Art in Early Civilizations

 
Topics:
ART IN EARLY CIVILIZATIONS
 
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 

1. discuss how art was used by prehistoric people to depict everyday life.
2. identify the central themes of prehistoric art;
3. differentiate the techniques used during the three kingdoms of early Egypt.
4. Explain how art is linked with religion in early Egyptian civilization.
 
 
 
Introduction
           

                Stone
Age is a term used to describe a period of history when stones were used to make
tools for survival. The term "conjures an image of men and women dressed in skins, huddling
before a fire in a cave" (Fitchner-Rathus, 2013). Though prehistoric humans would not
necessarily possess the complex rational capabilities to tell their story through written records
and accounts, some artifacts in the form of cave paintings and sculptures would serve as the
"storytellers.
 
In order to talk about prehistoric art, there is a need to situate them within the context of the three
periods of the Stone Age culture (which roughly span the 14,000— 2,000 BCE): Palaeolithic (the
late years of the Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), and the Neolithic (New Stone
Age).
The emergence of civilization is frequently defined or characterized in terms of an
increase in the complexity of the structure and the functioning of human society by comparison
to earlier phases. The development of the productive capacities of mankind may be said to be
both, that is, dialectically, cause and consequence of changes affecting ways of life, social
structure, material culture, technology, knowledge and ideology that separates primitive
humanity from the early civilizations.
 
DISCUSSION
 
Prehistoric Art
 
Archeological explorations reveal that there has been a gradual shift from nomadic lifestyle of
early humans to that of permanent settlements, paving the way for the rise of early civilizations.
The Stone Age has witnessed how humans were able to lead more stable lives and eventually
come up with permanent shelters and tools survival. To complement this stability and sense of
permanence, early humans also turned to the creation of paintings and sculptures that depict
humans, animals, and their natural habitats. It would seem that there were attempts to record the
kind of lives they led within that period of time. Central to the representation of early
Civilizations would be the establishing of possible linkages among art, religion, and life.
            The figures depicted on the walls were done with a certain level of crispness and life that
there were initial hesitations of the work's authenticity. However, evidence later on pointed out
that the cave paintings were created during the Paleolithic Period. It is also important to take note
that the paintings evoke naturalism, which is evidently seen through the contours of the animals'
body and their dark colors.
Although most people would think that early humans were primitive, some of their art
techniques were considered advanced for their time. Some of the early humans already used their
own version of spray-painting techniques by using ground pigments blown through reeds or
hollowed-out bones since these were the readily available materials for them. Aside from this
spray-painting technique, early humans also worked with foreshortening and contrasting of lights
and shadows. These techniques created the illusion of three-dimensional forms and seemingly
real representation of animals.
Paleolithic Art is a product of climate change. As the climate got colder, part of the early
humans' instinct is to look for shelters that would provide them with Warmth Caves became
protective havens for the early humans and these caves paved the way for the birth of their first
attempts to create art. One cave painting can be traced back to Lascaux, France and its discovery
came as a surprise. Two boys chased after their dog into a hole where their ball got stuck in.
When they followed the dog, they were astonished to discover a cave with beautiful paintings.
The cave paintings would eventually be called the "Hall of Bulls."
 
 
Neolithic art has developed especially when life for the early humans has become more
stable, They have learned to cultivate he land and domesticate animals. By 4000 BCE, there were
several monumental and Architectural structures erected. One of them is the Stonehenge located
in Southern England.
 
The purpose of this fascinating edifice remains a mystery up to this day and age. Some
regard it as a temple while others see it as complex calendar the tracked the movements of both
 the Sun and Moon, Others ascribe some magical element to it by associating it with Merlin the
Magician from King Arthur's story, for whatever purpose it was built on, it still remains as one
Of the architectural wonders the world has ever seen.
            
 

EGYPTIAN ART
 

1. The Fertile ribbon starts from the bank? of the Nile River, which flows north to Africa
and ventures into the Mediterranean. is in this very ribbon where early Egyptians recognized the
integral role of' the Nile River to their daily lives. It is this indispensability and utility •that
eventually led to the belief that the Nile is to be worshipped as a god. With this came that notion
that art was something that can be ascribed and associated with religion. The Egyptian
civilization can be divided into three periods: Old, Middle, and New Kingdom, Looking at the
three periods, it can be noticed that for the Egyptians, art should be Something religious and
spiritual. There may have been differences in the technique used and style emphasized, but there
are common denominators among the artworks created during their respective time periods.
 

