CAVE PAINTINGS OF PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD

Introduction

Cave or rock paintings are paintings on cave or rock walls and ceilings,
usually dating to prehistoric times. The earliest known rock paintings
are dated to the Upper Paleolithic, 40,000 years ago, while the earliest
European cave paintings date to 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the
cave paintings is not known, and may never be. Some theories hold
that they may have been a way of transmitting information, while
other theories ascribe them a religious or ceremonial purpose. Nearly 350
caves have now been discovered in France and Spain that contain art
from prehistoric times.The oldest cave is that of Chauvet, and is
32,000 years old. Rock painting was also performed on cliff faces, but
fewer of those have survived because of erosion. One well-known
example is the rock paintings of Astuvansalmi in the Saimaa area of
Finland.

Theories about the Cave Paintings

Humans had not learned to write during the prehistoric time period.
They communicated
through cave paintings. Most of the paintings were of animals.
However, there are a few paintings that have human figures either in
etchings or in a painting, like the scene in Lascaux of the Dead Man.
The face of the dead man is represented by a bird’s face, but it is the
body of a human. Perhaps they did not want to portray a human face,
thinking that it might take the soul.

THEORIES:
1. Communicated through the cave paintings.
2. The cave man wanted to decorate the cave and chose animals
because they were important to their existence.
3. The cave men thought by painting animals, they could bring the
beasts under their control.
4. Rituals and dances were carried in front of the paintings –
“HUNTER LUCK”.
5. Artist believed, if they could capture the image of the animal,
they could capture the animal in a hunt.
6. Prehistoric man could have used the painting of animals on the
walls of caves to document their hunting expeditions.
7. Served as a teaching tool to instruct the future hunters-character
of species and techniques of hunting the species.
8. Created animal images to assure the survival of herds as they
depended on food and clothing on these animals.
Themes and patterns
The most common themes in cave paintings are large wild animals, such as bison,
horses, aurochs, and deer. Drawings of humans are rare and are usually schematic
rather than the more naturalistic animal subjects. Human hands shown as abstract patterns
called finger flutings. Cave art may have begun in the Aurignacian period (Germany), but
reached its apogee in the late Magdalenian (Lascaux, France).

Methods of Painting
Colors, Materials and Tools used:
The paintings were drawn with red and yellow ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and
charcoal. The paint or color that they probably used was from berries,
clay, soot, or charcoal. Grounded into powder and mixed with some medium
usually animal fat and then used. Sometimes the silhouette of the animal was incised in
the rock first.
Prehistoric people would have used natural objects to paint the walls of
the caves. To etch into the rock; they could have used sharp tools or a
spear. The tools used to apply the paint could have been made by
attaching straw, leaves, moss, or hair to sticks. They might have used
hollow bones or reeds to spray the color on, similar to an airbrush
technique.

Well known cave paintings include those of:

• Lascaux, France
• La Marche, near Lussac-les-Chateaux, France
• Chauvet Cave, near Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France
• Altamira, near Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain
• Cosquer Cave, with an entrance below sea level near Marseille,
France
• Font de Gaume, in the Dordogne Valley in France
• Creswell Crags, Nottinghamshire, England. (Cave etchings and
bas-reliefs discovered in 2003)

Lascaux, France
Lascaux is a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its
cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of
Montignac, in the Dordogne département. They contain some of the
most well-known (Upper Paleolithic) art, dating back to somewhere
between 15,000 and 13,000 BC. They consist mostly of realistic images
of large animals, including aurochs, most of which are known from
fossil evidence to have lived in the area at the time
 Cave painting at Lascaux

The cave contains nearly 2,000 figures. Of the animals, horses

predominate, with 364 images. A smattering of other images includes
seven felines, a bird, a bear, cattle, bison a rhinoceros, and a human.

Approaches to painting:

1. Black figure (Silhouette).

2. Red figure (outline).
3. Twisted perspective-Representation of horns.(common in
prehistoric art).
4. Heads in profile and two horns in the front to show that particular
animal is a bull.

