1. Chapter 15 From Earliest Art to the Bronze Age

2. How does art history differ from other kinds of history? Works of art from the past are with us in the present. One on one communication still occurs We can glimpse the experiences of those who came before us.

3. Paleolithic Paleo = “old” + Lithic = “Stone: “Old Stone Age” Stone tools allowed early humankind to gain some control over their surroundings. An awareness of the relationship of form to function is the first step in the evolution of art. Sprinkled powders and beads on gravesites suggest that humans practiced ritual burial.

4. What is the significance of engraved ochre?

5. Woman/ Venus of Willendorf  Unsure what the original purpose of the figure is.  May be earliest religious art.  Depicts the Paleolithic image of the Creator, The Great Mother Goddess

6. Wall Painting of Animals, Chauvet Cave  Unsure why these paintings were made  To bring spirits of animals into hunt related ceremonies  To tell the stories of great hunts  As sanctuaries for initiation ceremonies

7. Petroglyphs Not in caves, above ground Etched in stone; rock carvings Made by scratching or pecking the surface of exposed stone Unknown why but same reasons as other art from this period

8. Neolithic Neo = New so Neolithic means “New Stone Age.” Transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic a major turning point in human history. Started in Iraq between 9000 and 6000 B.C.E. Transition from nomadic hunters to villages of farmers and herders.

9. Neolithic Stabilized human life and brought about architecture and other technology Need for storage brings about clay pots. Naturalistic art of Paleolithic replaced by geometric abstract art of Neolithic farmers. Earthenware Beaker; Susa, Iran 4000 B.C.E.

10. Stonehenge  Built in layers over a millennium.  Probably had may different functions over the centuries.  Latest use was probably as a solar/ lunar calendar.

11. The Beginning of Civilization… Civilization: distinguish cultures that have fairly complex social order and relatively high degrees of technical development. “Civilizations” emerged independently, at different times in many different parts of the world. Key Elements: Food production (agriculture/ animal husbandry); occupational specialization; writing; production of bronze.

12. The earliest major civilizations… The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq The Nile River in Egypt The Indus River in west Pakistan and India The Yellow River in northern China

13. Egypt and Mesopotamia Development was almost parallel starting about 4 th millennium B.C.E. Lasted about 3000 years. Egypt protected by deserts so enjoyed millennium of relative peace and unbroken rule. Mesopotamia subject to repeat invasions and was subject to rule by different peoples so each developed their own distinctive culture.

14. Mesopotamia First Mesopotamian civilization in area called Sumer. “Sumerians” developed the world’s first writing, the wheel and the plow. Government and religion were one; priests held divine power over elected officials. Worshipped a hierarchy of nature gods in temples set on huge platforms called ziggurats.

15. Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu

16. Egypt Deserts on both sides of the Nile protected Egypt from invasion. Allowed them to develop distinctive styles of architecture, painting and sculpture that remained relatively unchanged for 2500 years. Egyptian religious beliefs focused intently on life after death.

18. King Tutankhamen: King Tut Died at age 18 Best known Egyptian ruler because his is the only tomb discovered in modern times with most of its contents intact.

19. Hierarchic Scale: Unnatural proportions or scale to show importance of figures.

20. Chapter 16 The Classical and Medieval West

21. Classical Greece and Rome The classical cultures of Greece and Rome dominated Western civilization from the 5 th century B.C.E. until the decline of Rome in the 5 th century C.E. Greeks felt humankind the highest creation of nature. The closest thing to physical perfection with the power to reason. Focus on human perfection led attempt to create perfect individual in art.

22. 3 Broad stages of Greek Civilization The Archaic: Late 7 th to early 5 th Century B.C.E.: Greeks assimilated from Egypt and Near East. Kouros means Male youth/ Kore means female youth. Kouros, c. 580 B.C.E.

23. 3 Broad stages of Greek Civilization Classical: emphasizes rational simplicity, order and restrained emotion. Sculpture became increasingly naturalistic, showing the body as alive and capable of movement. Not a particular person but rather a vision of the ideal. What is Contrapposto?

24. The Parthenon Built as gift for Athena Parthenos, goddess of wisdom, prudent warfare and the navy. Post and beam construction. Built so that on Athena’s birthday, the rising sun coming through the east doorway would fully illuminate a 40 foot gold covered statue of Athena. Relief sculptures, called metopes used to promote Greek culture. Entasis: Almost imperceptible bulge in a column

25. What are the three architectural orders? Doric Ionic Corinthian

26. 3 Broad stages of Greek Civilization Hellenistic: “Greek-like.” Greece starts to decline at end of 4 th Century B.C.E. Greek art still influential but often made for non- Greek patrons. More dynamic and less idealized. More expressive and shows more exaggerated movement.

27. Decline of Greece precedes rise of Rome Rome greatly affected our lives. Laws and government, calendar, festivals, religions and languages. Romans more practical, less idealistic than Greeks. Romans admired, collected and copied Greek work but did not merely imitate them. How is Portrait Head of an Old Man an example of this concept?

28. The Colosseum  Built by the Flavian family between 68 and 80 C.E.  Capacity was between 50,000-75,000.  Used primarily for amusements: gladiator matches and wild game hunts.

29. The Pantheon Major temple dedicated to all the gods. Columned porch or “portico” and domed interior. How is the construction different from the Parthenon?

30. Early Christian and Byzantine Art Romans first regarded Christianity as a strange cult and suppressed it by law. Followers had to worship and hide their art in private homes and underground burial chambers called catacombs. Earliest Christian art was a simplification of Greco-Roman figure painting with emphasis on telling Biblical stories.

31. Early Christian and Byzantine Art Emperor Constantine acknowledges Christianity in 313 C.E. Rome in decline. People turn toward spiritual values of Christianity. Constantine moves the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. (Currently Instanbul)

32. Early Christian and Byzantine Art Splits the empire in two. Exposes the Western empire to repeated attacks from nomadic German tribes. Placed one of their own on the Imperial throne in 476, signaling the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. The Eastern empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) continues to flourish. Early Christian churches based on Roman basilicas which were used as government buildings.

33. Early Christian and Byzantine Art Who were the iconoclasts? Image breakers. Thought figural depictions of religious figures was too close to idolatry. Iconophiles favored the use of figural depictions of Christ, Mary, the disciples, angels etc.

34. The Middle Ages in Europe Rome falls, casts Europe into the Middle Ages (First part known as the Dark Ages.) Christian art influenced by invaders. Nomads developed distinctive style known as animal style. Small easily portable objects; personal adornments, weapons, fittings for saddles and harnesses. Purse Cover

35. The Romanesque At first meant European Christian architecture of the mid- eleventh to mid-twelfth centuries. Revived Roman principles of stone construction, esp. the round arch and barrel vault. Now applied to all medieval art of Western Europe during this time period.

36. The first large sculptures since Roman Times, often of Biblical figures, can be found over the central doorway of Romanesque church. Christ of the Pentecost

37. Gothic Romanesque lasts about 100 years before being replaced by the Gothic Style. Seen most clearly in the architecture. Romanesque round arch replaced by Gothic pointed arch and flying buttresses.

38. Gothic One of the principle goals of the new structural advanced was to allow the church to be filled with light. A metaphor for the presence of God. Lead to the development of stained glass windows, a feature that sets the Gothic apart from the Romanesque.