Paleolithic Art

Art 108: Ancient to MedievalWestchester Community CollegeFall 2014

Vocabulary

Prehistoric The period before writing, or the recording of history

Paleolithic “Old stone age”

Stone Age The use of stone for making tools and weapons

Focus Questions1. When/where did art begin?2. Who made it?3. What kind of subject matter was

common in Paleolithic art, and why?

4. What are the common formal/stylistic characteristics of Paleolithic art?

5. What was the purpose or meaning of Paleolithic art?

Doris Day in Teachers Pet (1958)Image source: http://www.dorisday.net/teacher_s_pet.html

Focus Questions

When Did Art Begin?“A virtual revolution occurred in the creation of art during the period of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe. Beginning around 40,000 B.C., the archaeological record shows that anatomically modern humans effectively replaced Neanderthals and remained the sole hominid inhabitants across continental Europe.” Tedesco, Laura Anne. "Lascaux (ca. 15,000 B.C.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lasc/hd_lasc.htm (originally published October 2000, last revised August 2007)

When Did Art Begin?40,000 BCE: anatomically modern man replaces Neanderthal man

Homo Sapiens – “wise man” or “knowing man”

Homo floresiensis & Homo sapiensImage source: http://www.dur.ac.uk/isabella.capellini/reproduction_project.htm

Origins

“At about the same time . . . . the earliest art was created. These initial creative achievements fall into one of two broad categories. Paintings and engravings found in caves along walls and ceilings are referred to as "parietal" art . . . . The second category, "mobiliary" art, includes small portable sculpted objects which are typically found buried at habitation sites.”

Tedesco, Laura Anne. "Lascaux (ca. 15,000 B.C.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lasc/hd_lasc.htm (originally published October 2000, last revised August 2007)

Image source: http://www.mchumor.com/art_cave_painting_cartoons.html

Although our earliest human ancestors originated in Africa, the largest concentration of Paleolithic artifacts can be found in Europe

Where did Art Begin?

Mobiliary ArtOur ancestors used stone tools to make decorated weapons and small portable sculptures

Image source: http://booksofart.com/prehistoric-art/neolithic-art/

Spear thrower carved as a mammoth, Late Magdalenian, about 12,500 years oldFrom the rockshelter of Montastruc, Tarn-et-Garonne, FranceBritish Museum

Bison with turned head, fragmentary spearthrower from La Madeleine, France, c. 12,000 BCE. Reindeer horn, 4” long

Leaping HorseCarved on spear-thrower of reindeer antlerBruniquel, France, late periodMusée de Antiquités Nationales, St. Germain-en-LayePhotograph by Lois Swan JonesImage source: http://www.humanities-interactive.org/ancient/iceage/ex038_02d.html

Why so many animals?

Jack Black, in “Year One,” 2009Photo By: Suzanne Hanover, SMPSP. © 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights ReservedImage source: http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2009_year_one_007.html

Context:Think about what life was like in the stone age

Hunter Gatherer SocietyPeople hunted for meat and foraged for food

Image source: http://www.icecreamnation.org/2012/05/chocolate-hazelnut-ice-cream/hunter-gatherer-cartoon-by-bizarro/

Hunter Gatherer SocietyThey lived in temporary dwellings suited to their nomadic lifestyle

A dwelling in Mezhirich is made of mammoth bones partially supported by a wooden frame. Hides lining the hut serve as insulationImage source: http://www.donsmaps.com/mammothcamp.html

EnvironmentNo carsNo cell phonesNo FacebookNo fast food

Image source: Baloo's Cartoon Blog

EnvironmentLife was pretty precarious!

