AT105 Test #1

Lion-Human, c. 30,000 BCE

Prehistoric art

-one of the largest prehistoric works left

-shows abstract thought in creating a mythic creature

-shows skill(looks like a lion)

Woman from Willendorf, c. 24,000 BCE

Prehistoric art

-prehistoric artwork is portable

-(prob) a fertility figure

-lack of facial features(she's a type)

-shows creative thought(naval is a natural hole in the stone)

Hall of Bulls, c. 15,000 BCE

Prehistoric art

-done by many diff artists at many diff times

-marks in stone indicate possibly used for target practice

-composite view for more info(profile w/ 2 horns)

Bird-Headed Man with Bison, c. 15,000 BCE

Prehistoric art

-1st time a man is shown in art

-unusual(great) deal of action

-composite view for more info(profile w/ 2 horns)

Stonehenge, c. 2,000 BCE

Prehistoric art

-used for ritualistic purposes

-calendar

-4-5 major building periods(big changes)

Head of a Woman, c. 3,000 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-possibly goddess of fertility

-(prob) Inanna

-shows a great deal of skill

-expensive material showing she was important

The Great Lyre with Bull's Head, c. 2,500 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-precious materials used represent splendor of Sumerian court

-bull represents power

-heraldic image(center front-facing image and a side profile image on each side) represents power/strength

-man w/ scorpion tail(often depicts death or is in tombs) likely a god representing death/after-world

Head of a Man aka “Akkadian Ruler”, c. 2,250 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-largest lost wax cast sculpture of its time

-first time art is used to glorify a ruler(not a god(dess))

-high degree of & beautiful mix of abstraction/stylization & realism

-purposeful damage due to problems w/ ruler(subject)

Stele of Naram-Sin, c. 2,250 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-first time belief in rulers as demigods shown in art

-composite view(most "beautiful" parts shown)

-one of the first historical works of art(shows battle)

-hierarchical scale

-unusual(high) amount of drama

Ziggurat at Ur, c. 2,100 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-made of mud

-spiritual & civic center

-defensive structure

-symbolizes stairs to heaven

-bent-axis structure of city spiritual(lose sense of direction less focused on mortal being/closer to god) & defensive(more time to prepare for enemy arrival)

Stele of Hammurabi, c. 1750 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-unified laws for all areas Hammurabi ruled over

-one of the largest indications of cuneiform(language)

-hierarchical scale

Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions, c. 875 BCE

Ancient Near East Art

-work of propaganda for Assurnasirpal

-lion hunt symbolizes power and masculinity

-composite view

-unusual degree of action(many diagonals)

-great deal of skill in proportions and details(unusual for time)

Palette of Narmer, c. 2,950 BCE

Ancient Egypt

-1st historical work of art(tells a story)

-hierarchical scale

-represents union of upper and lower Egypt by way of war

-prob eye makeup palette for ceremonial makeup

Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, c. 2,500

Ancient Egypt

-slope shape recalls the shape of the benben

-feat of engineering and design

-sides align with the cardinal directions

-king’s chamber built to prevent collapse

-decrease in size from generation to generation due to decline in economy

Khafre, c. 2,500 BCE

Ancient Egypt

-diorite reserved for kings/queens

-portrayed as the ideal(lean, athletic, masculine)

-imagery represents Union of lower and upper Egypt

-Ka statue to inhabit soul if body destroyed(19 backups)

Menkaure and a Queen (aka Khamerernebty II), c. 2,475 BCE

Ancient Egypt

-gender roles(wife behind Menkaure)

-wed to the stone to prevent breakage

-step not believable(torso straight over back leg)

Senmut, Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut, c. 1,475 BCE

Ancient Egypt

-1st female monarch recorded in history

-Rock cut tomb(carved into cliffside, not built)

-she fabricated a myth that her father was Ra to legitimate her rule

-most sophisticated structure until the ancient greeks