1. During the Old Kingdom, it was evident that religion Was bound to the afterlife. A
concrete manifestation of this would have to be the erection of tombs. But the tombs were not
just for keeping the dead bodies of important people, particularly the pharaohs; they also served
as shelter for the next journey, which is the afterlife. They decorated the tombs with everyday
objects that would reflect day to-day activities as if the afterlife a mere continuation of what
transpired on earth. The human figures seen In the tombs 'ere represented in such a way that the
profile of the head was' evident, while the pelvis legs, and upper torso were prominent and the
eyes are in frontal view. Inside the tombs, the walls were also decorated and carved in very low
relief and incised detail. It can be noticed that the use of color was evident but many   not been
widely utilized because of its relative impermanence.
 

1. Narmer Palette. It was a palette that utilized and applied dark colors around King
Narmer's eyes.
            A symbol that commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. One of the
artifacts that      emphasizes the king`s supreme and absolutely authority. The king is not
jus and authority but can be depicted and revered as a deity.
 

1. Old Kingdom the pyramids in Giza served as tombs since their main purpose was to
provide a resting place for the pharaohs. These pyramids are massive in size and were
constructed using roughly more than two million limestone blocks. The construction of the
pyramids highlighted the ingenuity and advancement of the Egyptians for their time. The
construction of the pyramid did not only show the brilliance of the early Egyptians but it also
highlighted the reverence of the people to their pharaoh at the expense of the citizens.
 
MIDDLE KINGDOM
 

Is a shift in political hierarchy? There is an emergence of powerful groups of landlords

that threatened the authority and rule of the pharaoh. Because of the internal struggle between
these two influential sides, art has taken a back seat during the Middle Kingdom. Art during the
Middle Kingdom had some references from the Old Kingdom, however there were some
experimentations in terms if style that transpired during his period. Portrait sculptures and fresco
paintings that were freely drawn are some of the styles that emerged during this period.
 
NEW KINGDOM
 It was a time of expansionism through territorial acquisition. Consequently, with the
expansion came an increase in wealth leading not only to economic but also political stability.
The art of the New Kingdom had references from both of the preceding kingdoms. Monuments
and sculptures were still linked with death and reverence for the deceased. During the previous
kingdoms, tombs were just used for worshipping the dead but with the New Kingdom, they
started having mortuary temples. These temples which were carved out of living rocks served not
only a sanctuary for the dead but also a place of worship for the living, during this period, Egypt
has established itself as a more advanced and powerful civilization.
 
AFTER THE NEW KINGDOM
King Amenhotep wanted to revolutionize the arts and religion, he later on changed his
name to Akhenaton, which came from Aton who is the sun god. This changing of names also
signified the shift in religion. During this period, the only god to be revered was Aton. Egypt
became monotheistic and Akhenaton ordered all to tear down all monuments of other gods. Most
sculptures during this period had curving lines and full-bodied forms. There is emphasis to life-
like features of the face like an elongate jaw and thick-lidded eyes. Most artist created artworks
that are natural and seemingly real, high lighting the features of their subjects. Naturalism was
not only used to depict the pharaoh but also was used form members of the royal family. The use
of naturalism in artworks was rather short- lived. When king Akhenaton died, his successors
returned to the more rigid and conventional styles they employed during the period of the
kingdoms. They also destroyed images and figures of Aton and subscribed the monotheism.
 
During the prehistoric period, the early humans had transitioned from a nomadic lifestyle
to that of a more permanent one, which led to early civilizations. Some of the works discovered
from this period would give modern society a glimpse of what was life like during that period.
Ooe>f the early civilizations where art flourished was the Egyptian civilization.
 
Throughout the three kingdoms all the way to the Amarna Revolution, art has been
directly used particularly in religious and spiritual activities. Through these unearthed and
discovered artworks, the modern world could have a better understanding of the past and how it
can affect the present.