Title: Art: Culture, and Values Chapter One
1Art Culture, and Values Chapter One
- Prehistoric
- Mesopotamian
- Egyptian
- Aegean
2Prehistoric Art100,000 10,000 BC
- 100,000 BC First Ritual Burying of the Dead
- 28,000 23,000 BC Venus of Willendorf
- 15,000 10,000 Cave Paintings of Lascaux
3Woman of Willendorf
4(No Transcript)
5Cave Paintings of Lascaux
- The interior of the underground caverns evokes a
sense of ritual and sacred space
6- The human dimension is the ultimate measure of
the experience of art
7ART Creative Human Expression
- Keen Observation
- Technical Skill
- Personal Interpretation
- Historical/Cultural Context
- Universal Meaning
8Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Aegean Timeline
- c. 3100 B.C. - Development of hieroglyphic
writing - 2700-2250 B.C. - Old Kingdom development of
mummification ritual - c. 2700 B.C. - Reign of Gilgamesh
- 2650-2514 B.C. - Great Pyramids and Sphinx built
at Giza - 2100-2000 B.C. - Construction of ziggurat at Ur
- 2000 B.C. - Earliest version of The Epic of
Gilgamesh
- C. 1792-1750 B.C. - The Law Code of Hammurabi
- 1400 B.C. - Fall of Knossos and decline of Minoan
civilization - c. 1361-1352 B.C. - Reign of Tutankhamen
- 1298-1231 B.C. - Reign of Ramses II colossal
buildings constructed at Luxor, Karnak, Abu
Simbel - 1250 B.C. Mycenaean war against Troy
9Ancient Mesopotamian Art
- Unlike their southern neighbors, the
Mesopotamian area was in conflict between warring
nations very frequently. This area also
required much more maintenance of their
agriculture systems. Because of these and other
factors, this area had a more limited development
of art as compared to Egypt.
Standard of Ur, c. 2700 B.C.
10- The Standard of Ur is one of the most exquisite
and informative Sumerian pieces of art that has
been discovered. It was found in a 4,500-year-old
grave in the city of Ur. The Standard consists of
six 18-inch-wide wooden panels inlaid with shells
and lapis lazuli. The panels include scenes of
Sumerians from all social classes at war and at a
royal banquet. - The Standard of Ur illustrates a conceptual
rather than a naturalistic approach to
description.
11- Important Sumerian developments include 1. The
concept of a city state was developed by the
Sumerians 2. Writing was developed by the
Sumerians - Cuneiform characters on clay tablets
3. One of the most important cultural
developments of this period is the concept of the
powerful god communicating their desires to
humanity through the medium of a powerful priest
class or autocratic ruler who serves as the
intermediary. - Theocracy govt. of the
gods/priest class - ruler may be divine
himself, or chosen by the god/gods - each city
had it's own gods This system centralizes power
in the hands of a small group of people and gives
political decisions a religious authority
12Scenes of Civilized Life
- Harpist Iraq,Old Babylonian Period, ca.
2000-1600 B.C. - Cast Clay Relief
- Clay plaques from this period depict musicians
playing a variety of stringed, percussion, and
wind instruments.
13Scenes of Religious Figures and Commemorations of
War
- Iraq Akkadian Period, ca. 2254-2193 B.C. Black
stone - This cylinder seal was dedicated to a
little-known goddess, Ninishkun, who is shown
interceding on the owner's behalf with the great
goddess Ishtar. Ishtar places her right foot upon
a roaring lion, which she restrains with a leash.
The scimitar in her left hand and the weapons
sprouting from her winged shoulders indicate her
war-like nature.
14- Ziggurat of Ur c. 2100 B.C.
- The Ziggurat of Ur was built by the king
Ur-Nammu. It is an impressive imposing structure.
Imagine the power of a leader speaking from high
on the side of this symbolic mountain of the god
15(No Transcript)
16Iconic vs. Natural Imagery
- Iraq Babylon, Processional Avenue north of the
Ishtar Gate Neo-Babylonian Period Reign of
Nebuchadnezzar II, ca. 604-562 B.C. Molded brick
with polychrome glaze.
17Ancient Egyptian Art
- Ancient Egypt is perhaps the most facinating of
the ancient civilizations. Even the Ancient
Greeks thought themselves to be a young and
inexperienced society compared to the Egyptians.
