Prehistoric Art

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Prehistoric Art
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What does Prehistoric mean?

• Events that occurred before written history.
• This part of history is divided into three
  periods
• The Stone Age
• The Bronze Age
• The Iron Age

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Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age) was from 33,000-
10,000 BCE)

• There were two kinds of art during this time
• Parictal art- paintings and engravings found in
  caves along the walls
• and ceilings (these caves were ceremonial
  sites, not for shelter)
• Mobiliary art- small, portable sculpted
• objects buried at habitation sites.

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Venus of Willendorf

• 25,000 BCE
• Made of Limestone
• 4 3/8 high
• Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria
• Suggest abundant fertility and a plentiful supply
  of food
• Found in 1908
• Venus is the classical goddess of love and beauty
• This Venus was sort of a joke a failed
  Venus-not feminine

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• She is seen as a fertility idol due to the large
  breasts, the vagina being indicated, and a round
  stomach- compared to Venuses of the Renaissance
  with long thin bodies and no indication of a
  vagina.
• Some argue whether she is wearing a hat or if it
  is braided hair on top of her head
• Treatment of hair was rare in Paleolithic
  figurines
• She was perfectly preserved-never had feet
• Arms are short and skinny comparatively and hold
  the top of her breast
• She doesnt have a face because this focuses on
  the only parts needed for reproduction
• The sculpture fits in your hand nicely

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• The Venus of W is a very realistic representation
  of a fat woman, however, she probably
• is a realistic representation of
• a woman at that time
• The Prehistoric people would have
• spent too much time hunting and
• gathering to become overweight
• Perhaps the V of W was very important
• among her people and was well fed and
• allowed to be lazy!
• Images of women outnumber those of men greatly at
  this time
• -Were women dominant?