their reality - they used paintings and cave drawings to communicate or leave messages.
sounds + sounds = new meaning.
Common Themes of Cave Paintings
Animals
Hand-prints: signature, story, ritual calling.
Features of the Paleolithic Era
- development of the Homo Sapiens
- Nomadic hunters and gatherers who sheltered in caves, used fire and fashioned stone tools.
- Upper Paleolithic ~ communal hunting, constructed shelters and belief systems centring on supernatural and magic.
- rock carvings & paintings reached their peak in Magdalenian culture(Cro-magnon people)
Features of Mesolithic Era
- began at end of last glacial era over 10 000 years ago
- gradual domestication of plants/animals, formation of settled communities, use of bow, development of delicate stone microliths and pottery
Features of Neolithic Era
- time periods & cultural content vary with geographical location
- earliest known culture developed from Natufian in southwest Asia 9000-7000 BCE. They lived in villages, cultivated and domesticated plants and animals, pottery, spinning, weaving.
- evolved into the civilizations of the Bronze Age
- Led to Aztec and Inca civilizations…
STONE AGE ART EXAMPLES
- “Female Figurine” 23000- 21000 BCE. Found in Russia, Kostenky Settlement, made out of Limestone.
- “Bird Figurine” 22nd-21st millenium BCE, Siberia Malta, Made from mammoth ivory.
- “Hall of Bulls” 15000-13000 BCE, made by Cro-Magnon People in a cave at Lascaux France (paintings)
- cave paintings in spain, cave at Altamira 15000-12000 BCE
