Introduction to Art History Grade Nine Open

1. Introduction to Art HistoryGrade Nine Open Paleolithic - Egyptian

2. Why create art?The Top 5 Reasons: • Utility – to be useful • Religion – to be symbolic • Politics – to make a political statement • Information – to tell a story about an event etc. • Aesthetics – to be beautiful

3. What does our art say about us? • Art can tell you so much about the attitudes, beliefs and environment of the people creating it! • Art work of the past helps us to better understand history

4. Paleolithic Art • Paleolithic means Old Stone Age. It refers to the time before 10,000 B.C. • Paleolithic people made art using organic materials or materials from the earth • Ex. Red and Yellow ochre, blood, soot, hair, bones • Paleolithic people were nomadic, meaning the followed herds of animals for survival.

5. Paleolithic People continued • Because these people were always traveling, their artwork had to be small and easy to transport • Survival was the most important thing for Paleolithic people • Since the herds were so important to their survival, bison, horses, and deer are the most common subjects in their work

6. Let’s take a look at some art work created by the Paleolithic People …

7. Cave Paintings • Early paintings designed by Paleolithic people have been discovered on cave walls in France and Spain. • Over 350 ‘art caves’ have been discovered • The two famous sites are Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain.

8. Cave Paintings continued • Cave paintings were completed in the dark • They are primitive and stylized – meaning we recognize what the subject is through basic characteristics, but the work is not realistic

9. Cave Painting at Altamira

10. Cave Painting at Altamira

11. Cave Painting at Lascaux

12. Cave Painting at Lascaux

13. One Theory Suggests … • The Paleolithic people held a belief now called Sympathetic Magic • Some art historians believed that cave paintings were part of a ritual • Once the animal had been drawn on the cave wall, the artist had captured the animal’s spirit, making it easier to hunt that animal

14. Not just painters … • The Paleolithic people also created sculpture • These tiny sculptures are now called Carved Charms. • Art historians believe that the Paleolithic people used these objects as good luck charms

15. Venus of Willendorf, 25,000 BC • Item is small (11 cm) to be transportable • Venus is a carved charmthat was believed to bring fertility to the carrier • Since survival was most important at this time a voluptuous, fertile female figure would be most desirable

16. Time for a group activity! • In your groups, come up with at least threeenvironmental factors that influenced the art work of the Paleolithic people

17. Neolithic Art • Neolithic means New Stone Age and refers to the time period between 8,000 and 3,000 BC • The Neolithic people began agricultural (farming) societies and could grow their own food, therefore, they could begin to settle • They began to build permanent structures that were, at times, very large

18. Neolithic homes • These are replica Neolithic homes • Neolithic people built homes, tombs and monuments • Homes like these were built using wattle and daub technology where wattles (stakes) were woven and held into place using daub (clay and sand)

19. Neolithic homes continued • There’s evidence that Neolithic people built furnishings for their homes

20. Neolithic tools • Neolithic people developed tools for tending, harvesting and processing crops • These included sickle blades and grinding stones • They also domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs

21. But the most famous Neolithic structure is … Can you spot the clue?

22. Stonehenge

23. Stonehenge, 2,000 BC • Comes from 2,000 BC • It is an example of Neolithic architecture • It uses post and lintel construction where a horizontal lintel sits on top of two posts • Large stone structures like these are called megaliths • There’s a lot of mythology surrounding the construction of Stonehenge

24. Time for a group activity! • In your groups, come up with at least twoenvironmental factors that influenced the art work of the Neolithic people

25. Meanwhile, by the Nile River… • The civilization of ancient Egyptians began as a Neolithic community of the Nile River • Egyptians further developed their farming methods by building irrigation canals and domesticating animals to use for power • Small communities grouped together for protection and to share resources • Ancient Egyptians found ways to make metals, for example, they made bronze by mixing copper found in rock with tin

26. The environment of Ancient Egyptians • The Nile River was the most important thing to ancient Egyptians • It rises and falls at the same time every year • When the water recedes, it leaves fertile soil along its banks • Settlements were protected by mountains to the south, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and desert on both sides • The climate is very hot and dry

27. The religion of Ancient Egyptians • Egyptians believed in reincarnation, or, life after death • This belief was influenced by the rise and fall of the Nile, which represented a cycle of life and death • They believed every person had a Ka, or double life force • The Ka fled the body at death and returned to join with the deceased in the afterlife

28. The religion of Ancient Egyptians • Bodies were mummified to preserve them from decay so the Ka could recognize its physical body • The Egyptians believed that furniture, carvings and offerings put in the tombs would be used in the afterlife • The King, or pharaoh, was a supreme ruler in the earliest period of Egyptian history and became a god after he died