1. First chamber – Hall of Bulls (Lascaux , France)

Most magnificent, not all animals depicted are bulls.Among the most
famous images are four huge, black bulls in the Hall of the Bulls. The
four black bulls are the dominant figures among the 36 animals
represented in the Hall of the Bulls. One of the bulls is 17 feet long --
the largest animal discovered so far in cave art. The bulls appear to be
in motion. There are also many geometric figures. REFER SLIDE

2. Well shaft- lascaux, France

For the first time, man makes appearance in cave art. Position of man
not clear( wounded, dead, unharmed). REFER SLIDE

EGYPTIAN ART FORMS AND SHAPES

Introduction

Ancient Egyptian art refers to the style of painting, sculpture, crafts and architecture
developed by the civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 35000 BC. Ancient Egyptian
art as expressed in painting and sculpture 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. Ancient It is to be noted
that most elements of Egyptian art remained remarkably stable over the 3000 year period
without strong outside influence. The oldest Egyptian art is a wall painting found in
Tomb of Hierakonpolis. Imhotep is the first recorded name of Egyptian artist.

Character and style

• Closely associated to religion – many of the great works of ancient Egypt depict
gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs, who were also considered divine.
• Keen observation and exact representation of actual life and nature,
• Order, simple line, simple shapes, flat areas of colors creating a sense of order and
balance in art.
• Strict conformity to a set of rules regarding representation of three dimensional
forms.
• Completeness and exactness were preferred to prettiness and cosmetic
representation.
• Ancient Egyptian artists used vertical and horizontal reference lines in order to
maintain the correct proportions in their work.
• Ancient Egyptian artists often show a sophisticated knowledge of anatomy and a
close attention to detail, especially in their renderings of animals.
• In order to clearly define the social hierarchy of a situation, descriptive
perspective was used and figures were drawn to sizes based not on their distance
from the painter's point of view but on relative importance.
• For instance, the Pharaoh would be drawn as the largest figure in a painting no
matter where he was situated, and a greater God would be drawn larger than a
lesser god.

Symbolism

Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order. Symbolism,

ranging from the Pharaoh's (symbolizing his power to maintain order) to the individual
symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, is omnipresent in Egyptian art. Animals were
usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art. Color, as well, had extended
meaning— Blue and green represented the Nile and life; yellow stood for the sun god;
and red represented power and vitality. The colors in Egyptian artifacts have survived
extremely well over the centuries because of Egypt's dry climate. Despite the stilted form
caused by a lack of perspective, ancient Egyptian art is often highly realistic.

Periods

• Predynastic
• Old Kingdom (2680 BC2258 BC)
• Middle Kingdom (2134 BC1786 BC)
• New Kingdom (1570 BC1085 BC)
• Amarna Period (1350 BC1320 BC)
Different art forms in Egypt:

• Pottery
• Sculpture
• Hieroglyphics
• Painting

1. Predynastic Period
Example – Oldest Egyptian art- Tomb of Hierakonpolis.

2. Predynastic Period and Early dynastic period

Example – Unification of upper and lower Egypt- Palette of King Narmer.

3. Old Kingdom (2680 BC-2258 BC)

Example 1. – Seated statue of Khafre.
Example 2. – Menkaure and Khamerernebty.

4.Middle Kingdom (2134BC-1786BC)

Example 1. – Rock cut Tomb at BENI HASAN

5.New Kingdom (1570BC-1085BC)

Example 1. – Senmut with princess Neferra,thebes, Egypt.
Example 2. – Hatsheput with offering
Example 3. – Fowling scene, tomb of Nebamun, Thebes.

6.Amarna Period (1350BC-1320BC)

Example 1. – Akhenaton
Example 2. – Limestone bust of Nefertiti.
Example 3. – Queen Tiye Potrait in miniature.
Example 4,5 – Tree of life and Dancers and musicians.

Note: Refer slides for all examples.

ART FORMS AND SHAPES IN MESOPOTAMIA (9000 - 500 B.C)

Introduction

Mesopotamia is considered as the "cradle of civilization." This is the land between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers which roughly comprises modern Iraq and part of Syria.
Many civilizations flourished there, leaving behind a rich legacy of ancient art.
Mesopotamian art and architecture were produced by the diverse peoples who occupied
the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River.
Over the course of 4000 years, the art of Mesopotamia reveals a tradition that appears,
homogeneous in style and iconography. Early Mesopotamian art was usually small in
scale, because the south was poor in natural resources, and materials like stone and
metals had to be imported. Later, Assyrian palaces were decorated with large stone-relief
sculptures and immense gate guardian figures of animal or monstrous form.

