prehistoric art - stone age

What is Prehistoric Art?

• Visual culture created before the invention of writing

• Includes paintings, carvings, and symbolic objects

• Often spiritual, magical, or ritual in function

What are the main periods of the Stone Age?

• Paleolithic (Old Stone Age): ~2.5 million to ~200,000 BCE

• Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age): ~200,000 to ~40,000 BCE

• Neolithic (New Stone Age): ~10,000 to 4,500 BCE

What characterizes Paleolithic art?

• Use of crude stone tools like choppers and blades

• Very long period, mostly static in artistic development

• Few symbolic or artistic expressions

What are the features of Mesolithic art?

• First signs of artistic expression

• Use of ochre pigments

• Ornamentation from shells and bones

• Abstract markings and early ritual behavior

What are the characteristics of Neolithic art?

• More complex art and permanent structures

• Creation of early sculptures and masks

• Example: limestone mask from Nahal Hemar Cave, Israel

What are the typical subjects of prehistoric cave art?

• Animals such as aurochs, horses, bison, and deer

• Rare human figures, often stylized

• Handprints and abstract symbols

What techniques did prehistoric artists use?

• Incising and engraving

• Blowing or brushing pigment

• Using natural rock shapes to enhance form

What is the significance of the Lascaux Cave?

• Located in France, ~17,000 years old

• Over 600 wall paintings of animals

• Famous “Hall of the Bulls”

• Use of spray and incising techniques

What makes Chauvet Cave important?

• France, ~36,000 years old

• 447 animal figures, including predators like lions and hyenas

• Dynamic, naturalistic style

Why is Altamira Cave called the "Sistine Chapel" of prehistory?

• Spain, used over 22,000 years

• Rich polychrome ceiling paintings

• Likely painted by a master artist

What is the Venus of Hohle Fels?

• Figurine dated 35,000–40,000 years ago

• Oldest known representation of a human figure

What is the Lion-Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel?

• Sculpture dated 35,000–41,000 years ago

• Oldest known zoomorphic (animal-human hybrid) figure

What are the features of the Tuc d'Audoubert sculptures?

• Clay bison sculptures, ~13,000 BCE

• Known as the “Altar of the Bison”

• Created using natural clay, modeled in relief

What types of prehistoric visual culture are now lost?

• Body art: tattoos, body paint, scarification

• Performative acts: dance, ritual, shamanism

• Temporary or organic materials that did not survive