Art History Review

Prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek and Roman Art History Review

Prehistoric Art • Prehistoric (before recorded events and stories) Paleolithic period: 30,000–10,000 B.C. (also called the Old Stone Age) -basic imagery -small pieces, easy to transport, create by nomadic tribes (constantly moving/ following the herds) -made to communicate to others vital information needed to survive

Nomadic • are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. • People of the Paleolithic period would have been hunters and gathers • Nomadic hunting and gathering, following seasonally available wild plants and game, is by far the oldest human subsistence method.

Venus statue, 11.1cm high, representing fertility. Made small so it travels easily as the people of this time period were nomadic. Venus of Willendorf, 30,000 - 25,000 BCE, Austria

Pots could serve two purposes. They were both functional and decorative which worked well in a time where the world was always shifting. China, Painted twin-jar Yangshao culture (c.5000 - 2000 BCE)

Why make cave paintings? There are many different theories but here are the top ones: • Hunting ritual • It was thought that by painting the animal on the wall it would create some sort of magical spell weakening the animal making it easier to hunt (it also built up the hunters confidence and courage) • Communicating to others the movement of the herds • Immortalization (leaving their mark for future generations to see that they were there)

Cave at Lascaux, France, “Hall of Bulls” 15,000-13,000 BCE, Leaving there mark for those who followed them.

Cave at Lascaux, France, “Horse/Bull Image” 15,000-13,000 BCE, Cave painting allowed people to communicate information vital to their survival, such as the movements and size of the herds.

Deterioration Since their discovery, cave paintings have been deteriorating due to the causes below. Natural or Artificial Light Alternate Freezing and thawing The Circulation of Air Massies

Prehistoric Builders Megaliths • Large monuments created out of huge stone slabs Post-and-lintel construction • Massive posts that support crossbeams (lintels) to create a building structure

Stonehenge, 2000 B.C., England • Large stone rings with 3 progressively smaller rings within

It is not known why purpose it serves or how such a primitive people were able to transport such large stones and erect them in to position. Some experts think it is used to help people use the stars to accurate predict the changing seasons.

Egyptian Art 5000 BC to 300 AD Ancient Egyptian art was expressed in paintings and sculptures & was both highly stylized and symbolic. Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and monuments and thus there is an emphasis on life after death and the preservation of knowledge of the past.

Example of Frontalism Characteristics: -Frontal eye and torso -Sideways face and legs Egyptian characteristics: -Left leg forward -Social status represented through size

Funerary Scene

Various Egyptian gods

Palette of Narmer, c. 3,000 BC Slate, 25" high

Egyptian, Mask of King Tutankhamen, front and back, gold and inlaidstones

2 piece wooden coffin painted

King Menkaure and Queen Kha-merer-nebty II, stone, Egypt, Gizeh.2599-2571 BCE (4th Dynasty), Sculptures are very rigid and stand in such a way that shows power... But a rather uncomfortable stance!

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Akhenaton and Family with Aton, c.1350 B.CWall Carving

Pyramids of Zoser Old Kingdom, Dynasty III, c. 2675-2625 BCE Step pyramids were built in two stages to try to confuse grave robbers.

THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA (2530-2470 BCE)‏ -Square base 276m x 276m, 176m high (55 stories)‏ -tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel tower was built -2 million blocks of stone -burial chamber in the heart of the pyramid -Interior walls covered by relief sculptures

Pyramids of Giza

The outer covering of the pyramids have been eroded off, Note the size of the stones (some over 40 tons)‏

Sphinx, at Giza 4th Dynasty (2558-2532 BCE). -80 m in length -Carved from a rocky ledge -Body of a lion -Head of Chefren ( one of the Pharaohs who built one of the pyramids)‏ It has been vandalized and damaged further by the sandblasting winds of the Sahara The paws themselves are 50 feet long (15m) while the entire length is 150 feet (45m). The head is 30 (10m) feet long and 14 feet (4m) wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than others, there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure.

Greek Art

Four Greek Art Periods Geometric Art This early period from Greek art history shows how ancient artists adorned many of their works (vase paintings in particular) with precise geometric patterns.Archaic Art During the Archaic period, Greek artists came into contact with ideas and styles from outside of Greece. It was also a time when vase painting and sculpture began to reflect Greek ideals.Classical Art Often referred to as the "Golden Age" of Greece, the Classical era was a time when perfection was achieved in the arts - the Parthenon was constructed during this fruitful period.Hellenistic Art In the Hellenistic period, new ideas permeated Greek art, and emotion, drama, and realism began to influence the appearance - and subject matter - of Hellenistic sculpture.

name | Dipylon Vase, detailartist | unknownperiod | Geometric (Ancient Greek Art)date | circa750 BC See how the geometric period layers images to create depth and symbols to represent people, all in a similar way to Egyptian and Prehistoric Art.