Indeed, the Ancient Egyptian civilization was one
of the longest in the west, beginning in
approximately 3000 B.C., and lasting until nearly
300 B.C. What is amazing about the Egyptian's
culture is not their rapid growth and
development, but their ability to preserve the
past and prevail with relatively little change.
For example, today in the United States we
drastically change the style of our clothing each
decade, while Egypitan dress did not vary over
the thousands of years. Theirs was a civilization
where the past lived in the present.
18Rules of Representation Style
- Frontalism
- In Sculpture, the entire presentation is to be
viewed from the front. - In 2-dimensional work, the head of the character
is always drawn in profile, while the body is
seen from the front. Although the face is to the
side, the eye is drawn in full. The legs are
turned to the same side as the head, with one
foot placed in front of the other. The head is at
right angles to the body. Every figure, in
paintings or sculptures, stands or sits with a
formal, stiff, and rigid posture. The stance of
the body is severe, but the faces are calm and
serene.
19Nobleman, Old Kingdom (frontal style)
20MEMPHITE FAMILY OF NEFER-HERENPTAH Old
Kingdom 5th Dynasty Painted Limestone
- Eternalizes the Ancient Egyptian family in it's
most simple and pure form. - This nuclear family is meant to reunite in the
afterlife.
21Monumental Scale
- The Great Pyramids of Giza Old Kingdom 2589
2566 BC - The Sphinx at Giza Old Kingdom - 2555-2532 B.C.
22(No Transcript)
23- KAEMHESET
- Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty
- Painted Limestone
- the statue of the chief of sculptors and royal
architect Kaemheset represents perfectly the "
comme il faut " (according with custom or
propriety) aesthetic and artistic conventions of
the Fifth Dynasty
24Middle Kingdom 1990 1790 B.C.
- Political divisions
- Increasing anxiety
- Uncertainty
- Sense of Civil Unrest
- Loosening of Rules of Representation
- Naturalistic tendencies
Seated Statue of Sesostris III
25- The New Kingdom 1570 -1185 - Akhenaton 1364
1387
- 1364 1387 Reigh of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton)
religious and political reform monotheism,
worship of single god Aton - Revolutionary figure
26King Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti
27Tutankhamen
- Reign of Tutankhamen 1361 1352
- Return to Conservatism
- The Boy King
- Return of Egyptian Conservatism and Strict Rules
of Representation
28Ramses II 1298 1232 B.C.
- Colossal Building
- Warfare with Mesopotamia
- End of Egypts Imperial Power
29The Ancient Aegean World6,000 B.C. through 600
B.C.
- 6000 Introduction of new agricultural
techniques from the East. - 2800 2000 Early Minoan Period on Crete
growth of Cycladic culture. - c. 2500 Cycladic Idol
- 2000 1600 Middle Minoan Period on Crete
construction of palace complexes development of
linear writing. - 1700 Knossos Palace destroyed (earthquake),
rebuilt - 1600 1400 Late Minoan Period on Crete
- 1600 First Mycenaean Palace constructed
- 1600 Snake Goddess, from Knossos 1550 Gold
Death Mask, Mycenae - 1500 Frescos from House of Delta, Thera
- 1400 Fall of Knossos and decline of Minoan
Civilization - Timeline continues on next slide gt
30The Ancient Aegean World6,000 B.C. through 600
B.C. (cont.)
- 1400 1200 Mycenaean Empire florishes
- 1250 Mycenaean war against Troy
- 1100 Collapse of Mycenaean Empire
- 1100 1000 Dark Age
- 1000 750 Heroic Age
- 900 700 Evolution of Homeric Epics, Illiad
and Odyssey. - 750 600 Age of Colonization
31Ancient Cycladic Art 2800 2000 B.C.
32Palace of Minos at Knossos
- 1600 1400 B.C
- Middle Minoan Period
- High point of Minoan Culture
- Interior Frescos
- Human scale
- Life-oriented culture
33SNAKE GODDESS
- From beneath the shrine in the court Palace of
King Minos, Knossos - 1600-1580 B.C.
- Mothyer Goddess
- Source of all life
- 2 snakes - mysteries of Life
- Lion atop her head
34DOLPHIN FRIEZE
QUEEN'S APARTMENT Palace of King Minos, Knossos
c. 1500 B.C.
35BULL-JUMPING FRESCOFrom the east wing Palace of
King Minos, Knossos c. 1500 B.C