Art History Sketchbook Reviews. Pre-Historic Art Europe in 30,000 BC – 2,500 BC Gravettian Culture – Austria Venus of Willendorf 24,000 – 22,000 BC Oolitic

Art History

Sketchbook Reviews

Pre-Historic ArtEurope in 30,000 BC – 2,500 BC

Gravettian Culture – AustriaVenus of Willendorf24,000 – 22,000 BC

Oolitic limestone – yellowish, traces of ochre

One of three figurines recovered from Paleolithic archeological sites at Willendorf in Austria

One of many similarly shaped, female carvings - known as "Venus Figurines” - found across Europe and made during this time period

Discovered in 1908 by Austrian archeologist Josef Szombathy

11 cm high and a max. of 4 cm wide Thought to represent fertility, OR a higher

social status – obesity leading to abundance of food, etc.


Nearly 2,000 figures, grouped into three categories - animals, human figures and abstract signs

Mostly horses (364 total, 90 are stags); also cattle, bison, felines, a bird, a bear, a rhinoceros, and a human

One of the bulls is 17 feet long Crossed hind legs show the

ability to use perspective No vegetation or environment is

portrayed around the animals Discovered in 1940 2000 – fungus appeared; 2006 –

black mold; 2008 – cave closed except for 20 minutes once a week to monitor conditions

Southwestern FranceCaves of Lascaux

15,000 BCpainted onto walls using mineral pigments as well as incised into the stone


1st phase – a bank & ditch arrangement called a henge, built 5,000 years ago

Temple for worship of ancient deities?

Astronomical observatory? Prehistoric calendar? Sacred site for burial of high-

ranking citizens? 100 feet diameter, 24 feet tall 89 stones weighing up to 4 tons

each Years later stones weighing 40-

45 tons were moved in Blue stones are made of spotted

dolerite (volcanic rock) so rare it’s only found in one known location which is 20 miles west of Stonehenge

England, County WiltshireStonehenge

3,000 – 2.000 BCLarge standing

bluestones and sarsen stones set within

earthworks

Non-European Art30,000 BC – 1,600 CE

Benin, NigeriaThe Ivory Mask (African)

16th CenturyIvory, Iron, Copper

Among most celebrated pieces of African art

Keep evil away from the Edo peoples Portrait of Idia, mother and close

advisor to one of the tribes most powerful leaders

Hollowed back suggests that it was both a pendant and a receptacle possibly containing medicines to

protect the king during ceremonial occasions

9 3/8 in. tall Top decorated with heads,

symbolizing Portuguese – alliance with and control over Europeans


Yucatan state in MexicoThe Temple at Chichen Itza

750 – 900 CEStone

Large Pre-Columbian city built by the Maya Civilization

Famous for it’s “traveling serpent”

Step pyramid demonstrates the accuracy and importance of Maya astronomy

365 steps – one for each day of the year… each of the temple’s four sides has 91 steps, and the top platform makes the 365th

named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World

On Spring & Fall equinox the serpent descends from the heavens along the temple walls

As sun sets, shadowy snake descends steps to join a stone serpent head at the base of the staircase


ChinaTomb of Emperor Qin aka The Terracotta

Army246-209 BC

Terracotta Sculptures

Discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a water well Form of funerary art buried with Qin To protect Qin in afterlife, and to make sure that he had people

to rule over Figures vary in height according to roles, with the tallest being

the generals Three pits containing the Terracotta Army Over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150

cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried


Manufactured in workshops by 700,000 local craftsmen

Head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled

Eight face molds most likely used, and then clay was added to provide individual facial features

Vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank – all life-size

Most originally held real weapons such as spears, swords, or crossbows

Were painted vibrant colors

Egyptian3100 BC – 30 BC

Sculptor: ThutmoseNefertiti Bust

1345 BCLimestone, Gypsum, Crystal, Wax,

Stucco Nefertiti: literally "the beautiful one has come”

The bust is 19 in tall, weighs about 44 lbs

Face is completely symmetrical and almost intact, but the left eye lacks the inlay present in the right

Pupil of the right eye is of inserted quartz with black paint and is fixed with beeswax

Exact function of the bust is unknown, though it is theorized that the bust may be a sculptor's model


German archaeological team led by Ludwig Borchardt discovered the bust in 1912 in Thutmose's workshop in Amarna, Egypt.

