Art History Time Line: Culture/Art Period: Prehistoric-Stone Age Time: c. 15,000-35,000 B.C. by: E. Kanski Define the period (purpose of the movement, and main features and characteristics.) *The first found images of man and the creatures that lived with him for sustenance are discovered on the walls of caves in France and Spain and in archeological finds of small votive images carved out of stone and antler. The cave paintings were created in naturally found substances like charcoal and from other coloured stone and vegetable matter. Animal images are quite realistic in their representation, incised, painted and sculpted out of natural formations of rocks. Although images of animals are quite realistic, human representation is very primitive in depiction. Votive objects, also believed to revere their gods of nature and fertility, like the small image of the Venus of Villendorf, found in southwestern Germany, shows a very plump and massively busted woman; a very fecund figure that will reproduce the species. Caves at Chauvet in south-eastern France, dated 30,000 years ago, show ferocious lions panthers, rhinoceroses, bears, reindeer, and mammoths are depicted in extraordinary vividness, along with bulls, horses, birds, and occasionally humans. The caves at Lascaux, France and Altamira in northern Spain, show animals outlined in black and filled in with natural earth tones. These cave painting were discovered untouched, deep inside caves and were thought to be areas were religious ceremonies and fertility rites perhaps took place. Because they were so deeply hidden in the caves they are preserved very well in our present day. List three main artists that support the style and work of the main works chosen. 1. No artists are known during this period... Make sure the works fit the stylistic and historical aspects of the period. Art work # 1 Artist: ANON Title: Axial Gallery, in the caves at Lascaux, France. Date: c.15,000- 10,000 B.C. Size, medium, location: natural substances, ie. charcoal etc. Stylistic features that make this work representational of the period: Realistic images of creatures as seen by man at that time, outlined in black with natural earth tones used to fill in parts of the animal. Art work # 2 Artist: ANON Title: Bison Date: 15,000- 10,000 BC Size, medium, location: Reindeer horn, length 4" (10.1 cm.) Stylistic features that make this work representational of the period: Fairly realistic in depiction like painting at Altamira, Lascaux and Chauvet. Very linear and detailed. Art work # 3 Artist: ANON Title: Venus of Villendorf Date: c.25,000- 20,000 BC Size, medium, location: limestone figure, height 4 1/8"(11.1 cm.) Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna Stylistic features that make this work representational of the period: Like an egg- shaped "sacred pebble" Fertility figure, used as a votive object reflecting child-birth and reproduction. The navel, the central focus is actually a natural indentation in the stone |
