WEDNESDAY WATCH: PREHISTORIC ART

​The earliest art movement in history
First human artists

​When did humans begin making art?
What were the first forms of art like?
 
Today you are going to watch a handful of videos that will shed light on where the visual arts began. Have a pen, pencil, notes app, or a word doc open as there is a list of questions I will be asking you!

All of these answers can be found within the videos. Some of the questions are YOUR OWN OPINION and there is no way to get them wrong (unless you leave it blank) – I am just curious what your thoughts are while some questions have very specific answers.

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ART VOCABULARY–become familiar with these terms
-Art Movement
-Prehistoric Art
-Paleolithic Era/The Stone Age
-Cave Art

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An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a specific period of time, (usually a few months, years or decades) or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defined within a number of years.

An art movement is a period of time when popular art shares similar styles, such as the Impressionistic movement, 1865–1885:
 
Impressionist painters sought to capture the immediate impression of a particular moment. This was characterized by short, quick brushstrokes and an unfinished, sketch-like feel. Impressionist artists used modern life as their subject matter, painting situations like dance halls and sailboat regattas rather than historical and mythological events.
 
The history of art has seen a lot of changes. Changes happen when artists tire of traditional styles and decide to try something new. Many styles and movements have occurred throughout the history of art.
 
Art movements were especially important in modern art, when each consecutive movement was considered as avant-garde = new and unusual or experimental ideas. Some time periods have overlapped as the art world became used to new styles. Without artists trying something new, we wouldn't have Monet's Water Lilies or Warhol's Soup Cans.

>>> Want to know more about other Art Movements? Check out these three websites for additional and more in-depth information:

www.thoughtco.com/art-history-timeline-183476

www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/timelines/art_history_timelines.htm

www.fsusd.org/cms/lib03/CA01001943/Centricity/Domain/2087/art%20history%20timeline.pdf

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Prehistoric relating to or denoting the period before written records.
 
"Prehistoric Man" = Prehistory (Latin word præ = before and Greek word ἱστορία = history) is a term usually used to describe the period before written history became available. Paul Tournal originally coined the term Pré-historique in describing the finds he had made in the caves of southern France.
 
In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological history, and generally continuing until that culture either develops writing or other methods of record-keeping, or makes significant contact with another culture that has, and that makes some record of major historical events.

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Paleolithic​ relates to or denotes the early phase of the Stone Age, lasting about 2.5 million years, when primitive stone implements were used.

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Cave Art paintings and engravings on the walls of caves and rock-shelters, especially naturalistic depictions of animals, produced by Upper Paleolithic/Ice Age peoples of western Europe roughly between about 40,000 and 10,000 years ago.

The first painted cave acknowledged as being Paleolithic, meaning from the Stone Age, was Altamira in Spain. The art discovered there was deemed by experts to be the work of modern humans, Homo sapiens. Most examples of cave art have been found in France and in Spain, but a few are also known in Portugal, England, Italy, Romania, Germany, and Russia.

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Before you get begin watching the videos let’s go over the earliest/first ART MOVEMENT IN HISTORY = Prehistoric Art
 
Prehistoric Art approximately 40,000 – 4,000 BC some sources even say as far back as 100,000 BC
(according to current textbooks approximately – new technology and methods in dating archaeological finds are being discovered and invented every day giving us more accurate dating capabilities which often conflict with traditional timelines)
There is some conflicting data so there isn’t always an agreed upon specific time and there is more a ‘frame of time’ used as you will see the in videos today – the ‘dates’ will vary a bit.
 
CHARACTERISTICS
Rock carvings, pictorial imagery, sculptures, and stone arrangements
 
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS
Prehistoric cultures that existed before the advent of a written language
 
INFLUENTIAL WORKS
Lascaux cave paintings, Paleolithic era
 
The foundation of art history can be traced back tens of thousands of years to when ancient civilizations used available techniques and media to depict culturally significant subject matter. 
 
The origins of art history can be traced back to the Prehistoric era, before written records were kept. The earliest artifacts come from the Paleolithic era, or the Old Stone Age, in the form of rock carvings, engravings, pictorial imagery, sculptures, and stone arrangements.
 
Art from this period relied on the use of natural pigments and stone carvings to create representations of objects, animals, and rituals that governed a civilization’s existence.
 
One of the most famous examples is that of the Paleolithic cave paintings found in the complex caves of Lascaux in France. Though discovered in 1940, they’re estimated to be up to 20,000 years old and depict large animals and vegetation from the area.
 
From human hands to now-extinct animals, cave art gives us a glimpse into prehistoric life.