Characteristics of Mesopotamian Art

• Mesopotamian art had two major preoccupations—Man's relationship to the Gods

and conflict on either a real or mythological plane.
• Art became decorative, stylized and conventionalized at different times and
places.
• Gods took on human forms and humans were combined with animals to make
fantastic creatures.
• Although art was primarily created for temple or king, a number of small objects
were also produced, such as cylinder seals and clay plaques with mythological
scenes.
• The oldest and most enduring form of art was the cylinder seal, a small stone
cylinder covered with a design cut into its surface.
• Such seals when rolled over a wet clay tablet served a practical purpose: to
identify their owners and to seal a variety of business transactions. These objects
were probably owned to a great extent by the population at large.
• Variety of metals, as well as shells and precious stones, were used for the finest
sculpture/inlays.

The history of Mesopotamian art and architecture is conventionally divided into a number
of periods:

• Prehistoric Period
• Early Dynastic Period - Old Sumerian
• Akkadian Period
• Neo-Sumerian Period
• Old Babylonian Period
• Neo-assyrian period
• Neo-babylonian period

1. Prehistoric Period
Example – Female head URUK,Iraq.

2. Early Dynastic Period - Old Sumerian

Example 1. – Seated statue of Urnaushe.
Example 2. – The standard of UR.

3. Akkadian Period
 Example 1. – Head of Akkadian ruler.
Example 2. – victory stele of narman-Sin(Iran).

4. Neo-Sumerian Period
Example 1. – Seated statue of gudea.
Example 2. – Seal with law code, hammurabi.

5. Assyrian period
Example 1. – Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, Ashurnasirpal palace

6. Neo-Assyrian period
Example 1. – Lamassu ( winged human headed bull)

Note: Refer slides for all examples.

GREEK ART FORMS AND SHAPES

Introduction

Ancient Greek art has survived most successfully in the forms of

sculpture and architecture, as well as in such minor arts as coin design,
pottery and gem engraving.
Greek painters worked mainly on wooden panels, and these perished
rapidly after the 4th century AD. Today not much survives of Greek
painting, except some examples of painted terra cotta and a few
paintings on the walls of tombs, mostly in Macedonia and Italy.
Painting on pottery mainly in black and gold, of which a great deal
survives, gives some knowledge of Greek painting. The art of Ancient
Greece is usually divided stylistically into three periods: the Archaic,
the Classical and the Hellenistic. The history of Ancient Greek pottery
is divided stylistically into periods: the Protogeometric, the Geometric,
the Late Geometric or Archaic, the Black Figure and the Red Figure.

Characteristics of Greek art

• Greek artists first established mimesis (imitation of nature) as a

main principle for art.
• The nude human figure in Greek art reflects a belief that "Man is
the measure of all things".
• Ancient Greek art includes pottery, sculpture as well as
architecture.
• Greek sculpture is known for the contrapposto- standing of the
figures.
 • The earliest Greek art is characterized by its geometry and
schematic design.
• The Greek sculpture icons, Kouros and Kore, represent the
beginnings of large sculpture, and are the first free-standing
sculptures.
• Later Greek sculpture displayed the figures with movement.
• The later periods of Greek sculpture show extreme technical
skills, resulting in images of wet draped goddesses and
exaggerated energy.

Examples include: Kritious, Parthenon, Laocoön. One of the first

artists - Phidias.

Greek Art Periods:

• Geometric Period: 900-700 BC

• Orientalizing Phase: 700-600 BC
o Asian and Persian influences
o Dragon motifs
o Other interesting creatures emerge
• Archaic Period: 600-480 BC
• Classical Period: 480 - 400 BC
• Late Classical: 400 - 323 BC
• Hellenistic Period: 323 - 30 BC

2. Geometric Period (900-700 BC)

Example1. – Krater – Funerary object.
Example2. – Hero’s cetaur.

2. Orientalizing Art Period (700-600 BC)

Example 1. – Mantiklo’s Apollo (Phoibos)

3. Archaic Period (600-480 BC)

Example 1. – Lady of Auxerre- Statue of Goddess / Kore.
Example 2. – Kouros.
Example 3. – Peplos kore- Athens.
Example 4. – Red figure, Amphora.

4. Classical Period ( 480-400 BC)

Example 1. – Diskobolous (Discus Thrower)
Example 2. – Caryatid.

5. Hellensitic period ( 323-30 BC)

 Example 1. – Lacoon Group
Example 2. – seated Boxer
Example 3. – Head of Odysseus
Example 4 – Nike of samothrace

Note: Refer slides for all examples.