Term
| Pre-historic Art: General Info |
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Definition
- Canons: controversial, biased, but can be helpful for building common knowlege
- Concept of art having a history 1500 in Europe; ~6th century in China
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Earliest surviving art = N. Spain, S. France (Altamira and Lascaux)
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Ice age: seas rose filling caves previously above the waterline – Climate changes (example: entrance of the caves at Cosquer)
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Important figures: Marcelino Sanz de Sautola; daughter, exploring in backyard and found entrance to the caves.
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Stylistic Elements: Profile, twisted perspective, modeling (Chinese Horse only, essentially using light to make 3 dimensions), almost no humans depicted (exception: Lascaux), silhouette technique (spotted horses, handprints). Descriptive rather than visually accurate
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Term
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Definition
(12,000-11,000)
Altamira, Spain
Media – red or yellow ochre mixed w/ animal fat
Not oldest, 1st to be discovered
Marcelino Sanz de Sautola; daughter Maria exploring property, found entrance to cave
Thought at first they were forgeries; didn’t believe prehistoric humans could create such sophisticated drawings.
1900, confirmed as originals (important later to inspiration w/ 20th c. art)
No common ground line, overhead perspective and profile
Not seeking visual accuracy, but representational value
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Term
Spotted Horses and Negative Handprints
[image] |
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Definition
Pech-Merle, France
ca. 23,000-22,000 BCE
Unknown meaning; some think horses and handprints are "signatures" of community members or painters
Uses blowpipe technique (paint blown through tubes, against hand to create a negative image)
Compare to: Chinese Horses, (uses blowing technique in conjunction with outlining)
Typical portrayal of animals
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Term
Hall of the Bulls
[image]
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Definition
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c. (15,000-13,000)
Lascaux, France
Paintings are deep in the caves – significant to PURPOSE: not public, but perhaps decorative/religious, private
Almost exclusively animals, not often animals that herd together – not a “scene” or something the eye could see, more of an idea
Painted individually and at differing times
use both outline and silhouette techniques
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Term
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Definition
ca. (15,000-13,000)
Lascaux, France
Unique for its combination of silhouette/outline painting
Modeling – using light and shade to create 3 dimensions (assuming too much?)
Arrows: hunting for hide? Could be used to instruct how to hunt? Religious – sacrifice? We don't know.
Media – red or yellow ochre mixed w/ animal fat on a large flat stone, applied w/ reed/bristle brushes, silhouettes blown via blowpipes
Canvas = cave wall, often smoothed by scraping; adapt the subject matter
When discovered in the 19th century, believed to be created for aesthetic reasons, dismissed (reflects 19th century styles more than anything). |
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Term
Rhinoceros, wounded man and disemboweled bisons, painting in the well
[image]
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Definition
ca. 15,000-13,000
Lascaux, France
Painted DEEP inside the Lascaux caves (inside an obscure well)
Bull's anger — aggression toward man (horns, entrails)
Staff w/ duck top = indicates witch doctor, perhaps
Erect Penis used to identify male
Dawn of art coincides with the dawn of humankind itself
2 different kinds of humans competing – Cromagmen vs. Neanderthals
We are because we create art, paintings of us putting our stamp on the world |
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Chauvet, Three-tusked mammoth
[image]
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Definition
ca. (30,000-28,000) oldest cave paintings
discovered 1994
departure from stylistic traits – TRUE PROFILE wrt horns, etc. not twisted perspective More accurate representation – provides a more complete view
twisted perspective (omitted here, descriptive/optically realistic)
STILL, more interested in the IDEA of the thing vs. the thing itself
Carbon 14 used to date – measures amount of decayed carbon
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Human with a Feline Head
[image]
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Definition
from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany
(30,000-28,000)
Older than the majority of cave paintings
Carved from mammoth tusk
Considered unusually large for the time period
Unusual—no animal/human combinations at the time
Penis, male
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Term
Venus of Willendorf
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Definition
Willendorf, Austria
ca. (28,000-25,000)
Another exception; only 5-10% of art from this time depicts humans
Exaggerated qualities:
hair texture or hat texture
boobs, belly, pubic area
BUT other parts are lost to fertility:
Arms/legs shrunken
Sophisticated given the absence of tools |
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Term
Bison, clay relief
[image] |
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Definition
Tuc d'Audoubert, France
(15,000-10,000)
additive vs. subtractive relief: additive (like this one) stands out from a background; clay placed on top of rock
Not self-standing
Cave
Uusually large, two feet
incised outlines
Unusual for creating something by adding clay to clay
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Bison with turned head
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Definition
La Madeleine, France
ca. (12,000)
Subtractive: sculpt away at something
Conceptual vs. Descriptive
Creative use of the material (Reindeer antler); adapting the subject material to the media available
Picked a pose that allows us to see all the important features (e.g. face bent back) so it is recognizable
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