ART HISTORY PIECES

“ The Hunting Scene”

-Paleolithic

-Indonesia

-A famous prehistoric artwork found in Indonesia

-Theriantropes: the hunters arent fully human or fully animal possibly tied to spiritual beliefs where a being can move between animal and human realms

-Showed these hybrid hunters actively hunting a wild animal, illustrating early human interaction with nature.

-possibly to pray for a good hunt

-Ochre on Stone

• “The Nude Woman”

• “Venus of Wildendorf”

• Art Mobilier

• Austria

• Paleolithic

• Possibly used as a charm and carried around

• Her exaggerated breasts/hips/stomach symbolize fertility and childbirth

• no facial detail to show it is not about the identity but the reproductive power

“La Pasiega”

• Spain

• Paleolithic

• Ladder-like and dot marks believed to be made by neanderthals

• Symbolizing some of the earliest evidence of abstract thought before fully humans could make modern art

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“Hall of Bulls”

-France

-Paleolithic

-Cave painting

-Show twisted perspective so we can see both horns facing forward like youre looking straight at the animal’s face

-Animals painted overlapping and out of scale to create a sense of movement and depth, reflecting early human fascination with animal life

-Most likely a ritualistic purpose related to hunting or fertility.

“Jericho Skull”

-Neolithic

-Jericho

-Skull with plaster and shell

-After a person died and their body decomposed their skull was removed from burial site

-Plaster rebuilds the face over a real skull, and shell inlay/ cowrie shells to mark the eyes

-” Ancestor veneration” used to keep the dead present and honored within the community rather than buried and forgotten

“Stonehenge”

-Neolithic

-Stone

-Also served as a burial site for very important people

-Used as a calendar as well

- Stone lintels- horizontal stones that span the space/ opening of the vertical stones (posts)

-England
-Aligned with the solstices to symbolize control over seasonal/agricultural cycles

-Meant to connect the community to the cosmic/seasonal time

• White temple (ziggurat)

• Mesopotamia

• Mud brick

• Sumerian

• Built on a raised platform to physically and symbolically lift the temple closer to the gods (axis mundi)

• Dedicated to the sky god Anu

• Only priests could ascend it, showing the hierarchy between the divine and the common people

“Warka Vase”

• Registers (horizontal bands) move from the natural world (plants, animals) at the bottom to the goddess Inanna at the top

• Whole society organized to serve and offer tribute to the divine

• Alabaster

• Sumerian

• Mesopotamia

• Symbolises cosmic order, fertility, and the right to rule

“ Flood tablet, part of the epic of gilgamesh”

• Neo-Assyrian

• clay

• Written in cuneiform and records a flood myth and is simiar to the story of Noah in the bible

• Written record of a myth describing a great flood, featuring the hero Gilgamesh.

“ Ziggurat of Ur”

-Mesopotamia

-Sumerian period

-Mud brick

-Built as a temple complex dedicated to the moon god Nanna

• Features a stepped pyramid structure, serving as a central site for worship and administrative activities. It exemplifies ancient Sumerian architectural prowess.

“Victory Stela”

-Sandstone

-Mesapotamian

-akkadian period

• Shows divine right to rule

-The king is shown receiving honors from the goddess Ishtar, symbolizing legitimacy and divine support for the ruler. This stela serves as a commemorative monument that celebrates military victories and royal power.

“Stela with Law Code “

• Mesapotamia

• Babylonian period

• basalt

• foreshortening with the throne carved at an angle

• Hammurabi stands before the god Shamash receiving the law codes at the top of the stela

• shows divine right to rule

• shows cunieform text talking about Hammurabi’s rules
  
  

“Lamassu”

• Assyrian Period

• Mesopotamia

• limestone

• Combines a human head (intelligence), a bull body (strength), and wings (divine reach/protection)

• At palace gates to symbolically ward off evil and project the ruler’s power to anyone entering

“Lion Hunt”

-Assyrian Period

-Mesopotamia

-Limestone

- Relief in the palace

-Ashurbanipal is depicted in a dramatic hunting scene where he showcases his bravery and prowess as a hunter, reflecting the power and dominance of the Assyrian king. This art piece celebrates royal authority and military might.

“Ishtar Gate”

• Mesopotamia

• Babylonian Period

• Limestone

• Dedicated to the goddess Ishtar of fertility, love, and war

• The animals are each associated with a specific god, so it is shown to say that divine protection guards the city’s entrance

• Used blue to show the grandeur and the divine wealth of the city under King Nebuchadnezzar

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“ Palette of Narmer”

• Ancient Egyptian

• Predynastic period

• slate

• used for ritual

• This ceremonial palette depicts the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

• Narmer’s larger size shows his supreme power and he wears the crowns of both upper and Lower Egypt showing the unification of the two lands

• The palette also features iconography symbolizing victory and the emergence of pharaonic rule.