Scene from “Year One,” starring Jack BlackImage source: http://www.collider.com/2009/06/18/year-one-review/

ValuesSurvival:Reliance on animalsLimited control over natural eventsMystery of life and death

Image source: http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000512.html

Mobiliary ArtIn addition to animals, small figurines of women made from ivory, bone, or stone, have been found in abundance

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE

The Venus FiguresWhen they were first discovered, archaeologists referred to them as “Venus” figures

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE Venus de Milo

The Venus FiguresThat’s like a future archaeologist finding a toilet and calling it an “altar” or a “sacred basin”

David Macaulay, The Motel of the Mysteries

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE

Common features:Exaggerated breasts, buttocks and pubic region

Other parts of the body (head, face, arms, feet) are de-emphasized

Female Figurine (Venus of Kostenki), c. 23,000- 21,000 BCE Limestone; Hermitage Museum

Venus von Moravany, Mammoth Ivory, 22 000 - 24 000 Slovak Academy of Sciences in NitraImage source: http://www.donsmaps.com/moravanyvenus.html

Venus of Laussel, c. 25,000- 23,000 BCE Limestone; 17”Dordogne, France (Musee d’Aquitaine, Bordeaux)

Venus of Dolni Vestonice Molded of clay and bone ash; 4 1/2 “ Dolni Vestonice, Czechoslovakia, 34000-26500 BChttp://donsmaps.com/dolnivenus.html

Venus of Lespuge, Mammoth tusk carving, 18.000 BCEImage source: https://mathildasanthropologyblog.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/cro-magnon-clothing-a-venus-not-in-furs/

Savignano VenusImage source:

http://www.donsmaps.com/savignanovenus.html

Why?

PurposeMost agree that the figures have something to do with fertility

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE

The Venus FiguresThe Venus of Willendorf was once believed to be one of the oldest representations of a human being

The Oldest Woman in the WorldThe discovery of the Venus of Hohle Fels in 2008 changed all that

Venus of Hohle Fels, c. 35,00-40,000 BCEImage source: http://johnfrederickwalker.com/2009/05/15/oldest-prehistoric-ivory-venus-figure/

The Oldest Woman in the World2.4 inches tallDates to 35,000 BCEThe oldest example of the so-called Paleolithic “Venus” figures

Image source: http://rokus01.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/neanderthal-are-us/

Cave PaintingsThe most spectacular examples of Paleolithic art can be found in the painted caves of France and Spain

Cave PaintingsLascaux cave was discovered in 1940

It was closed to the public in 1963 for preservation

Entrance to the Lascaux Cave at the end of September, 1940. From left to right: Leon Laval, Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal and Henri BreuilImage source: http://www.american-buddha.com/lascaux.7a.htm

Cave PaintingsThe Lascaux cave is a complex network of tunnels and chambers

(about 400 ft end to end; a little larger than a football field)

Image source: http://www.american-buddha.com/lascaux.3.htm

Cave PaintingsSome paintings are located in remote chambers that are difficult to access

Image source: http://www.american-buddha.com/lascaux.3.htm

Cave PaintingsThe pictures had to be made using torches, and in some cases scaffolds were built to reach high ceilings and walls

Image source: http://www.american-buddha.com/lascaux.3.htm

MaterialsGround minerals mixed with water or animal fat

Brushes made from animal hair or natural fibers

Write this down!

TechniquesPaint was also applied using blow tubes or spitting

Write this down!

Spotted horses and negative hand prints, Pech-Merle, France, c. 22,000 BCE

Subject MatterAnimals dominate the imagery of the painted caves

Hall of Bulls, Lascaux, c. 15,000-13,000BCE

Hall of Bulls, Lascaux, c. 15,000-13,000BCE

The Hall of Bulls (also called the Rotunda) is decorated with three groups of animals: horses, cattle (cows and bulls), and stags

The axial gallery includes horses, cows, a black bull, and a bison

Axial Gallery, Lascaux, c. 15,000-13,000BCEPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_02.xml

The Great Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01.xml

The animals are very large in scale, and are often painted (or “super imposed”) one on top of the other

Subject MatterThe random placement of the imagery suggests that a coherent “scene” or narrative story was not intended

The Great Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00.xml

Formal AnalysisImages are drawn using a contour line (outline), or in silhouette

Write this down!

Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml

The Great Black Cow, The Nave, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_04_00_05.xml

PerspectiveAnimals are shown in profile

Write this down!

Why did they only show

animals from the side?

Write this down!

Image source: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-6322985-farm-animal-silhouette-collection.php

“Only the profile view is completely informative about the animal's shape." (Gardner's Art Through the Ages, p. 3)

Poor guy! He only has two

legs!

