Art Before History

1
AP Art History

• Chapter 1
• Art Before History

2
Paleolithic Sculpture

• Subject matter animals and women (things to
  control or possess or things pertinent to
  survival)
• Created descriptively convincing images (rather
  than optical images)
• Purpose unknown, although conjectures exist
  must have been important

3
Found in Austria Some art historians felt that
her exaggerated anatomy suggested that this
served as a fertility image Like most Paleolithic
figures there is no facial features Curly hair or
a hat woven out of plant fibers? Venus of
Wilendorf, ca. 28,000 -25,000 BCE. Limestone.
4
Figure 1-7 Two bison, reliefs in cave at Le Tuc
dAudoubert, France, ca. 15,00010,000 BCE. Clay,
each 2 long.
5
Paleolithic Painting

• Subject matter animals
• Created descriptively convincing images (rather
  than optical images)
• Purpose unknown, although conjectures exist
• Limited media led to limited color palette

6
Figure 1-11 Hall of the Bulls (left wall) in the
cave at Lascaux, France, ca. 15,00013,000 BCE.
Largest bull 11 6 long.
7
Figure 1-13 Rhinoceros, wounded man, and
disemboweled bison, painting in the well of the
cave at Lascaux, France ca. 15,000 13,000 BCE.
Bison 3 8 long.
8
Neolithic Architecture

• Created with megaliths (large stones) in post and
  lintel constructions
• Trilithon group of three
• stones
• Henge circle of stones
• (also called cromlechs)
• Menhir single stone
• Alignment line of stones

9

• Figure 1-20 Aerial view of Stonehenge,
  Salisbury Plain, England, ca. 25501600 BCE.
  Circle is 97' in diameter trilithons 24' high.