• The falcon holding the symbol of Upper Egypt (the papyrus plant) and the bull tail signify strength and power and handing it to Narmer as a sign of victory

“Great Pyramids”

• Ancient Egyptian

• Giza

• Old Kingdom Period

• Granite and limestone

• Monumental royal tombs and religious symbols

• The pyramid shape may symbolize the rays of the sun descending/ a stairway for the pharaoh’s soul to ascend to the afterlife

“ The Great Sphinx”

• Sandstone

• Ancient Egyptian

• Old Kingdom

• Symbolizes royal power, wisdom, and protection

• It is a statue with a lion's body and a human head, believed to represent Pharaoh Khafre, often seen as a guardian of the Giza Plateau.

• boundary between the underworld and the living world, serving as a protector of the tombs in the area.

“Khafre”

• Ancient Egyptian

• Old Kingdom Period

• Diorite

• Horus’ wings wrapped protectively around his head symbolizes divine protection

• He is depicted as a seated figure, representing the pharaoh's power and connection to the divine. This statue emphasizes Khafre's role as a ruler and a protector of the people.

• no neg space so it would permanently stay there

“Menkaure and his Wife”

• Depicts the harmonious relationship between rulers, showcasing love and unity in the context of marriage.

• Her arm around him symbolizes protection and partnership

• Ancient Egyptian

• Old Kingdom

• Slate

“Seated Scribe”

• Ancient Egyptian

• Old Kingdom Period

• painted limestone

• negative space present showing he is of lower class because they dont care about permanence

• alert forward gaze signifies watchfulness and intelligence

• scribes had high status because writing was seen as powerful

• Was meant to house the man’s “ka” (which was believed to be his spirit or essence after death). The statue reflects the importance of literacy and record-keeping in Ancient Egyptian society.

• Meant to be lifelike to hold his spirit.

“Hatshepsut”

• Ancient Egyptian

• New Kingdom

• Limestone

• Depicted with a fake beard and male body conventions despite being a woman

• First female pharaoh of Egypt, known for trade expeditions and monumental architecture.

• Symbolizing that legitimate pharaonic power was conceptually male

“Akhenaten and his Family”

• Ancient Egpytian

• New Kingdom Period

• Depicts the royal family, showcasing intimate moments between Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their children.

• King wanted to shift to solely worshipping one god aten the sun disc and so he even changed his name
  
  

• Reflects the shift in artistic style towards more naturalistic forms and domestic scenes.

“ Figurine of a Woman”

• Ancient Aegean period

• Cycladic Greece

• Marble

• arms folded across the chest

• no ind. face

• symbolized “femaleness” rather than fertility-focused naturalism

• moved towards abstraction and simplification rather than exaggerated figures

“ Bull leaping palace at Knossos”

• fresco is mural painting technique where water-based pigments are applied to wet lime plaster

• shows men with darker skin tone

• shows women woth a lighter skin tone

• aegan period:early bronze age greece

• depicts the athletic practice of bull-leaping, an important ritual in Minoan culture, and showcases dynamic movement and vibrant colors typical of Aegean art.

• part of a religious rite of passage

“Lion Gate”

• Limestone

• holds a relief of 2 lions showing the dynasty’s power and protection over the city

• was meant to show intimidation and to show the ruler’s power and intimidation

“ Dipylon Krater”

• Greece

• Ancient Greek ceramic vase used for mixing wine and water, characteristic of the Geometric period.

Placed directly above a grave as a marker

• terracota

• Features elaborate geometric patterns and funerary scenes, marking a transition in Greek art towards more narrative forms.

“Ajax and Achilles playing a dice game”

• Greece

• Painted Ceramic

• showing 2 legendary warriors engagedin a game of strategy, highlighting the importance of companionship and rivalry in Greek culture

• Adding emotional depth to these heroes

• This piece exemplifies the black-figure technique, with detailed depictions of the heroes.

“ Herakles wrestling antaios”

• Ancient Greece

• Painted ceramic

• Depicts the mythical hero Herakles in a dramatic struggle with the giant Antaios, symbolizing strength and heroism.

• Herakles was able to defeat Antaios by touching the earth as his mom is goddess of earth and gave him the power

• This artwork showcases the use of the black-figure technique, emphasizing the dynamic poses and physicality of the figures.

“Kroisos”

• Marble

• Ancient Greece

• “archaic smile” symbolized idealized youth and eternal vitality

• A grave marker representing a young man, showcasing advanced sculptural techniques of the Archaic period in Greek art.

“Doryphorus”

• Spear Bearer

• Ancient Greece

• The balance pose with weight shifted on one leg symbolizes harmony between tension and relaxation

• marble copy

• of a classical statue attributed to Polykleitos, exemplifying the ideal proportions and beauty of the male figure.