Twisted PerspectiveAnother technique that was used is called twisted perspective

Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml

Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml

The head is shown from the side, but the horns are twisted to the front – so we are sing a combination of two different viewpoints

It is based on what the painter knew to be true (a conceptual image), rather than on whatWas actually seen (optical perspective)

Common Subjects So what is the dominant subject matter ofPaleolithic art?

Doris Day in Teachers Pet (1958)Image source: http://www.dorisday.net/teacher_s_pet.html

Focus Questions

Common Subjects

So far, we have seen only animals and

women . . .

Common SubjectsWhat – no men?

Image source: http://unclestinky.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/caveman-must-wash/

Common Subjects Men are actually RARE in Paleolithic art!

Doris Day in Teachers Pet (1958)Image source: http://www.dorisday.net/teacher_s_pet.html

Focus Questions

The Well SceneThe Well Scene is located in a remote part of the Lascaux cave

It includes a rare representation of a man

The Shaft Scene, Lascaux

The Shaft Scene, Lascaux

The man is just a stick figure, and appears to be threatened by a wounded Bison

The Shaft Scene, Lascaux

The scene is rare because it represents a man, AND because it actually suggestsa narrative story!

Subject MatterThe so-called Unicorn panel in the Hall of Bulls at Lascaux may also be a representation of a man in animal costume

The Unicorn, Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_00.xml

ChauvetDiscovered in 1994Oldest cave to be discovered

Chauvet Pont d’Arcc. 30,000-28,000 BCE or 15,000-13,000 BCE

Sophisticated techniques include the use of shading to create the illusion of 3D volume, And over-lapping to create perspective and depth

Animals also engage with one another, rather than being placed randomly (as in theFighting rhinos seen here), thus creating the effect of a “narrative” scene (rare in

Paleolithic art)

Predatory animals are also dominant (they were rare in the other caves), and the use ofrepetition and overlapping creates the effect of movement over time

Virtual Tours

http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php#/en/00.xml

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/fr/arcnat/chauvet/en/

Focus Questions1. When/where did art begin?2. Who made it?3. What kind of subject matter was

common in Paleolithic art, and why?

4. What are the common formal/stylistic characteristics of Paleolithic art?

5. What was the purpose or meaning of Paleolithic art?

Are we finished?

Doris Day in Teachers Pet (1958)Image source: http://www.dorisday.net/teacher_s_pet.html

Focus Questions

It looks like nobody really knows – its all just theories

No! We still have to explain why they made it and what it

means

'Some archaeologists think that it is impossible to know what rock art means and that the researcher's role is to study motifs and techniques, try to date the works, establish as far as possible whether these images were structurally linked, but not attempt to interpret them. From their point of view, we are faced with a choice: either say nothing at all about meaning, or make up stories that might seem interesting but would lack any objective, scientific basis.’Dr. Jean Clottes, “World Rock Art,” 2002http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/chauvet/chauvet_cave_paintings.php

Interpretation of MeaningWhy did they make it and what did it mean?

Art for Art SakeCave paintings were made for “decoration”

Image source: http://blog.cartoonbank.com/2009/12/04/joie-de-vivre/

Art for Art Sake1. People didn’t live in caves2. Caves are dark3. Considerable effort to make them

Jack Unruh, National Geographic illustrationhttp://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/09/07/mysteries_of_prehistoric_rock/

Theories of Interpretation

“Other scholars have suggested that the prehistoric hunters attributed magical properties to the images they painted and sculpted." (Gardner's Art Through the Ages, p. 20)

Image source: http://theimpactnews.com/retired-columnists/ytk/2013/06/02/movie-now-you-see-me/

Sympathetic MagicTheory originated by Abbe Henri Breuil

Based on the principle of “like produces like”

Image source: http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=3662

“What is done to the properly made image of an object is done to that object itself, as when a sorcerer sticks pins in a doll resembling his victim in an effort to destroy him. By making images of animals penetrated by spears, the cave hunters were attempting to kill the animals the images resembled, or, more precisely, to render the game susceptible to being killing by hunting parties.”Hunting Magic and Abbe Breuil Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, Lascaux

Photo credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml

Sympathetic Magic1. Create an image of an animal2. “Kill” it3. Then go out and hunt

Second Bull, Great Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_07.xml

Many of the paintings appear to have spears or arrows

Trouble is – these aren’t the animals they ate! They ate mostly fish and reindeer!

