TIMELINE

KEY ART WORKS

CONTEXTUALIZATION and LOCALIZATION

ANCIENT ART PERIOD

Art History 1 * Lesson 2Philippine Women’s College of Davao

Wilfred Dexter G. Tañedo

What have you learned in doing the Activity?

Do you now have more respect or admiration to the art of the Prehistoric Era? Why or Why not?

Can we see ourselves making use of the learned technique in our art?

Insights on Caveman Rock Art

Paleolithic Era (c.2,500,000 - 10,000 BCE)

Characterized by a Stone Age subsistence culture and the evolution of the human species from primitive australopiths via Homo erectus and Homo sapiens to anatomically modern humans.

Mesolithic Era (From 10,000 BCE)

This era joins the Ice Age culture of the Upper Paleolithic with the ice-free, farming culture of the Neolithic. It is characterized by more advanced hunter-gathering, fishing and rudimentary forms of cultivation.

Neolithic Era(From 8,000-4,000 BCE to 2000 BCE)

This era is characterized by farming, domestication of animals, settled communities and the emergence of important ancient civilizations (eg. Sumerian, Egyptian). Portable art and monumental architecture dominate.

Timeline for the Ancient Art Period

(1) Ultra-Primitive Humanoid Objects (c.230,000 - 700,000 BCE)Sculpted during the Lower Paleolithic era, these primitive effigies -

considered by some archeologists to be the result of natural erosion, not human artistry - include the above mentioned Venuses of Berekhat Ram and Tan-Tan.

(2) Primitive Reliefs (from 23,000 BCE onwards)The ability to work safely and undisturbed in a secure cave, may

account for the relatively early appearance of prehistoric relief sculptures.

(3) Venus Figurines (from 40,000 BCE onwards)Sculpted predominantly during the Aurignacian and Gravettian cultures

(40-20,000 BCE), these small steatopygian Venus figurines - commonly considered to have totemic or fertility significance - have been discovered throughout Europe and beyond.

(4) Carvings of Anthropomorphic Figures (from 30,000 BCE onwards)Varying considerably in size, human features and therianthropic value,

these date back to the mid-Aurignacian.

(5) Carvings of Animal Figures (from 33,000 BCE onwards)The strangest, most exotic and most varied of all types of prehistoric

sculpture, these carvings frequently have mythological or religious significance.

5 Types of Ancient Art Sculptures

the French Venus of Monpazier (c.25,000 BCE)

the Slovakian Venuses of Hradok and Moravany (c.24,000 BCE),

the Russian Venus of Gagarino (20,000 BCE)

the Siberian Venus of Mal'ta (c.20,000 BCE)

the Swiss Venus of Engen (c.13,000 BCE).

The Other Venus Figurines

The oldest known work of art in the

Philippines located in the province of Rizal. There

are 127 human and animal figures engraved on

the rockwall probably carved during the late

Neolithic.

These inscriptions clearly show stylized

human figures, frogs and lizards, along with

other designs that may have depicted other

interesting figures but erosion may have caused

it to become indistinguishable.

The engravings are mostly symbolic

representations and are associated with healing

and sympathetic magic.

Agono Petroglyphs

The Angono Petroglyphs of Binangonan is located in a shallow rock shelter. It measures 63 meters wide, 8 meters deep and a maximum height of 5 meters. It has been created due to faulting and formed in volcanic soil during the Quaternary period.

There are 127 drawings in the form of animate and static figures of circular or dome-like head on top of a 'V' shaped torso distributed on a horizontal plane on the rock wall area measuring 25 meters by 3 meters.

Only 51 of the total 127 drawings are distinct. Due to the complexity and plurality of the drawings, it is suggested that the drawings on the rock were not only created by a single individual

Agono petroglyphs

People are nomads and constantly moving from place to another. They are hunters and gatherers of their food and needs.

Divided into 3 Subcategories with each marking advancement especially in tool technology

Lower Paleolithic Middle Paleolithic Upper Paleolithic

The stone tools became one of their expression for their works of art.

Paleolithic Period(c.2,500,000 - 10,000 BCE)

How they are made

Three different tool-based cultures:

(1) Oldowan culture (2,500,000-1,500,000 BCE)

The key feature of Oldowan tool manufacture was the method of chipping stones to create a chopping or cutting edge.

Most tools were fashioned using a single strike of one rock against another to create a sharp-edged flake.

The Lower Paleolithic Era(2,500,000 - 200,000 BCE)

Acheulean culture (1,650,000-100,000 BCE)

The most important and dominant tool-making tradition of the Lower Paleolithic era throughout Africa and much of Asia and Europe.

