The Study of Western & Prehistoric Era Art

Venus of Willendorf or Woman of Willendorf

A figure carved out of limestone into the shape of a woman, made during the Upper Paleolithic. This was discovered in Austria.

Cave Paintings: Lascaux

These paintings include animals, a representation of a human, and abstract elements. They were created more recently than those in Chauvet.

Stonehenge

It is a structure built during the Neolithic Era in Wiltshire, UK, made of stone megaliths. Some believe it was used as a funerary complex or for religious purposes.

Cave Paintings: Timeline

These works of art are dated to around 38,000 BCE. This makes this time period significant, as they are the first examples of visual art.

Figurine of a Nude Woman also known as The Venus of Sarab

A sculpture from Iran that was made in the Neolithic era. It is thought to represent a goddess of fertility.

Venus of Dolni Vestonice

A clay figurine discovered in the Czech Republic that was made during the Upper Paleolithic era. It is shaped like a nude woman who has large breasts.

Urban Centers

Areas where large amounts of people lived together. The Greeks are credited with building the first of these in European history.

Iconography

This refers to the motifs or themes used by artists to symbolically communicate a message.

Early Writing: Mesopotamia

This area of the world shows signs of written communication from around the year 3,600 BCE.

Provenance

A biographical element associated with art history. This looks at the origin of a piece of art, including who created it, individuals who owned it, and/or the people who funded its creation.

Petroglyphs

These are carvings or pickings were made to depict images and were usually found in caves. They may have been used to show animals or hunting trips. Some were created during the Upper Paleolithic.

Formal Elements

You focus on this part of art history when considering its overall aesthetic, the materials used to make it, and any other elements related to its composition.

Ain Ghazal Statues

These statues were named for where they were found in Jordan. They are Neolithic artifacts that are seen as the first instance of human representation on a large scale.

Criticism

This aspect of art history focuses on assessing the impact of a piece and gauging its significance.

Cave Paintings: Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc

The paintings in this cave are mainly of animals, along with handprints and red dots. These caves are found in France, in the Ardeche valley. They are the oldest of these paintings yet found.

Early Writing: Americas

We have evidence that there was written communication in this area of the world by the year 500 BCE.

Denisova Cave

This is a location in Russia where jewelry made during the Upper Paleolithic from eggshell beads and stone was found.

Cave Paintings: Purpose

There is no definitive way to know why these paintings were created, but many theorize that they had some kind of ceremonial use because they are hard to access.

Megaliths

Large boulders or stones were used to make these structures in the Neolithic era. Some were used as tombs and some for ceremonies.

Cave Paintings: Altamira

A location for cave paintings in Spain. Animals are the primary subject of these paintings and the painters used mostly black and red to create their works.

Dwelling of Skara Brae

A Neolithic settlement discovered in Scotland. The stone houses found here contain interior items such as shelves and furniture.