Introducing Cave Art Mrs. Barbier AVI-10

Painting a Picture: What Prehistoric Times Were Like 40,000 – 35,000 was a time that marked the last ice age After the BIG thaw the resulting environment was a Eurasia with land covered by herds of reindeer & other large herbivores roaming plains and valleys (preyed on by lions and tigers) The humans were hunters and used the natural environment for protection from the elements- CAVES! Before this time there were only artifacts of human existence in the form of tools. Then around 40,000 years ago there was a major cultural transformation- people began to paint, carve, sculpt, and engrave.

Three Main Categories Prehistoric Art can be divided into three main categories: Paleolithic Period (c.2,500,000 - 10,000 BCE) Mesolithic Period (Approx. 10,000 - 4,000 BCE, Europe) Neolithic Period (Approx. 4,000-2,000 BCE) * The Paleolithic Period can also be divided up into three (3) sub-sections: the Lower Paleolithic, the Middle Paleolithic, and the Upper Paleolithic.

Paleolithic Art The Paleolithic man lived solely by hunting wild animals, fishing, and collecting berries, fruits and nuts. Stone tools were the instruments by which early Man developed and progressed.

Mesolithic Period The Mesolithic period is a transitional era between the ice-affected hunter-gatherer culture of the Upper Paleolithic, and the farming culture of the Neolithic.

Neolithic Period Change in lifestyle across Europe People began to settle down (farming and rearing animals) villages, towns and cities were established Population increased due to the improvement in food supply and environmental control

Cave Art or Prehistoric Art on a Time Line 35,000 years ago= end of last ice age Paleolithic culture = VERY primitive lifestyle more focused on survival so artifacts left behind scrapers, bone etc- ANY art was very basic hand-held statuettes 27,000-20,000 years ago= were more sophisticated tools (flint blades) and resultantly more complex artistic creations such as female statues and relief (scraped designs into the rock surfaces etc) 15,000 – 9000 years ago= peak of the Paleolithic era where culture was advancing and hunting rituals inspired cave paintings on walls/ ceilings Down the time line we see this culture as a civilization basis for Egyptian art (2700 – 1070 BCE) and then Greek and Roman art (700- 300 BCE)

So, why all of a sudden art? There were 3 lines of reasoning behind why, 40,000 years ago, art began to appear: Neurological mutation (the cave people’s brains were capable of more complex ideas/ modes of expression) Preservation- the more recent, the better preserved the artifacts were so they survived ! Language Development- speculation on that the people were beginning to articulate verbal communication and therefore the visual representation came

What Did Their Art Mean? Tribes were creating sculptures and paintings almost as a spiritual commemoration for their survival- specifically: To ensure fertility (so tribe would not die off) To heal the sick or prevent injury (again, so tribe would not die off) To promote the abundance and health of the herds that they hunted for food etc

Significant Example #1 Name of art: Venus of Tan Tan Date: 200,000-500,000 BCE Medium: moderately metamorphosed quartzite Significant Items: 6 cm in length 20 minute specks of bright red on the surface (we are unsure as to whether it is natural occurrence or manually applied)

Significant Example #2 Name of art: Horse Location: Lascaux, Fr Date: 28,000 BCE Medium: Mammoth Ivory Significant Items: - 2.5 inches (TINY!) - a good example of earliest forms of art made- basic record of what was in their environment - Simple but show accuracy (i.e. ‘v’ to show tip of an arrowhead) - arrow signifies success of hunt

Significant Example #3 Name of art: Venus of Willendorf Date: 25,000-20,000 BCE Medium: stone Significant Items: - small again 4 3/8 inches - natural indent of belly button used in creation of figure - Female figure exemplifies the round shape of a woman that is pregnant and therefore signifies fertility

Significant Example #4 Name of Art: Stonehenge Location: Salisbury Plain Date: c. 3100-1550 BCE Medium: Significant Items: Post and lintel system

Significant Example #5 Name of art: Cave Paintings Location: Lascaux, Fr Date: 15,000 BCE Medium: on rock surface of caves Significant Items: - fine detail of bison, deer, horses, ox - movement across walls and ceilings - earthy tones (browns, reds, black) - deep inside caves to protect from elements - shows significance of the hunt

Significant Example #6 Name of art: Bison Date: 10,000 BCE Medium: Reindeer antler Significant Items: Artist has made use of the antler’s existing contours. The artist gave astonishing attention to detail. We don’t know the original purpose of this work because part of it has broken off.

200,000-500,000 BCE 25,000-20,000 BCE

Stonehenge The hypostyle hall of Karnak Temple