Quiz 1 - Prehistoric Art Flashcards
composition
the way something is laid out. How formal elements are arranged. Crowded, sparse, negative space, etc.
medium
the type of material used to create the artwork. One, stone, paint, oil, etc.
donor/patron
the person who pays for the work of art. the donor has a huge impact on our wide something was made. Sometimes more significant than the artist.
iconography
visual things or clues about an artwork. icon means image. graphy means working with. These clues allow you to figure out the specific time period.
Naturalistic
something that copies nature, or replicates the world
modeling
bearing the amount of light and dark to suggest volume, shading
relief sculpture
a sculpture created by carving away the area of the figure. It remains attached to the flat plain behind it.
abstraction
reduction of shapes and appearances to basic yet recognizable forms that are not intended to be exact replications of nature.
Cuneiform
a wedge-shaped system of writing, this is the earliest system of writing.
Formal analysis
this is the first step in learning about a piece of artwork. Purely visible method of analysis. Looking at visual elements of a work of art to understand what the artist was trying to convey.
Contextual analysis
doing your history and research of a piece of art. Researching how a work of art function within a particular time.
Registers
horizontal narrative in bands across or around a piece of work.usually done as a relief on a work of art.
title and date. Please tell me several things related to this work of art.
Woman from Willendorf, c. 24,000 BCE Prehistoric Art
the sculpture is of a female form with exaggerated body parts.
theory suggests that they sculpture like this would have been about fertility or the appreciation of fertility.
the statue is made of limestone and is only 3 1/2 inches tall, it could’ve been used as a charm for fertility.
One of most interesting facts is that the statue has no face, which means it could be used universally.
title, location, and time.
With several things about this artwork
Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Cave, c. 15,000 BCE Prehistoric Art
in the Lascaux cave painters depicted cows, bulls, horses and deer all natural ledges of the rock.
Horns, eyes and hooves are shown in the front view, yet heads and bodies are rendered in a profile view known as composite pose.
there are over 600 paintings and 1500 engravings within the one cave.
The common theory is that these paintings might be ritualistic and not actually for people to view.
title and date. Please tell me several things related to this work of art.
Figures of a Woman and Man, c. 3500 BCE Prehistoric Art
made completely from ceramic, this is the first time you will need a kiln to create ceramics.
Life is a little easier and stable, art is becoming more complex.
Both figures were found in the same grave and suggests an otherworldly message. She seems to be a spiritual figure communing with the heavens, while the man rests his hands in a brooding matter.
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Stonehenge, c. 2500-1750 BCE, England, Prehistoric Art
the construction of Stonehenge is called post and lintel meaning a basic system consisting of two or more posts that support the horizontal lintel
Stonehenge is a series of stone weighing approximately 50 tons each
it is thought to be a cemetery of cremation burials marked by circles of Bluestone’s.
Each lintel was secured by a mortise and tenon jointsor tongue and groove.
Most of the stone had to be transported from over 150 miles away
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Votive Figures, The Square Temple, c. 2900 BCE, Ancient Near East Art
each figures made of limestone and is about 4 inches to 1 foot tall
all of the votive figures are consistent with beards, costumes, eyes, and a cuneiform inscription stating “one who offers prayer”
eyes are wide open shows alertness to be ready and worshiped the gods
individual patrons had been made so that while they were they could also be at the Temple
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Nanna Ziggurat, c. 2100 BCE, Ancient Near East Art
built in the city of Ur it stands almost 200 feet tall and signifies the Ziigurat bond with heaven and earth
it is a solid structure on a huge platform at the top there is a shrine which allows you to get closer to Nanna the moongoddess
there was one small room in the Temple that has the face of a woman called the Warka ahead
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Carved Vase, Uruk, 3300-3000 BCE, Ancient Near East Art
this is a vase found near a Summerian temple, it is for Inanna the goddess of love, fertility and warfare
it’s a low relief narrative sculpture made out of alabaster that tells us about Inanna
the visual narrative is organized into three registers and may represent a reenactment of a marriage between the gods
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Great Lyre with Bull’s Head, 2500-2400 BCE, Ancient Near East Art
the bullhead is made of gold leaf and the beard and hair made of Lapis Lazuli
the leader itself had to be ritualistic because there is 11 strings, this is usually used by the Sumerians to call the Bull God
there are four registers, the bottom and top registers follow somewhat the epic of Gilgamesh
bottom plaque has carved shell inlay
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Stele of Naram-sin, c. 2220-2184 BCE, Ancient Near East Art, Akkadian Art
this is the first time that the people flow in a unified space and not horizontal registers
first work of art that represents an event in history, Narasim victory
the Stele uses a hieratic scale to depict important people been left important people and a higher relief forNaramsin
this is also the first time that a background has been seen in works of art, there is a mountain, and three suns
will will
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Votive Statue of Gudea, c. 2090 BCE, Ancient Near East Art
this is made of diorite stone, and incredibly hard unbreakable stone it stands about 4 feet tall
Gudea was the king, and rebuilt all the temples in the city of Lagash, in each Temple he put the statue of himself
this is not a naturalistic portrait as he is shown with a baby face
by using the statue in every Temple he can let people know that he has great power and that he is the one who had the temples rebuilt
he has wide-open eyes which means he’s ready and alert, his costume shows one arm bear to show his muscles, and his long gown is in scripted with cuneiform
title and date. Please tell me several pieces of information about this piece of art
Stele of Hammurabi, c. 1792-1750 BCE, Ancient Near East Art
the relief form on top stands about 1 foot tall, Hammurabi is standing while the Suns defeated.
The relief states that laws are being passed down from the sun God to Hammurabi
along the bottom of this steel are cuneiform inscriptions with close to 300 walls written down
