The document provides an overview of basic art history from prehistoric to Roman art. It describes prehistoric cave paintings and Venus figurines from the Upper Paleolithic period. During the Neolithic period, art became more symbolic with pottery, jewelry and megaliths. Mesopotamian art reflected military rule with structures like ziggurats and protective deities. Egyptian art had religious purposes and followed strict conventions for thousands of years as seen in structures like the Great Pyramids of Giza. Ancient Greek art progressed from the Archaic to Classical periods, establishing ideals of naturalism seen in works like the Parthenon and Doryphorus. Hellenistic art became more dramatic. Roman art

1. Basic Art History
Part 1: Prehistory- Roman Art

2. Prehistoric Art
• Upper-Paleolithic (40,000-10,000
B.C.E)
• representational imagery made by
pre-literate humans, nomadic
hunter/gatherers
• cave paintings, animal carvings, venus
figurines

3. Venus Figures
• oldest known representational image is theVenus at Hohle-Fels in Germany
• Made from Mammoth ivory
• dates c. 35,000 B.C.E.
• all female
• large breasts, hips and genitals
• possibly fertility figures

4. Venus of Willendorf
• most famousVenus figurine
• also known as Woman of Willendorf
• found in 1908
• only 11cm in size, seems to be meant to be held, it can’t stand
• dated between 28,000-25,000 BCE

5. Cave Paintings
• caves mostly in France and Spain
• first one found in 1879 in Altamira
Spain
• changed how we view prehistoric
man
• other caves: Lascaux and Chauvet

6. Chauvet Cave
• Oldest known cave paintings , approx. 30,000 BCE
• in Chauvet, France. Cave is 1,000 feet in length
• depict rhinoceroses, horses, mammoths, oxen, deer
• fairly realistic and sophisticated
• makers used charcoal, ochre, and hematite
• drew by fire, torches

7. Neolithic Art
• 11,500-5,000 BCE
• due to better climate, humans start to settle in
more stable, small agrarian communities
• pottery, jewelry, megaliths
• art more symbolic, less realism than in prehistoric
art, leads to language (pictograms)

8. The Thinker and Sitting
Woman of Cernadova
• found in Romania, dates approx 5,000 BCE
• terracotta clay
• oldest known sculpture depicting introspection rather than hunting or
fertility

9. Stonehenge
• c. 3,000 BCE, in Salisbury Plain, England
• approx 320 feet in circumference, largest stones weigh about 50 tons
• smaller sones (6 tons) quarried as far away as 450 miles
• had to be designed, planned, use huge labor force for many years,
unquestioned authority
• calendar, astronomical observatory, used for rituals, symbol of Druid pagans

10. Mesopotamian Art
• Mesopotamia- between Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• Near East region known as “fertile crescent”,
largely in modern Iraq
• The “Cradle of Civilization” because first place
where complex urban centers grew
• Sumerian,Akkadian, Babylonian,Assyrian
• lots of war and chaos, Hammurabi’s Code

11. Mesopotamian Art

12. Ziggurats
• tiered pyramid with steps that led to temple at the top
• used for rituals, sacrifices, food storage
• Ziggurat at Ur built c. 2100 BCE

13. Mesopotamian art
reflected military rule and conquests
Akkadian Ruler

14. Lamassu
winged bull or lion with
head of man
Assyrian protective deity
installed at openings of
city gates and palaces

15. Egyptian Art
• Huge impact on West, building blocks for Greek
and Roman cultures
• Lasted 3000 years,Very long and stable civilization
(as opposed to the highly volatile Mesopotamian
region)
• order and continuity
• death and afterlife were common themes
• pyramids, statuary, hieroglyphic reliefs

16. Egyptian Art
• Purpose is religious and to impose order
• Pharaoh is god-king
• human forms shown in stylized way to make form as easily read as possible
(legs in profile, torso facing front head profile, eye facing front), stays
consistent for thousands of years

17. The Great Pyramids of
Giza
• Last remaining 7 wonders of world
• Royal tombs for Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure
• Height unsurpassed for thousands of years
• inside is network of chambers and shafts to house mummies, food and items
needed for afterlife
• estimated about 2,000 conscripted peasants and stone workers, divided into
groups of 20,moved about 330 blocks of stone per day
• no longer existing it the smooth limestone covering that made the structure
shine

18. revolution of
Akhenaten
• strangely different period of Egyptian rule from c 1350-1365 BC
• Akhenaten changed to monotheistic religion, made art more naturalistic and
less rigid
• Bust of Queen Nefertiti, elegance

19. Ancient Greek Art
• Divided into 3 eras :Archaic, Classical, and
Hellenistic
• characterized by rationalism, humanism, idealism,
and naturalism
• most major influence on western culture by
ancient culture, philosophy, science, art, medicine,
law, politics, etc
• freestanding sculptures, painted pottery, and
architecture

20. Archaic (Kouros)
• young nude male
• influenced by Egyptian figuration in rigid style
• freestanding
• an idealized male individual rather than king or god

21. Classical Greek
• begins with Greek victory over Persians in 480 BC
• set standard of Western art for centuries
(Renaissance to the modern era)
• highly naturalistic human forms based on keen
observation, idealized bodies
• begin to see artist names attached to works like
Polykleitos

22. Doryphorus (Spear-
bearer)• by Polykleitos
• known by Roman copy in marble of original bronze
• based on Polykleitos’ Canon- set the standard, idealized proportions of
human form
• contrapposto - Italian for counterposed, depicting a stance with most weight
on one foot, shows dynamic twist of body and angled hips and shoulders

23. The Parthenon
• Temple in Athens to goddess Athena, completed 438 BC
• replaced earlier temple destroyed by Persians, so its purpose is to show
gratitude to gods for victory and show Athenian supremacy
• enduring symbol of ancient Greece, highpoint of culture
• proportions based on Golden Ratio

24. Hellenistic Greek Art
• refers to period after Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek ideals
• retains high level of naturalism but now more theatrical and emotional (later
to be viewed as “Romantic”)
• two best known Hellenistic art works are the Laocoon, and theVenus de
Milo

25. Ancient Roman Art
• great expansive empire from Western Europe to
Near East to Northern Africa
• influenced by all the conquered cultures, especially
Greek
• revered the Greeks and made numerous copies of
ancient Greek statues

26. Roman Painting and
Sculpture
• began as burial (mummy) portraits or death masks
• Meant to be true-likenesses, therefore not idealized (warts and all shown)
• paintings in tempera or encaustic on wood panel (very few still exist)