LATIN TERMS TO KNOW Venus (Woman) of Brassempouy

9/17/13
PREHISTORIC ART
PREHISTORIC ART
KEY CONCEPTS
Realism and naturalism
LATIN TERMS TO KNOW
It is important to introduce these commonly reoccurring art terms from the very beginning of
the course. Students should understand why art historians use the term naturalism in place
of realism. Although the importance of this distinction may not be fully realized until Chapter
27, "Realism to Impressionism," encourage your students to adopt the correct terminology
in their written work and class discussions.
PALEO
MESO
The notion of style
Style, and its change over time, will occupy much of the AP Art History course. Students can
begin the discussion of how styles change over time by comparing cave paintings from
different sites. Introduce the art of Chauvet, for instance, to demonstrate how these images,
which are roughly 5,000 years older than those in Lascaux, are frequently more stylistically
advanced. Students should also begin to develop a sense of connoisseurship, as they learn
to distinguish between the art of Lascaux and Altamira. This will help them prepare for their
first slide identification quiz or test.
Meaning of cave art
When it comes to interpreting the meaning of these beautiful images, no period of art history
is as fascinating, or as frustrating, as Paleolithic cave painting. As students examine the
works represented in the text, they should be introduced to the numerous theories about
their meaning and use. There is no single theory that everyone accepts.
PREHISTORIC ART
Woman (Venus) of Willendorf
“old”
“middle / between”
NEO
“new”
LITH
“stone”
POTAMUS
corbelling
twisted perspective
nomadic
sculpture in the round
relief sculpture
“river” (mesopotamia = between rivers)
relative dating
corbeling
dolmen
incising
capstones
passage grave
PREHISTORIC ART
Woman from Willendorf, Austria
PREHISTORIC ART
Venus (Woman) of Brassempouy
About 22,000 years old
About 1 ½” tall
PREHISTORIC ART
abstraction
low relief
ware
modeling
post-and-lintel
henge
Woman (Venus) of Willendorf
Woman from Laussel, France
Caves of Altamira
Caves of ALTAMIRA (Spain)
Discovered in 1879 – some of the first
discovered
Carved from Ivory
One of the first depicting an
accurate (yet abstracted)
face
Were originally considered fakes, but
mineral deposits would’ve taken 1000s
of years to accumulate
Mostly Bison from a profile view
(Notice that all of the hand paintings
are LEFT-HANDED… Why do you
think that is?)
1
9/17/13
PREHISTORIC ART
Caves of Lascaux
PREHISTORIC ART
Caves of Lascaux (France)
Magnificent gallery known as the HALL OF BULLS
The most extensively decorated caves
PREHISTORIC ART
Caves of Lascaux
Caves of Lascaux (France)
Caves of Lascaux
PREHISTORIC ART
Caves of Lascaux (France)
Caves of Lascaux
Caves of Lascaux (France)
Denotes the CONCEPT of a BULL
using TWISTED PERSPECTIVE
What is going on ???
PREHISTORIC ART
Caves of Chauvet
The Chauvet Cave
Discovered in 1994 – named after the
exploration leader, Jean-Marie
Chauvet
Using c-14 dating, found that these
were 15,000 years OLDER than
Altamira!!
Lions and bears depicted, but never
part of the Paleolithic diet (which
confuses theory that paintings were
part of a hunting ritual)
Animals are depicted
NATURALISTICALLY – not abstractly
like other caves
PREHISTORIC ART
Mr. Curless’s “SPECIAL CAVES”….
The Oldest?
Chauvet Cave (France)
The First One Found?
Altamira (Spain)
The Most Extensive?
Lascaux (France)
2
9/17/13
PREHISTORIC ART
PREHISTORIC ART
Jomon Cooking
Vessel
(made in Japan)
10,000-8,000 BCE
MESOLITHIC PERIOD
Two Bison reliefs made of clay (each about 2’ long)
Le Tuc d’Audoubert, France, ca. 15000-10000 BCE
PREHISTORIC ART
Stonehenge
PREHISTORIC ART
Stonehenge
PREHISTORIC ART
Manhattanhenge
STONEHENGE
(ca. 2550-1660 BCE)
Built in Salisbury Plain, England
Created in 3 phases over a 1,000
years
Keyed up with astronomical events,
such as the Summer Solstice… when
the Sun rises directly over the Heel
Stone as seen from the Altar Stone
Menhirs, Megaliths… BIG STONES!
PREHISTORIC ART
Carhenge
CARHENGE
(Alliance, Nebraska - 1987)
Carhenge is a replica of England's
Stonehenge located near the city of
Alliance, Nebraska on the High
Plains. Instead of being built with
large standing stones, as is the case
with the original Stonehenge,
Carhenge is formed from 38 vintage
American automobiles, all covered
with gray spray paint. It was built by
Jim Reinders, who created it to honor
his father who studied the structure of
Stonehenge, which helped him to
copy the structure's shape,
proportions, and size. The heelstone
is a 1962 Cadillac.
MANHATTANHENGE
Manhattanhenge, sometimes referred to
as the Manhattan Solstice – is a
semiannual occurrence during which the
setting sun aligns with the east–west streets
of the main street grid in the borough of
Manhattan in New York City. The term is
derived from Stonehenge, where the sun
aligns with the stones on the solstices with
a similarly dramatic effect. During
Manhattanhenge, an observer on one of the
gridded east-west streets will see the sun
setting over New Jersey directly opposite,
from the street, along its centerline.
The dates of Manhattanhenge usually occur
around May 28 and July 12 or July 13 –
spaced evenly around summer solstice.
3
9/17/13
PREHISTORIC ART
Skara Brae
PREHISTORIC ART
Skara Brae
SKARA BRAE
Neolithic settlement in Scotland c. 3180-2500 BCE
4