Prehistoric Art in Europe Notes

Prehistoric Art in Europe

Introduction

  • Prehistoric art predates written history, making interpretation speculative.
  • Scholars began studying prehistoric art about 200 years ago.
  • Example: Wall painting with horses, rhinoceroses, and aurochs in Chauvet Cave, France (30,000-28,000 BCE) on limestone.

Objectives

  • Arrange the basic Stone Age periods according to date.
  • Compare Neolithic and Upper Paleolithic cave art.
  • Analyze the technical aspects of Neolithic ceramics.
  • Assess the introduction of metalworking to prehistoric man.

Key Terms

  • Stone Age
  • Paleolithic Period (Lower, Middle, Upper phases)
  • Neolithic Period
  • Ceramics
  • Metalworking
  • Bronze Age
  • Alloy

The Stone Age

  • Named for the prevalence of stone tools, weapons, and figures.
  • Divided into Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age) periods.
Paleolithic Period
  • Lower Paleolithic: Earliest and least technically advanced artifacts.
Upper Paleolithic Period
  • Around 40,000 to 4,000 BCE, significant advancements in artifacts.
  • Example: "Woman from Brass Empouille" (c. 30,000 BCE), an early sculptural representation of a person.

Upper Paleolithic Cave Art

  • Evolved into a rich art form between 30,000 BCE and 10,000 BCE.
  • Discovery: First discovered in 1879 by a young girl in a cave.
  • Artists utilized cave irregularities for sculptural effects.
    • Example: Bison painting on a rock bump.
  • Pigments were derived from natural materials (ochres).
    • Rich red and brown ochres for animal bodies.
    • Black and brown for contours and details.
    • Red tones from yellow and brown ochres mixed with iron.
    • Black from manganese or charcoal.
  • Example: Spotted Horses and Human Hands
    • Charcoal used for black spots and handprints.
    • Handprints created using a "spray can" technique with chewed charcoal.
  • Artists used existing rock formations to influence their art.
    • Example: Using a rock contour to create the head of a horse.

Comparing Upper Paleolithic vs. Neolithic Cave Art

Neolithic Period Context
  • Organized agriculture, animal domestication, and permanent settlements.
  • Shift in subject matter to humans and animals engaged in everyday activities.
Upper Paleolithic Cave Art
  • Simple images of animals.
  • Use of color such as red.
  • Handprints.
Neolithic Cave Art
  • Humans and animals coexisting.
  • Clean, abstract lines.
  • Monochromatic (black).

Neolithic Ceramics

  • Ceramics created by combining clay with substances like bone ash.
  • Creations were subjected to high heat to become permanent. *Figures from Danube River Valley
    • Bodies formed from cylinders of clay.
    • Posed in lifelike ways.
  • Unresolved Mystery: Limited use of pottery vessels despite knowledge of firing clay.
    • Possible reasons: Clay vessels were heavy, fragile, and time-consuming to create compared to gourds, wooden bowls, or baskets.
  • Detail: Potters engraved lines of patterns and rubbed white chalk into the engravings for contrast.

Metalworking

  • Age of metals began in Europe and the Aegean region around February.
  • Early metals: Copper, gold, and tin were mined, worked, and traded but were too soft.
  • Bronze: An alloy of tin and copper, revolutionized life in Europe.
  • Example: Horse and sun chariot (1500-1300 BCE)
    • Cast in bronze with engraved designs.
    • Bronze sun covered with a thin sheet of beaten gold.
    • Curvilinear lines engraved on the sun to simulate movement.
    • Possible ritual object representing the sun's passage through the sky.