Unit Overview: Covers art from the earliest human existence through the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age periods.
Paleolithic Period: Characterized by neanderthal markings and basic image communication.
Neolithic Period: Time of advancement including organized agriculture and construction.
Bronze Age: Focus on metalwork and urban civilization development.
Key Questions:
Were early objects art or tools?
How did environments reflect human changes?
What purposes did early art serve?
What motivated early humans to create art?
What tools and techniques did early humans use?
Art (Oxford English Dictionary):
Expression or application of human creative skill, typically in visual forms.
Example: Renaissance art
Various branches of creative activity (music, literature, dance).
Description: Prehistoric stage characterized by stone tool creation and use.
Divisions:
Paleolithic (Old Stone)
Mesolithic (Middle Stone)
Neolithic (New Stone)
Timeline:
3.3 million years ago marked by oldest stone tools discovered.
Upper Paleolithic Period (53,000 - 8,000 BCE):
Significant cultural and technological advancements.
Development of homo sapiens, advanced tools, cave paintings, and portable art.
Bronze Age (3,300 - 1,200 BCE):
Notable for bronze use, writing, and early urban features.
Neolithic Period (8,000 - 3,300 BCE):
Agriculture, organized dwellings, and megalith construction.
Discovery: Earliest cave paintings date back to over 44,000 years ago, though discovered in 1879.
Examples:
Sulawesi Caves (c. 45,500 BCE) painted with ocher.
Handprints and other images blown on cave walls (Caves of Monte Castillo).
Methods:
Chewing and blowing chalk as stencil, drawing with fingers or ocher blocks, daubing with paintbrushes.
RAINBOW SERPENT ROCK: Western Arnhem Land, Australia, c. 6,000 BCE.
DECORATED OCHER: Blombos Cave, South Africa, 77,000 years ago.
LION-HUMAN: Mammoth ivory sculpture, Germany, c. 40,000-35,000 BCE.
WOMAN FROM WILLENDORF: Limestone figure, Austria, c. 24,000 BCE.
Advancements: Control over natural world, agriculture, less nomadic lifestyle. (8,000-3,300 BCE)
Notable Artifacts:
Human-Fish Sculpture: From Lepenski Vir, Serbia, c. 6300-5500 BCE.
House in Catalhoyuk: Reconstruction illustration, Turkey, c. 7400-6200 BCE.
Stonehenge: Megalith architecture, c. 3000 BCE - 1520 BCE.
Period: 3,300-1,200 BCE characterized by metalwork and elaborate artworks.
Notable Artifacts:
GOLD SCEPTERS: From Varna, Bulgaria, 3,800 BCE.
ROCK ART: Boat and sea battle, Sweden, c. 1500-500 BCE.