AP Art History Works

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• Charcoal drawings on stone

• Simplified animal forms

• Emphasis on outline rather than realism

• Early use of representation over decorationAnimals likely symbolized power, survival, or spirituality

• Shows early human desire to record and interpret the world

• Likely used for ceremonial or elite purposes

• Reflects social stratificationStylized animal motifs arranged in horizontal registers

• Repetition creates rhythm and pattern

• Flat, abstracted formsIbex (mountain goats) symbolize fertility and abundance

• Registers suggest early narrative organization

• Associated with fertility and ritual

• May have been placed in graves

• Reflects gender roles and spiritual beliefsExaggerated hips and thighs

• Small-scale, hand-modeled ceramic

• Dual faces may indicate dualityEmphasis on reproduction = fertility

• Two faces could symbolize life/death or spiritual dualism

• Created by hunter-gatherer society

• Likely had ritual or shamanistic purpose

• Suggests early religious practicesDynamic pose → sense of movement

• Combination of human and animal traits

• Flat silhouettes, minimal detail

• Horns suggest supernatural power

• Running motion may symbolize ritual dance or transformation

• Used in rituals related to ancestors or fertility

• Rare example of early three-dimensional sculptureRounded, abstracted form

• Carefully polished surface

• Focus on simplified anatomyPossibly represents embryo or spirit figure

• Emphasizes life force and continuity

• Made from animal bone → ritual object

• Reflects animistic belief systemsNatural bone shape enhanced by carving

• Suggestive rather than realistic formCanine form associated with protection or afterlife

• Combines natural and symbolic transformation

• Likely used for ritual or hunting magic

• Not domestic → ceremonial space

• Created by Paleolithic huntersLarge-scale animal figures

• Use of natural rock contours

• Overlapping figures → movementAnimals symbolize survival and power

• No landscapes → focus on spiritual essence

• Used in burial rituals

• Associated with elite status

• Reflects early Chinese cosmologyCylindrical interior, square exterior

• Precise carving = advanced craftsmanshipCircle = heaven, square = earth

• Taotie face may ward off evil spirits

• Built over centuries → communal effort

• Used for astronomical and ritual purposes

• Indicates complex social organizationPost-and-lintel construction

• Monumental scale

• Aligned with solsticeStones symbolize cosmic order

• Orientation reflects human control over nature

Contextual Context

• Used by seafaring Lapita peoples

• Indicates migration and cultural exchange

Visual Context

• Incised geometric patterns

• Repetition and symmetry

Symbolism / Details

• Designs may represent identity or ancestry

• Early form of cultural marking

Contextual Context

• Likely funerary or commemorative

• Reflects early human representation

Visual Context

• Simplified human form

• Minimal facial features

Symbolism / Details

• Represents presence of the dead

• Abstraction emphasizes spiritual over physical

Peace side (left)       War side (right)