Sympathetic Magic1. Hunting Magic – brings luck in the

Hunt2. Fertility Magic – ensures survival

of the species and the herds

Venus of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE

Third Chinese Horse, Axial GalleryPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_02_00_08.xml

Images of pregnant horses support the theory of Fertility Magic

ShamanismA recent theory is that cave paintings were created as part of shamanistic rituals

Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams, The Shamans of Prehistory, 1998

ShamanismBased on ethnographic comparison with the San people of Africa

San healing ritual, Bradshaw Foundationhttp://www.bradshawfoundation.com/rari/page3.php

“Noting the similarity of prehistoric rock art with that created by some contemporary traditional societies, archaeologists Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams suggest that the ancient images were created by shamans, powerful individuals who were able to contact the spirit world through trance and ritual.”http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/books/shamans_of_prehistory.php

ShamanismShamanism would explain the Unicorn at Lascaux, and the “Sorcerer” from the cave at Trois-Freres

The Unicorn, Hall of Bulls, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_01_00_00.xml

Questioning AssumptionsBeware of cultural biases informing our understanding of “magic” and “shamanism”

Ruairi Robinson, Caveman, CG model for Canadian Milk Adhttp://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3099&page=

Signs of IntelligenceThe people who painted the caves had the same brain capacity as us

Signs of IntelligenceAlexander Marshack studied the Blanchard Bone

The Blanchard Bone, c. 25,000-32,000 BCE carved segment of reindeer bone found in the Blanchard rock shelter, FranceImage source: http://donsmaps.com/cavepaintings.html

Signs of IntelligenceHe discovered it is a lunar calendar accurately charting the phases of the moon for a 3 month period

http://www.mstrmnd.com/files/marshackblanchard.JPG

Why would that be Important?

It means they could predict the change

of seasons and when the animals would begin their

migrations

Which means they could have

control over their

environment

Seasonal CalendarsSeasonal calendars indicate under-standing of seasonal cycles and migration habits of animals

Alexander Marshack, “Exploring the Mind of Ice Age Man,” National Geographic

The markings on this bone all indicate things that happen in Spring

Star MapsDr. Michael Rappenglueck proposes that many of the “dots” that appear on Lascaux cave painting are actually star maps that correlate with constellations

Theories of InterpretationOthers suggest that the lines, dots, meanders, and tectiforms represent an early form of writing

“Perhaps they had special symbols for special ceremonies, or they may have been associated with the telling of special.”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1251766/Previously-dismissed-doodles-French-caves-mans-attempts-write.html

StructuralismAndré Leroi-Gourhan determined that the placement of animals was not random – certain animals tend to appear in certain places

Note the high frequency of bison-horse pairs in the open part of the galleries (B, D, G), the presence of mammoths in the transitional areas, and that of bears and representations of men in the turning passages.

The Sistine Chapel of PrehistoryNorbert Aujoulet proposes that animals in caves follow a sequence that corresponds to the changing seasons

Image source: http://www.american-buddha.com/lascauxtoc.htm

The Sistine Chapel of PrehistoryAnimals are depicted with identifiable seasonal attributes, and behaviors specific to mating season

Horses – early springAurochs – summerStags - Autumn

http://www.american-buddha.com/lascaux.6e.htm#Chronology_of_Parietal_Events

These two bison are seen in their summer and winter coat

Does the image suggest the direction of their seasonal migration?

The Crossed Bison, The Nave, LascauxPhoto credit : N. Aujoulat © MCC-CNPhttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php?fichier=02_04_00_09.xml

Theories of InterpretationWere caves classrooms?

Spotted horses and negative hand prints, Pech-Merle, France, c. 22,000 BCE

Theories of InterpretationWas Lascaux the Sistine Chapel of prehistory?

Michelangelo, Sistine Ceiling, The Vatican, Rome

Theories of InterpretationWere the calendars made by women charting their menstrual cycles?

Theories of InterpretationOr was it just graffitti?

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