29. Ancient Egyptian Architecture • Huge monuments were built as burial tombs • Stone was plentiful; it was floated down the Nile during flood season, and moved overland using ramps and rollers

30. Step Pyramid of King Zoser,2,600 BC • This is the earliest large-scale stone structure ever built (2,600 BC) • It has a series of six steps made of slabs called mastabas • The architect’s name was Imhotep

31. The Pyramids of Giza, 2,570 BC • These pyramids were built as burial places for three Pharaohs • They were once part of a huge complex • Pyramids were once encased with pure white limestone with a gold pyramidium on the top • The stones weigh 15-17 tons and are fit so closely together that a knife blade cannot be inserted between them

32. The Sphinx, 2,530 BC • Over 65’ high and 240’ long • Contains over 5-million tons of stone • Was originally plastered and painted • Represents the head of pharaoh Chefren and the body of a lion

33. Ancient Egyptian Sculpture • Statues of the dead were placed in the tomb for Ka to identify its body • The names of the dead were inscribed on the statues using hieroglyphs – Egyptian writing • The style of Egyptian sculpture is called cubic, which means the statues are blocky and heavy and still kind of look like a block of stone • The sculptor drew on all four sides, then carved inwards until all aspects met

34. Mycerinus and His Wife – 2,470 BC • Faces are idealized, not portraits of the real people • Faces are expressionless and eyes stare straight ahead • Sculpture still has the ‘blocky’ quality of the stone from which it was carved • Left legs step forward into the afterlife • There is no open space between them

35. Katep and His Wife, • These people were not a king and queen, but rather noble people of the court • This sculpture is an example of art of the common people • These statues were painted

36. Seated Scribe, • Scribes were very important people and held an honoured position in Egyptian society • This statue was buried with the King to help him in the afterlife • His face and pose are idealized • Statue represents a scribe, but is not in the likeness of a real person

37. Head of Queen Nefertiti, 1,360 BC • Nefertiti was a beautiful woman • The artist lengthened her neck and skull to make her appear even more beautiful and graceful • The eyes are inlaid with quartz to make them appear more life-like

38. Death Mask of King Tutankhamon(“King Tut”), 1,324 BC • King Tut is famous because his tomb was the only one discovered untouched by grave robbers • The mask would cover the face of the mummy • It’s made of solid gold • The mummy of King Tut was found inside three coffins: one stone, one wood and the inner one of solid gold • The tomb was filled with many rich objects, many made of solid gold • King Tut’s tomb gives us an idea of just how wealthy and powerful the kings of Egypt were

39. Ancient Egyptian Painting • Paintings were placed in the tombs to record the lifetime events of the dead and to provide spells and instructions for use in the afterlife • The painting style changed very little for over 3,000 years • The Egyptians feared change – they were afraid to anger the gods and risk disrupting the cycle of the Nile

40. Ancient Egyptian Painting continued • The Egyptian cannon refers to the style used again and again in Ancient Egyptian art work • Figures are placed in rows or registers • Human figure is stylized so that each feature is seen from its most recognizable viewpoint • The face is in profile while the eye is seen from the front • The upper body is turned towards the viewer, but the hips, legs and feet are turned to the side • This stylized way of showing the figure is called frontality • Areas of colour are flat with no value • Figures are surrounded by a dark outline • More important people are larger than less important people

41. The Book of the Dead, 1240 BC • This is a painting on papyrus, a very early paper made from a plant that grows by the side of the Nile • This book contains spells to help the dead return to the land of the living

42. The Book of the Dead, continued • In the centre, the god Anubis, who has the head of a jackal, supervises the weighing of a dead person’s heart on a scale • It is weighed against a feather to see if the person deserves tobe reborn • Toth, the owl god, records the results, while the ‘swallower of the dead’ awaits the verdict If interested, visithttp://interoz.com/egypt/bkofdead.htmfor a complete translation

43. Hunting Scenefrom King Tut’s Tomb, 1,324 BC • This painting shows King Tut and his servants in a battle and hunting scene • There is a great sense of movement • Desert plants and animals look scattered • The people look more stiff and formal than the animals

44. Back of King Tut’s Throne, 1,324 BC • This carved painting shows King Tut and the queen • It’s made of wood covered with a gold sheet, and inlaid with coloured glass and semi-precious stones • The queen is shown anointing the king with oil • It’s uncommon for Egyptian paintings to show this much interaction between figures