• Canon: the idea that mathematical proportion can equal moral/physical perfection

“Diskobolos”

• Ancient Greece

• captures the split second peak of coiled tension before the throw

• symboliizes the greek ideal of the atheltic body as displayed as civic virtue and self discipline

• athletic competition was tied to religious festivals honoring the gods like the olympics for Zeus

“Erectheion”

• Ancient Greece

• Marble

• Athens, Greece

• ionic order: scroll like tops for coulomns

• Used female figures as columns to support the structure, showcasing a unique blend of architectural and sculptural elements.

• it marked several religious sites including where Athena and Poseidon had competed for patronage of Athens

• act of devotion

“ Parthenon”

• Ancient Greece

• marble

• Dedicated to athena

• doric order: no base essentially basic as hell

• supposed to show the city’s claim to embody civic virtue and rational order

• front showed birth of athena

“ Battle of a Lapith and a Centaur”

• Centaur losing to civilized greeks

• ancient greece

• marble

• centaurs losing to civilized greeks symbolizing the triumph of civilization/ reason over chaos

• on the parthenon

• allegory to defeat of the persians

Aphrodite of Knidos

• Ancient Greece

• Marble

• first major nude greek female statue in greek art

• symbolized idealized female beauty

• statue of goddess of love

• her hand covering herself showed heigtened eroticism/divinity all at once

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“ Altar of Zeus Pergamon”

• Gods battling giants

• Ancient Greece

• marble

• A monumental sculptural relief that depicts the battle between the gods and giants, symbolizing the struggle between order and chaos. It was part of a grand altar dedicated to Zeus at Pergamon, showcasing intricate artistry and dramatic emotional expression.

“ Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace”

• Ancient Greece

• Hellenistic period

• Symbolizes triumph (naval victory)

• Wind-whipped drapery meant to signify motion and divine power

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“ Seated Boxer”

• bronze

• “Ancient Greece”

• Scarred, battered face and body signify the honor of hard-won physical struggle

• showing real human suffering/emotion

“Aule Metule”

• Etruscan

• bronze

• raised arm and confident stance signify civic power of oratory/ public speech

• persuasion as a form of authority

• not idealized and favored aging and hyper-realism (verism)

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“Patrician Man with portrait bust of his ancestors”

Ancient ROme

• Verist style

• holding busts of dead relatives

• symbolizes family lineage and respect for ancestors.

• importance of earning honor through age rather than physical beauty

“Augustus of Primaporta

• Roman Period

• marble

• greek idealism blended with roman propagand (syncretism)

• cupid riding a dolpnin signifies divine lineage and connection to Venus.

• his bare feet like a god’s statue hint at near divine immortal status (apotheosis elevating a person to the status of a god)

The Colosseum

-Marble

• Anceint rome

• amphitheater with all 3 arch orders per level

• use gladiator games to enforce power to the masses

• concrete and marble

Arch of titus

• concrete with marble veneer

• ancient rome

• relief showing soldiers carrying spoils from the sack of jerusalem

• symbolizes rome’s dominance and military triumph

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“ Pantheon”

• oculus building’s only light source

• beam of light moving across the side signifies passage of time

• connects temples to the gods

“ The tetrarchs”

Ancient rome

• are four co-emperors of the Roman Empire established by Diocletian, depicted in a famous statue that symbolizes the unity and harmony of their rule. These figures were made of porphyry and were placed in the city of Constantinople as a representation of imperial power.

“ The good shepherd, orants, and the story of noah

• shows christ as a beardless shepherd using syncretism and using imagine from pagan pastoral image

• during a time of prosecution to show Jesus’ care for “his flock”. This early Christian art piece reflects the transition from pagan to Christian symbolism in the Roman Empire.

“ Old St Peter’s Basilica”

• Ancient Rome

• built over tomb of St. peter

• symbolizing church’s claim to direct and physical continuity with the apostles

• constructed between 324 and 360 AD, it was a monumental church that became a central site for Christian pilgrimage, representing the early authority of the papacy.

“ Hagia Sophia”

• Dome ringed with windows appears to be floating

• Byzantine era

• and symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth. Originally constructed as a cathedral in Constantinople

“ Emperor Justinian and his Attendants”

• Byzantine

• mosaic

• halo around signifiying their divine right to rule

• shift towards eternal spiritual authority

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“ Empress Theodora and her attendants”y. This mosaic, part of the same series as "Emperor Justinian and his Attendants," depicts empress Theodora in a colorful robe entering a church, reinforcing her power and the role of women in the Byzantine court.

• Byzantine

• mosaic

• halo around signifiying their divine right to rule

• shift towards eternal spiritual authorit