Primitive Art
Early Beginnings
Primitive Art
• The history of art begins at the start of man
in the caves where primitive humans lived.
• It has developed just as humans through out
the centuries.
• Most primitive art was created to record an
event or as a functional tool.
• The earliest cave paintings date
from 15,000 B.C.
• The artist made their own colors
from earth pigments.
• They even used primitive
scaffolding.
• Their brushes were mats of
moss or hair.
• Some of the paintings were very
large. Some animals were draw
16-20 feet long.
• The caves were lit using torches
or by burning animal fat on a
flat of dished stone. A primitive
lamp
Cave Paintings
• Carvings not cave paintings
Primitive
are the oldest form of art.
• Venus of Willendorf was
found in Austria and is
considered 25,000 years old.
• The small bulging figure
suggests abundant fertility
and a plentiful supply of food
which are the two foremost
needs of any society.
• Many of these figures have
been found in the ground.
Primitive people planted
them in an effort to guarantee
a good food supply.
Sculpture
Primitive Tools
• This lamp was found
in the same caves as
the paintings. It is an
example of a dished
lamp.
• They were used to
light the caves and to
help the artist see as
they painted.
• Notice the uses of
lines to decorate the
handle.