Images, like these horses, are reduced to very minimal shapes and forms, similar to the symbols used in Egyptian Hieroglyphs. name | Horse, detailartist | unknown period | Geometric (Ancient Greek Art)date | 8th century BC

name | Kouros from Anavysos, artist | unknownperiod | Archaicdate | circa525 BC Notice the rigid stance of these sculptures… remind you of any others you may have seen?

Doric (Geometric/ Archaic) Ionic (Classical) Corinthian (Hellenistic) Tips to remember the difference… Doric and Dull both start with “D”, Ionic have what look like swirly eyes and Corinthian sounds like a name of a flower and looks plant like.

Style copied in many buildings: -seen as powerful, democratic/ law related, clean and classic

entablature - The upper section of a classical building which rests on the columns. frieze - A decorative horizontal band usually placed along the upper end of a wall. metope - Between each frieze and on the ends of each entablature. pediment - A wide, low-pitched gable (roof) which makes up the top of the entablature.

name | Aphrodite of Melos artist | unknownperiod | Hellenistic (Ancient Greek Art)date | circa150 BC One of the most famous sculptures from this period. AKA… Venus de Milo

name | Nike of Samothraceartist | unknownperiod | Hellenistic (Ancient Greek Art)date | circa200 BC

name | Laocoönartists | Hagesandros, Polydoros, & Athanadorosperiod | Hellenistic (Ancient Greek Art)date | circa2nd century BC (This is a Roman copy of the Greek original) The son of a Trojan priest of Poseidon defied the rules by marrying and having sons and then warned the Greeks about the Trojan Horse. For his betrayal two serpents were sent to kill him and his sons.

In the Greek ‘Classic Period’ era sculptures start becoming realistic.

Roman Art

Roman Art and Architecture • 900BCE to 50 BCE • Highly sophisticated society • The Romans were the most powerful civilization and eventually dominated the Western world • The Romans created an empire, and absorbed the cultures from those they conquered • In painting and sculpture, the Romans often borrowed from and imitated the Greeks (whom they conquered)‏

Architecture Romans made some of their greatest contributions in architecture, especially the invention and use of arches. • The development of the arch eliminated the need for columns • Therefore buildings had vast interior spaces • Buildings were impressive because of their size and practicality (rather than aesthetic feeling)‏

Colosseum- Rome (72-80 AD) • Created to hold spectacles (shows), such as battles between animals and gladiators This building could hold 50,000 Romans in the marble seated interior Vespasianus built the Colosseum for spectacular events in 72 AD. He did this, because he wanted to impress and because he wanted to make the citizens happy. With help of a large army of slaves and removable stagings, he built the Colosseum 10 years. Why does it look like this (a ruin): • Later citizens and architects damaged the colosseum by using the marble from this building to construct other buildings • It has experienced many earthquakes • Damaged by pollution especially acid rain

Just like in the movie ‘The Gladiator’ the Colosseum had elaborate bloodthirsty events: • Gladiator matches-the gladiators were often slaves or criminals, who were trained to fight to each other on life and death. They also fought against lions and tigers. • Elaborate staged performances of battles. • Navel battles were staged and the lower vaults were flooded- they built smaller versions of the ships and had mock battles • Celebrations of Roman victories where captured people and goods were displayed in pomp and ceremony • Chariot races • Boxing-matches, archery-matches • The last bloodthirsty event was in 523 A.D.

A heavy wooden floor covered the cells below, which contained the gladiators and the animals. The floor was made of wood. There was sand on the that floor, so the blood could easily be taken away. The word arena is descended of the Latin word for sand or beach.

The outer wall is as high as a 16 story building, and went around the whole structure • The exterior wall is divided into four horizontal bands; large arched openings piercing the lower three. • This building contains three types of columns: Doric (first band), Ionic (second band), Corinthian (third band)‏ • Statues filled the arched niches ( a recess or hollowed out area in the wall) and arches

Concrete arches, walls and vaults (which were covered in marble) made up several kilometres of passageways

Art History Review