ART APPRECIATION PALEOLITHIC ART
- product of climate change.
LESSON 7: Western Art History - As the climate got colder, part of the
early humans’ instinct was to look
STONE AGE for shelters that would provide
- term used to describe a period of history them with warmth,
when stones were used to make tools for - Caves became protective havens for
survival. the early humans and these caves
- “conjures an image of men and women paved the way to the birth of their
dressed in skins, huddling before a fire in a first attempts to create art.
cave” (Fitchner-Rathus, 2013).
- It is a time wherein it’s before the availability One cave painting can be traced back to Lascaux,
of written records. France and its discovery came as a surprise. The
● The time when humans used stones and cave paintings would eventually be called the “Hall
many ancient and extinct creatures thrived. of Bulls”
● Was created between the period of 40,000
BCE to 3000 BCE ending with the Bronze The figures depicted on the walls were done with a
Age certain level of crispness and life that there were
initial hesitations of the work’s authenticity.
Though prehistoric humans would not necessarily However, evidence later pointed out that the
possess the complex rational capabilities to tell cave paintings were created during the
their story through written records and accounts, Paleolithic Period
some artifacts in the form of cave paintings and
sculptures would serve as the “storytellers.” - The paintings exhibit naturalism, evident in
the animals' contours and dark colors.
PREHISTORIC AGE
- Practically the same with Stone Age, it is an Despite perceptions of early humans as primitive,
age wherein it’s way before the time of it their art techniques were surprisingly advanced.
being recorded. ● They employed spray-painting
- Sometimes related to Ancient Times. techniques, foreshortening, and contrast
of lights and shadows to create the
There are many arts in the stone age period, and it illusion of three-dimensional forms and
is not only limited to paintings on cave walls. This realistic depictions of animals.
includes the art of their beliefs, the art of making
tools, and many more. However, in this time, the Artworks can be considered ornamental but there
people created mural-like paintings on cave is little evidence to fully backup this notion, that
walls to document their lives in those times. the early humans created these cave paintings for
that very purpose. Some believed that there was a
These paintings depict their beliefs, events, and link between what was drawn and what could
experiences during their time. Since written happen in real life.
records are not yet introduced, they use their own
artistic way to create paintings like this. These
paintings usually contain animals, people-like
figures, and it is also one of the things that signifies
or shows their beliefs.
In addition, some of the works found reflected some OLD KINGDOM
of the early beliefs of humans, especially with life
and fertility. One of the works that reflected such - During the Old Kingdom, it was evident that
beliefs would be a sculpture called the “Venus of religion was bound to the afterlife. A
Willendorf” concrete manifestation of this would have to
- Shows that the woman has oversized be erection of tombs
breasts - The tombs were not just for keeping
- Enlarged hips the dead bodies of important people,
- Round Abdomen particularly the pharaohs; they also
served as a shelter for the next
NEOLITHIC ART journey, which is the afterlife.
- Neolithic Art developed especially when life
for the early humans has become more - Inside the tombs, the walls were also
stable. They have learned to cultivate the decorated and carved in very low relief
land and domesticate animals. and incised detail. It can be noticed that
- By 4000 BCE, there were several the use of color was evident but may have
monumental and architectural structures not been utilized because of its relative
erected. One of them is the Stonehenge impermanence.
located in Southern England
● NARMER PALETTE
● Stonehenge ○ One of the most cosmetic
○ The purpose of this fascinating palettes found in Egypt was
edifice remains a mystery up to this ○ It was a palette that utilized
day and age. For whatever purpose and applied dark colors
it was built on, it remains as one of around King Narmer’s
the architectural wonders the eyes.
world has ever seen. ○ The palette was also a
symbol that commemorates
As the Neolithic Period ended, early civilizations the unification of Upper
emerged and flourished in river valleys such as the and Lower Egypt. The
Nile in Egypt, Indus in India, Tigris and ○ Unification was significant
Euphrates in Mesopotamia, and Huang Ho River because it marked the
in China. beginning of their civilization.
EGYPTIAN ART
- The fertile Ribbon starts from the banks of
the Nile River, which flows north to Africa
and ventures into the Mediterranean. It is in
this very ribbon where the early Egyptians
recognized the integral role of the Nile River
to their daily lives.
Egyptian civilization can be divided into three
periods.
1. Old Kingdom
2. Middle Kingdom
3. New Kingdom.
● Mentuhotep II, also known under his
prenomen Nebhepetre,
○ was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh,
the sixth ruler of the Eleventh
Dynasty. (6/11)
○ He is credited with reuniting Egypt,
thus ending the turbulent First
Intermediate Period and becoming
the first pharaoh of the Middle
Kingdom.
