back to: introduction Venus of Willendorf Paleolithic Europe relief stone carving 30,000-15,000 B.C.

Chapter 1: The Beginnings of Art Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic -Paleolithic-40,000-10,000 BC -Mesolithic-10,000-8000 BC -Neolithic-8000-3000 BC Paleolithic art -First signs of Man appeared in Africa @ 2 million years ago. Tool use @1 million. earliest examples of Western art appeared as glaciers retreated. -Venus of Willendorf-carved limestone, c. 30,000-15,000 BC. Because of the importance of fertility, (infant mortality rates were high making it a necessity to have many children for survival) probably a fertility symbol. Done in the round versus in relief. Cave Art (Lascaux) -murals at Lascaux. Normally, Paleolithic man did not portray humans in painting. Most are animals. Based on observation. Probably done by blowing pigment through a pipe. Pigment -ground color used with a vehicle or binder on a support. Cave art often uses the contours of the cave to define the form of the animal. Leon Battista Alberti, an Italian Renaissance aesthetician, believed that man first created images through association. The surface of the wall may have inferred the shape then the artist would "perfect" an image. The works at Lascaux seem to confirm Alberti's "image by accident" theory. Mesolithic period -Marked by a series of migrations with a movement toward agriculture and fishing. More interest in agriculture and more permanent communities.

Stonehenge Neolithic England architecture @ 8,000 B.C.

Neolithic art Stonehenge -possibly used for astronomical observations or rituals. It is the earliest example of public art in N. Europe. Megaliths -menhirs-(long) single unhewn or slightly sculpted -dolmens-(table) two or more verticals with a horizontal -cromlechs-(circle) menhirs in a circle or semi-circle (words taken from Celtic language) Post and Lintel Construction -two upright columns and one lintel cross-piece. Basic construction method from which other methods grew. The Ancient Near East in the Neolithic Era (c. 7000-4500/4000 BC) -transition from a hunter/gatherer society to an agrarian society. Jericho -Oldest known city-8000 BC. Jericho skulls had replications of the deceased sculpted onto skull. Ancestor-worship. ‚atal Huyuk -deliberate plan. rooftop walkways/no streets. preliterate (no known language)

Great Pyramids at Giza Ancient Egyptian limestone architecture 2570-2530 B.C. Nefertiti Ancient Egyptian painted limestone sculpture 1360 B.C

Ancient Egypt -Lasted about 2500 years, longer than the time from Christ's birth to today. -began about 3000 BC when Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt. -Old Kingdom-2700-2100 BC -Middle Kingdom-2100-1700 BC -New Kingdom-1600-1000 BC -525 BC Persians conquered Egypt, 332 BC Alexander the Great Palette of Narmer- ritual object, c. 2700 BC, slate -Egyptian artistic conventions use a hierarchical order. either side or frontal views are used in Egyptian style for simplification and a "readable" orderly style. -Narmer is in the center of the palette, and is largest figure. Writing -hieroglyphics-picture wriring that is not as abstract as cuneiform. Religion -Egyptians believed in polytheism (many gods). -Death and the preparation for death was an integral part of Egyptian life. Objects and images of the dead person were put in the tomb so the ka (soul), of the person could enter into it. Proper embalming was essential. The jackal-headed god, Anibus was the embalmer of the dead. It was his duty to take the heart of the deceased and weigh it against the Feather of Truth before Osiris, god of the Underworld, and 42 other gods. If the heart was lighter than the Feather of Truth, the ka entered into a contented afterlife. Monumental Architecture Mastabas were early pyramids. The Great Pyramids at Giza- 2570-2530 BC, limestone -located on the east side of the Nile. -four sides correlate to the four compass points. -interiors had a number of different chambers, some false -also at Giza was the Great Sphinx, half human/half animal Temple of Queen Hatshepsut- 1480 BC, Sandstone and rock -Built right into the solid rock. Sculpture and Painting -adhered to rigid sculptural conventions or canons (rules) Bust of Nefertiti- 1360 BC, painted limestone -done in Akhenaten's Style (more naturalistic). It reflected the reign of Akhenaten who made massive changes in religion and society.

Stele of Hammurabi Mesopotamian relief stone carving 1760 B.C., Sumerian

Mesopotamia Sumerian Culture -between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq. During this period there was a move toward urbanization. Metals and wheel pottery are found during this period. -Ziggurats-Early form of pyramid. included rooms called cella. Load bearing construction. Inside were cylinder seals. An example of Glyptic art (in intaglio-incised) -Cuneiform-earliest known writing in stone or clay tablets. Story of Gilgamesh-heroic figure of Mesopotamia. -Ur-ziggurat and Lyre soundbox with lapis lazuli carvings. 2500 BC. Babylonian civilization (c. 1900-539 BC) -Stele of Hammurabi-earliest known written laws to protect the weak from the stronger. -Ishtar Gate and the Hanging gardens were built in Babylon Assyrian civilization (c. 1100-612 BC) -Dying Lioness-limestone from the Palace of Sargon II, 720 BC Persia (539-331 BC) -Persepolis-"city of the Persians" built by Darius the Great, covered 6 acres. The Persians were defeated by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. The Athenian Greeks defeated Xerxes, son of Darius, at the Battle of Salamis, to end Persian political influence. This defeat made all of Greece indebted to Athens.

Li Ting Shang Dynasty bronze vessel 14th C. B.C.-China

China: Shang Dynasty, 1766-1111 B.C. -first recorded Chinese history -had a god/king like Egypt -early Chinese life appears to be steeped in ritual -only art was found among ruling class Lost Wax Bronze Casting This process involves making a wax form, covering it with an investment material (usually a lime, plaster, sand combination) to make a mold, firing the invested mold until it solidifies (wax burns out), after cooling, molten bronze is poured into the empty mold, and breaking away the mold after the bronze has cooled.

Mask of Agamemnon Mycenean golden death mask 1350 B.C. An example of repousee. A process that involves hammering metal.

Minoan and Mycenean Art Minoan Civilization -3000-1500 BC -on island of Crete, halfway between Egypt and Greece in Mediterranean -found by Sir Arthur Evans, who consulted myths to find it and Troy -written language called Linear A, has not been deciphered, a later version called Linear B is associated with Early Greek language. Palace of Minos, Crete, 1600-1400 BC -place associated with the idea of a labyrinth. Probably the source of myths relating to the Labyrinth. Myth of the Minotaur- from Greek mythology, half man/half bull who lived at the center of the Labyrinth. Minoan Fresco-believed to be buon fresco (painting on fresh plaster) Mycenean Civilization -1600-1300 BC, home of Agamemnon-conqueror of Troy -used the Trojan Horse to enter Troy and defeat Trojans to rescue Helen -Citadels-had a number of rooms, one large one called a megaron Next study guide: Chapter 2