Kept in several locations in Germany

Was CT scanned in 1992 and 2006

Wrinkles found on neck and bags under her eyes, suggesting the sculptor had tried to depict signs of aging

Inner face has creases around her mouth and cheeks and a swelling on the nose

Become "one of the most admired, and most copied, images from ancient Egypt”


West Bank of the Nile in GizaGreat Sphinx of Giza, with

the Pyramid of Khufu2558 - 2532 BC

Carved Limestone Bedrock

Oldest known monumental sculpture

Statue of a reclining sphinx (a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head)

66 feet high and 240 feet long from front paws to tail-end

Built by ancient Egyptians during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafra

Possibly covered with plaster like bust of Nefertiti

Pharaoh Khafre is believed to be the man responsible for building the Sphinx

Theory is that the erosion was caused by wind sandblasting the figure, however it was concluded that the erosion was caused by rainfall


THEORIES: Sphinx was originally a statue

of the Jackal-Dog Anubis, the God of the Dead

Face was recarved in the likeness of a Middle Kingdom pharaoh, Amenemhet II

Traces of paint seen around one of the Sphinx's ears - believe that it was once colorfully painted


The Book of the DeadUsed from 1550 – 50 BC

written on papyrus and tomb walls

It is not a book – modern name of an ancient Egyptian funerary text

Consists of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the underworld into the afterlife

most commonly written in hieroglyphic or hieratic script on a papyrus scroll

190 – 200 spells are known Once prepared, the collection

of spells was packed carefully away with their other grave goods, to be placed in their tomb


They imagined the afterlife as a kind of journey you had to make to get to paradise – but it was quite a hazardous journey so you’d need magical help along the way

Papyrus of Ani is one of the finest and most complete examples of this type of Egyptian funerary text to survive. The Papyrus of Ani now resides in The British Museum, London.

Greek850 BC – 31 BC

Greek Pottery1050 – 600

BCClay, Slip

Most of what we know about Greek art comes from the pictures they painted on pottery – about daily life, and they were used in daily life

Pots came in all sorts of shapes and sizes depending on their purpose

Painted scene reflected what the pot was used for

Greek painted pottery changed over time

Tells us about how life was in Athens and other ancient Greek cities

Greeks believed that goddess Athena invented earthenware pots, and was the patroness of Greek potters

Pots are the most valuable tools archeologists use for the study of ancient Greek history

Thought of the pots as if they were people - used human terms to describe parts of the pots… mouth, lip, neck, shoulder, and body.


Periods of Greek Pottery: Protogeometric Geometric Orientalizing Black figure Red figure White ground technique Hellenistic Period

Forms of Greek Pottery Amphora – olive oil as prize

for winning athlete Krater – for mixing wine with

water Kantharos – drinking cup Alabastron – perfumes & oils Hydria – collecting water


Alexandros of Antioch

Venus de Milo130 – 100 BC

Marble Currently at the Louvre Museum in Paris One of most famous works of ancient

Greek Sculpture Believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek

goddess of love and beauty She is 6 feet 8 inches high Discovered on April 8, 1820 by a peasant

named Yorgos Kentrotas, inside a buried niche within the ancient city ruins of Milos

Comprised of several parts which were sculpted separately (bust, legs, left arm and foot) then fixed with vertical pegs, a technique which was fairly common in the Greek world


She may have held an apple, a crown, a shield, or a mirror in which she admired her reflection.

Right side is worked more carefully and finished in greater detail than the left side or back, indicating that the statue was intended to be viewed in profile from its right.

Would have been painted, as was the Greek custom for statuary

Originally wore metal jewelry – bracelet, earrings, and headband – only the fixation holes remain


Iktinos, Kallikrates, KarpionThe Parthenon447 – 432 BC

Limestone, Pentelic Marble

Dedicated to the goddess Athena Pallas or Parthenos

Main function was to shelter the monumental statue of Athena that was made by Pheidias out of gold and ivory

Temple of the Doric order: 8 columns at the façade and 17 columns at the flanks, conforming to the established ratio of 9:4. *Ratio governed the vertical and horizontal proportions of the temple as well as many other relationships of the building like the spacing between the columns and their height


All Greek temples designed to be seen only from outside - viewers never entered a temple and could only glimpse the interior statues through the open doors

Epitomizes all the ideals of Greek thought during the Classical era through artistic means.

Concepts in Athens that set them apart from barbarians: idealism of Greek way of living, attention to detail, understanding of a mathematically explained harmony in the natural world

Represented in perfect proportions of building, intricate architectural elements, and anthropomorphic statues that adorned it

Roman500 BC – 476 AC

The Colosseum70–80 AD

Built by Emperor Vespasian,

finished by Emperor TitusConcrete and stone

Original name: Flavian Amphiteater

Seats between 50,000 and 80,000 people (that’s about as many as Giants Stadium in New Jersey)

4 levels: 3 lower for seating and top level for standing room only

80 entrances, 76 are numbered with corresponding tunnels to assigned seating areas

Retractable roof: 160 ft. high (14 stories)

7,500 tons of Travertine stone – was hauled 20 miles from nearby mine

1349 there was an earthquake that damaged the outer wall and builders and thieves stole the broken stone and iron

