Prehistoric art
Cave Art to Stonehenge
UNIT CONCEPTS
The Stone Age man invented representational art.
It used quick and unsophisticated strokes.
Art for them was utilitarian in that it was used as a
form of magic or for religious purposes to gain control
over an hostile environment.
historical background
Paleolithic Age:
Paleo= old, lith= stone
Dates: 33,000-10,000 B.C.
Mesolithic Age:
Meso = middle
Dates: 10,000-8,000 B.C.
Neolithic Age:
map
altamira
Altamira was first discovered in 1868. In 1875, Don
Marcelino Sanz de Santuola started making
explorations.
It wasn’t until 1879, when he took his daughter,
Maria, with him that the cave art was discovered.
Being short, she looked up at the low ceiling and
discovered the cave art.
lascaux
On September 12,
1940, four French
teenagers made a great
discovery, the cave art
of Lascaux.
paleolithic art
They did not yet understand about agriculture,
therefore, all of their food they had to hunt or gather.
They had to move around a lot in order to eat.
They did not build homes or other structures. They
made some tents from animal skins, but mostly they
lived in caves or other natural shelters.
Some caves had more significance and they returned
there for generations.
Media
For brushes, they used
mosses or mats or hair.
Most of their pigment was
earth colors: reds, yellows,
and browns from easily
accessible materials. They
also used charcoal from
their fires.
naturalistic approach
The animals looked realistic. They used the contours of the walls to accentuate.
twisted perspective
The bodies of the bulls are facing sideways, but the heads
and the legs are twisted as if facing the hunters.
life’s mysteries
What are some of our life’s mysteries?
What are some of those deeper questions about life?
How do you find answers to these questions?
How does this art help them find meaning?
What does this art say about their culture?
Standing Bison
Altamira
Purposes of cave art
Length of period site used: If you look at the pictures,
the animals overlap. They are using the same walls
over and over and over again.
Chips and marks in the walls.
Magical purposes: Perhaps these paintings were made
as a ritual in preparation for the hunt. Perhaps the men
were seeking to gain some kind of magical control over
the animals.
Hall of Bulls, Lascaux
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/
hunter/artist
Hardly any men are
depicted. Why?
Does this theory lend
itself to the Well Scene?
Comments/theories
about Well Scene
sorcerer/ shaman
reindeer
paleolithic sculpture
Like painting, sculpture also represented things that
were important to them.
Most sculptures that have survived are made of
stone. Like the contours of cave painting, artists
looked for stones that had a shape resembling what
was to be sculpted. Example: Bison with Turned Head
Details were incised into the stone.
standing bison
What can we learn from this piece? How is this a reflection of society?
fertility
In a time when life-expectancy wasn’t very long, the
gift of birth must have seemed to be the ultimate
miracle.
Women were respected as the bearers of new life
Once again, by creating symbols, they hoped to gain
some control over these mystical events. Many,
many fertility symbols have been found from this time
period.
venus of willendorf
Venus symbolism
Venus was the Roman god of
beauty and love. Oftentimes
women sculptures are named
“Venus.”
No identity. No facial
features.
Conceptual Art. Small, skinny
arms over large breasts and
belly. Highly symbolic.
Women’s role in society.