● Portrait sculptures and fresco paintings
that were freely drawn are some of the
PYRAMID IN GIZA styles that transpired during this period. To
solve the problem of thieves that plunder
Served as tombs since their main purpose was to the tombs, the Egyptians made rock-cut
provide resting place for pharaohs. tombs by carving out a living rock. The
insides of the tombs were still filled with
- The construction of the pyramids highlighted chambers and the hallways were lavishly
the ingenuity and advancement of the decorated to celebrate the life of the
Egyptians for their time. deceased.
- The construction of the pyramids did not
only show the brilliance of the early ● Egypt was not immune from foreign
Egyptians, but it also highlighted the invaders and eventually fell into the hands
reverence of the people to their pharaoh of the Hyksos.
at the expense of the citizens. ○ This Asiatic Tribe introduced
- The Egyptians ensured that the inside of the Bronze Age weapons and horses
pyramids would celebrate the life of their to the Egyptians. When these
pharaoh by lavishly decorating them. foreign invaders were overthrown,
the Egyptians formed the New
MIDDLE KINGDOM Kingdom. It was a time of
● One of the key features of the Middle expansionism through territorial
Kingdom is a shift in the political acquisition. Consequently, with the
hierarchy. expansion came an increase in
● There is an emergence of powerful groups wealth leading not only to economic
of landlords that threatened the authority but also political stability.
and rule of the pharaoh.
● Because of the internal struggle between NEW KINGDOM
these two influential sides, art has taken a
back seat during the Middle Kingdom. - The art of the New Kingdom had
● For art to re-emerge and flourish, Egypt references from both preceding
needed to have a more stable situation. kingdoms.
○ This happened during the rule of - Monuments and sculptures were still linked
King Mentuhotep when Egypt with death and reverence for the
eventually got back on track. deceased.
- During the previous kingdoms, tombs were
just used for worshiping 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.
King Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti
Queen Nefertiti
- There is emphasis to life - like
features of the face like an
elongated jaw and thick -lidded
eyes.
- Most artists created artworks that
are naturally seemingly real,
highlighting the features of their
subjects.
- Naturalism was not only used to
depict the pharaoh but also was
used for members of the royal
family. The bust of Queen Nefertiti
has a long and sensuous neck.
This figure was enhanced by
applying paint to the limestone.
● 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 to
monotheism.
● Probably one of the greatest discoveries
from Egyptian civilization was the tomb
of Tutankhamun. He became king at a
very young age and died at the age of
eighteen. Howard Carter discovered his
tomb in 1922. They were astonished to find
gold artworks and that the coffin was
made from solid gold. The body of the
young King was covered in linen and a
gold mask covered his face.
LESSON 9: CAUGHT IN BETWEEN: Modern and something new, revolutionizing the visual
Contemporary Art arts. They challenged the idea that art must
represent the world in reality.
- The history of art is one of the most ● Between the 1860’s to late 1970’s,
difficult tasks to pin down. creatives celebrated the novel opportunities
in art, from the materials to its
- Definitive characteristics that segment art manipulation and ways of seeing and
history into identifiable periods and thinking about art.
movements: ● The devotion of artists to a strict narrative
A. Significant ideas, canons and was often illustrated in their figurative
tradition. works; however, these artists gave their
B. Preferences and dominance of nod to abstraction.
styles. ● The tenets of this period were not only
C. Media reflected in its art, but also evident in the
D. Mode of production way people lived and conducted
themselves, the social issues that were
People have dissenting views on the interpretation relevant, fashion, music and the wide
of the “present,” or “today,” or what the “now’ range of images and activities in which
means - which are all ideas connected to they were engaged.
contemporary, even more so when it is hinged on ● Artists were committed to developing a
the word “art” language of their own originality but
representative.
Institute of Contemporary Art in London which was ● Digression of artists away from past
founded in 1947 includes in its mandate “the conventions and traditions and toward
promotion of art that came to be from that year freedom.
onwards. ● Characterized by experimentation and
- The New Museum of Contemporary Art in innovation, the primary focus lies in
New York, its starting point is dated in 1977. breaking tradition.
● Modern artists had a primary objective of
The TATE framed contemporaneity on a ten-year redefining the concept of art and
rolling basis and was placed under the bounds of challenging traditional notions of
their Museum of Contemporary Art. representation.
In the colloquial sense, “modern “and Effectively, this period can be traced from the
“contemporary” are considered synonymous. 1970s to the present. There is a reason behind this
However, this is not the case when these terms cutoff. The cutoff was hinged on two reasons:
are used in the context of art.
1. The 1970s saw the emergence of
MODERN ART “postmodernism”.
2. The 1970s saw the decline of clearly
● Modern art is typically defined as artworks identified artistic movements.
produced in modern styles between the
1860s and 1970s. Its birth can be traced
to the Industrial Revolution (1860s).
● There is the famous adage of “anything Abstract expressionism
goes.” Made in an attempt to create
Abstract expressionism is the term applied to new
forms of abstract art developed by American
painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and
Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s.
The name evokes their aim to make art that while
abstract was also expressive or emotional in its
effect. It is often characterized by gestural
brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression
of spontaneity.