Roman Art

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abG-_Oen8oU


Opening of the structure: 100 day celebration in which over 5,000 animals killed and an unknown number of men were killed

Hosted gladiatorial battles and hunts with staged elaborate sets and movable trees and buildings

Ancient writers recorded that the building was used for simulated sea battles

Hundreds of underground tunnels, elevators, and cells were below the amphitheater floor


May have been a formal dining room, and is decorated with very fine frescoes

Actual subject of the frescoes is hotly debated, most common interpretation is scenes of the initiation of a woman into a special cult of Dionysus – cult that required specific rites and rituals to become a member

Other theories: part of a ritual ceremony aimed at preparing privileged, protected girls for the psychological transition to life as married women

Each panel depicted a different scene from the ritual, from reading the rites of passage, to the music being played, the gods being present, to the sharing of wine

Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii79 AD

Pompeii, ItalyFresco Paintings inside

done by unknown artist(s)


Fresco: technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid plaster

Water is used as the vehicle for the pigment and, with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.

The word fresco is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh”

Covered in ash and volcanic material from eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD – frescoes survived largely undamaged.


Based on the Doryphorus, which portrays ideal human proportions of Athenian athlete

Portrays him as a victorious General making a speech, posed in the traditional controposto manner

Personal features of Augustus: a broad cranium, deep-set eyes, sharp ridges in his brow, a well-formed mouth and a small chin

Face depicted in the manner of Apollo was meant to associate Augustus’ abilities with those of the powerful god

Augustus wanted to portray himself as a perfect leader with flawless features, showing the power and authority of the man who had the capacity to stabilize an empire

Commissioned by Tiberius

Augustus of Prima Porta

15 A.D. White marble


Believed that this marble statue may be a copy of a bronze statue that Tiberius’ mother may have had

Tiberius made a significant addition to his marble copy on the chest plate he added scenes depicting the Roman victory over the Parthians

These scenes were used by Tiberius as a form of propaganda so that the viewer would recall the important role his father played in securing the Roman empire

Barefoot Augustus as well as Cupid on the dolphin hint at the ancestry to the goddess Venus

Medieval500 – 1400

Illuminated Letter & ManuscriptsItaly

400 – 600Papyrus, Vellum, Parchment,

Gold, Silver, Ink & Quill

Decorated with gold or silver – costly process reserved for special texts

Written and decorated by hand Most common item to survive the Middle Ages; generally

religious in nature Early versions were Gospel Books, but later versions included

complete Bibles and personal devotion books Monasteries produced manuscripts for their own libraries,

wealthy individuals commissioned works as a sign of status within the community


Parchment is high quality writing support made from the specially prepared skins of calves, sheep, or goats

Pigments used in illumination were ground up or soaked out vegetable, mineral, and animal extracts

Production was divided among four distinct craftsmen: the parchment maker, the scribe, the illuminator, and the bookbinder

Parchment maker prepared the animal skins used to make the leaves of a manuscript

Scribe wrote the manuscript's text by hand

Illuminator provided the manuscript's painted decoration

Bookbinder provided a binding to protect the manuscript, which held the leaves together and kept them from curling


Stained Glass10th – 16th Centuries

Glass, sand, ash, paint

Pictorial art form using colored and painted glass Used mostly in churches, but also wealthy settings and public

buildings Purpose was to enhance the beauty of the setting and to inform

viewers via symbolism and narratives French clergyman Abbot Suger wanted to build a cathedral that

would uplift the spirit by bathing worshippers in brilliant colored light. The stained glass windows were like luminous paintings, depict stories from the Bible and drawing the gaze upward toward heaven.



Giotto di BondoneOgnissanti Madonna,

aka Madonna Enthroned

1310Tempera on Panel

Traditional Christian subject matter – Virgin Mary with Christ Child on her lap, they are surrounded by saints and angels

Originally painted for the Ognissanti Franciscan church in Florence

Giotto took influence from many art forms, styles and artists of his time, but he was the first to depict 3-Dimensional figures in Western European art

Fabric folds are realistic – instead of lines he used light, shadow, and color to create the appearance of fabric; contours of the body underneath the fabric folds are also visible

Uses chiaroscuro (the use of contrasts of light) to achieve a sense of volume in figures, giving them the slight smokiness that is usually characteristic of later Renaissance artists


Renaissance1400 – 1500

Baroque1600 – 1750

Impressionism1865 – 1885

Post-Impressionism1885 – 1910

Expressionism1900 – 1935

Cubism1905 – 1920

Surrealism1917 – 1950

Abstract Expressionism1940s – 1950s

Pop Art1960s

Assemblage1970 +

Recycled1970 +

Documents

Art History Sketchbook Reviews. Pre-Historic Art Europe in 30,000 BC – 2,500 BC Gravettian Culture – Austria Venus of Willendorf 24,000 – 22,000 BC Oolitic