Acheulean tool users with their signature style oval and pear-shaped hand-axes were the first humans to expand successfully across Eurasia.

The earliest art by Stone Age man dates from Acheulean Culture.

Trivia: Archeologists now believe that Acheulean peoples were the first to experience fire

The Lower Paleolithic Era(2,500,000 - 200,000 BCE)

(3) Clactonian culture (c.400,000–300,000 BCE)

Clactonian describes a culture of European flint tool manufacture or "art", associated with Homo erectus.

Clactonian tools were sometimes notched, indicating they were attached to a handle or shaft.

The Lower Paleolithic Era(2,500,000 - 200,000 BCE)

the Venus of Berekhat Ram (found on the Golan Heights) and the Venus of Tan-Tan (discovered in Morocco) were dated to between roughly 200,000 and 500,000 BCE (the former is more ancient).

Early Paleolithic Art

The second stage of the Paleolithic Era, as applied to Europe, Africa and Asia. The dominant Paleolithic culture was Mousterian, a flake tool industry largely characterized by the point and side scraper.

Mousterian Culture (300,000 - 30,000 BCE)

Tool forms featured a wide variety of specialized shapes, including barbed and serrated edges.

Levallois Flake-Tool Culture (c.100,000 - 30,000 BCE)

An important flint-knapping culture characterized by an enhanced technique of producing flakes. This involved the preliminary shaping of the core stone into a convex tortoise shape in order to yield larger flakes. Levallois culture influenced many other Middle Paleolithic stone tool industries.

Middle Paleolithic Era(200,000 - 40,000 BCE)

The pair of ochre rocks decorated with abstract cross-hatch patterns found in the Blombos Caves east of Cape Town. The oldest known African Art dating 70,000 BCE

The Diepkloof eggshell engravings of South Africa dated to 60,000 BCE. The eggshells belong to an ostrich-like animal.

The cupules at the La Ferrassie Neanderthal cave of France dated around 40,000 BCE

Middle Paleolithic Art

The Upper Paleolithic is the final and shortest stage of the Paleolithic Age: less than 15 percent of the length of the preceeding Middle Paleolithic

In addition to more specialized tools and a more sophisticated way of life, Upper Paleolithic culture spawned the first widespread appearance of human painting and sculpture, which appeared simultaneously in almost every corner of the globe.

Stone Tool Cultures

The five main tool cultures of the Upper Paleolithic were (1) Perigordian (aka Chatelperronian; (2) Aurignacian; (3) Gravettian; (4) Solutrean; and (5) Magdalenian.

Upper Paleolithic Era(40,000 - 8,000 BCE)

The Upper Paleolithic period witnessed the beginning of fine art, featuring drawing, modelling, sculpture, and painting, as well as jewelery, personal adornments and early forms of music and dance.

The three main art forms were cave painting, rock engraving and miniature figurative carvings.

Upper Paleolithic Art

Read on the Mesolithic and Neolithic Culture and Art

Identify important and notable art works of the Period

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Read on the Classical Art Period of Art

Guide Question:

What are the 3 Distinct Classical Art Period Art Forms? What are their country/culture of Origin?

Identify 3 commonality and differences

What made them a “Classic”?

Reading Assignment

Materials: Soil Small rock Water Sketch Pad

Procedure:

1. Pound the soil using the small rock until it becomes powder-like.

2. Dip a finger into the water and get some powdered soil and draw an animal inspired by the Lascaux Cave or Chauvet Cave drawings

Project 2: Caveman Painting

Rubrics5 4 3 2 1 Scor

e

Efficient use of Art Elements and Principles

Exceptional use of the Elements and Principles of Art close to Art Period

Proficient use of the Elements and Principles of Art close to Art Period

Approaching Proficiency use of the Elements and Principles of Art

Above the basic use of the Element s and Principles Art

Basic use of Art Elements and Principles

Complexity of Technique (Workmanship)

Shows workmanship comparable to the Art Period

Shows workmanship close to the Art Period

Shows workmanship that is identifiable to the Art Period

Shows workmanship that has little resemblance to the Art Period

Workmanship shows no resemblance from the Art Period

Creativity Shows a work that has an advance blending of the limited materials into a cohesive work

Shows a work that has a proficient blending of the limited materials into a cohesive work

Shows a work that is able to blend the limited materials into a reasonable cohesive work

Shows a work that is able to blend the limited materials but work is not cohesive

Shows a work that is not able to blend the materials into a cohesive work.

Visual Impact Work very much captures the attention of the audience based on its merits

Work captures the attention of the audience based on its merits

Work captures the attention of the audience based on its merits and demerit

Work captures the attention of the audience but more on its demerit than merit

Work captures the audience attention because of its demerit