Who created cave art, and what was its initial purpose?

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ASSIGNMENT:

1. ​Copy and paste these questions into a Google Doc (they will also be available in Google Classroom).
2. Include your FULL NAME on your document so I know who it belongs to - name the FILE and TYPE your name at the top of the document.
3. Answer while you watch the video clips.
4. Remember while some have exact answers some are your own personal opinion!

Answers can be found through all three videos – take your time watching them in order.

I have indicated with numbers how many answers you should have for each question – feel free to do one word answers and/or full sentences when and where appropriate.

You have until Tuesday April 14th 2020 at 12:00 am midnight to email me/share your Google Doc. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me [email protected]
 
The answers to the questions will be found throughout all of the videos and some may have answers that differ slightly – agreeing on ancient information can be difficult for scientists as getting accurate lab results on dating techniques is tricky. And because we can't talk to anyone from that time period a lot is left to interpretation. If you have more than one answer for a question that is okay – write as many as you would like.

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QUESTIONS:

1. The two major art forms during this early Paleolithic Period can be classified into:
     1-
​     2-
 
2. Give one example of stationary art (not moving).
     `1-
 
3. Give two examples of portable art (able to be easily carried).
     1-
     2-
 
4. What were some common themes (subjects) in prehistoric art?
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     2-

5. Why did prehistoric people create art? What were they expressing?
      1-
     2-

6. The small human and animal figurines are to have what suggested purpose? (used before a hunt) (short answer)

7. What is a Venus figurine? (short answer)
 
8. What types of animals can be found in cave paintings?

Animals that were hunted:
      1-
     2-
     3-
     4-

Animals revered for their strength:
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     6-

9. What activities or techniques suggest that the cave paintings were used for hunting rituals? (short answer)
 
10. What are three types or techniques (line work) that are used in cave painting?
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     2-
     3-

11. What two types of perspectives are used in cave drawings/paintings?
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     2-
 
12. What is NOT included in cave drawings/paintings?
      1-

13. How was paint applied? There are three techniques described.
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     2-
     3-

14. What are the two most common colors used in cave drawings/paintings?
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     2-
 
 15. Who made the cave art? (short answer)
 
16. How many caves have archaeologists discovered throughout Europe that have drawings and paintings in them? (short answer)
 
17. What did the prehistoric artists use to make their medium?
Remember a medium refers to the materials that are used to create a work of art. (short answer)

18. What are some of the ancient mediums prehistoric artists used that you have used in modern day art class? (short answer)
 
19. What time period begins towards the end of the Stone Age?
     1-
 
20. What does repeated (repetition=pattern) symbols suggest in cave art?
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     2-

21. What changed for artists during the Neolithic period? What did they do that was new/different? (short answer)
 
22. Neolithic people built the first permanent architectural structures – what did that include?
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     2-
     3-
     4-
     5-
 
23. Have you built anything yourself? If so, please describe. What would you like to build? (short answer)
 
 22. What is the most famous Stone Age structure and how as it built?
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     2-
 
23. How do you think the stones were transported/moved? (short answer)

24. What do you think the purpose of Stonehenge is? Why was it built? (short answer)
 
25. How can you tell the art was important to Stone Age people? (short answer)
 
26. What is the legacy of the Stone Age time period?
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     2-
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27. Would you like to have lived during the Paleolithic Stone Age? Why or why not? (short answer)

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VIDEO CLIPS:

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​Cave Art 101 | National Geographic

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​Most Amazing Cave Paintings

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​Stone Age Art History

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DIG DEEPER:

Interested in the similar symbols seen throughout the caves?
Check out this presentation!
We may be using the concept of cave art in future art missions!
 
Why are these 32 symbols found in caves all over Europe?
 
Written language, the hallmark of human civilization, didn't just suddenly appear one day. Thousands of years before the first fully developed writing systems, our ancestors scrawled geometric signs across the walls of the caves they sheltered in. Paleoanthropologist and rock art researcher Genevieve von Petzinger has studied and codified these ancient markings in caves across Europe. The uniformity of her findings suggest that graphic communication, and the ability to preserve and transmit messages beyond a single moment in time, may be much older than we think.

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Thank you all for showing up today! I will post all of the answers to these questions on Fragment Friday April 17th after everyone has submitted their answers.

Don't forget to do your Art Mission Monday = Still Life Self Portrait! Make sure you email me the picture by midnight on Sunday April 12th to receive credit.

As always if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

Be well and take care of yourself!

Best,

Nicole Webster Clark