Pre-historic art- is classified into three
periods such as; Paleolithic (Old Stone
Age), Mesolithic(Middle Stone Age), and
Neolithic (New Stone Age) Eras. Their
art is of interest not only to the art
historians but also to archeologist and
anthropologist, for whom the art is only
one clue- along with fossils, pollen and
other finds to an understanding of early
APOLLO STONE
are a group of seven stones, two of which used to be one
single piece, that depict animals. The fascinating part about
the Apollo 11 Stones is their sheer age, dated to around
25,000 BC. Why is this so important? Because of the progress
of the human race at this point. This shows that by this point,
humans were thinking a bit like us, making art and inscribing
their daily lives into stone for us to find some 27,000 years
later.
These artifacts were discovered in the Apollo 11 Cave in
Namibia.[2] The stones, etched with charcoal, ocher, and other
substances, have taught us a lot about the people living at the
time. The Apollo 11 Stones are named such because the
success of the Apollo 11 landing was broadcasting on the
radio soon after archaeologists made their discovery. Probably
the most astonishing part is that within the cave,
archaeologists uncovered evidence of about 100,000 years of
human occupation, meaning the term “cave man” is very real,
and this is how our ancestors survived the harsh, prehistoric
world of the Paleolithic period. The Apollo 11 Stones are the
oldest example of representational art found in Africa to date.
Prehistoric Sculptures- Materials
used in sculptures vary according
to region and locality.
Archaeologists believed that their
sculpture is a result of natural
erosion and not of human
artistry. Frequently, carving may
have mythological or religious
THE VENUS OF
WILLENDORF
-is a figurine made out of limestone. Sources vary on its age, but most give
a date range of 28,000 to 25,000 BC. So it’s from roughly around the same
era as the Apollo 11 Stones, during the Paleolithic period. There are also
later versions of the Venus of Willendorf, some coming from somewhere
between 24,000 and 22,000 BC, and the carvings are generally of naked
women, possibly depictions of a fertility goddess or possibly men paying
their respects to women and their life-giving abilities.[3]
The harsh reality of paleolithic life was that many mothers died to
give birth to their children, a somber reminder of how far we’ve come and
the sacrifices made by those before us to get us here. On the Venus of
Willendorf, great attention was given to her breasts and pubic region, while
the rest of the figure is relatively rudimentary, with the artist who created
it spending very little time on limbs, the details of muscles, or anything
else. This gives us an insight into the mind of the figurine’s creator.
Dating the Venus figurines is particularly hard, because “prehistoric”
means that the written word did not yet exist for these people, so
researchers have to rely on inference, comparison with other objects, and,
of course, radiocarbon-dating to pin down when these objects were
actually created.
Egyptian civilization was one
of the early civilizations that
have greatly contributed in
the development of art,
religion, science, and
technology of the world.
Egyptian art is primarily
Paintings from Ancient Egypt The purpose of
Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased afterlife
place pleasant With this in mind, themes include
journey to the underworld introducing the deceased to
the gods of the underworld by their protective deities.
It emphasizes the importance of life after death and
the preservation of the knowledge of the past. Most
paintings were highly stylize symbolic, and shows
profile view of an animal or a person. The main colors
used were red, black, blue , gold and green taken
derived from mineral pigments that can withstand
strong sunlight without fading. Ancient Greek art
depicts naturalism. They portray human forms in a
realistic and anatomically correct manner. Their art
has a conservative form with a very complex detail
The Mask of Tutankhamun; c. 1327 BC; gold, glass and
semi-precious stones; height: 54 cm (21 in);
Egyptian Museum (Cairo)
Sculptures from the
Egyptian Era- Symbolic
elements were widely used
such as forms, hieroglyphics,
relative size, location,
materials, color, actions and
gestures. Their tombs required
the most extensive used of
The most common materials used for sculptures
are wood, ivory and stones. Characteristics of the
sculptures:
1. Symbolism were heavily used to represent the gods.
They were represented as composite creature with
animal heads on human bodies
2. Relief compositions were arranged in horizontal lines
to record an event or represent an action.
3. Most of the time the gods were shown larger than
humans, the kings larger than their followers, the dead
larger than the living.
4. Empty space were filled with figures or hieroglyphics
5. All individual components were all brought to the plane
of representation and laid out like writing
Paintings from Classical Greek Era Paintings-
during the classical era were most
commonly found in vases, panels and
tomb. It depicts natural figures with
dynamic compositions. Most of the
subjects were battle scenes, mythological
figures, and everyday scenes. It reveals a
grasp of linear perspective and naturalist
representation. Most common methods of
Greek painting:
1. Fresco- method of painting water-based pigments on a freshly applied plaster
usually on a wall surfaces. Colors are made with grind powder pigments in
pure water, dry and set with a plaster to become a permanent part of the
wall. Ideal for murals, durable and has a matte style.
2. Encaustic– developed to use by Greek ship builders, who used the hot wax to
fill the cracks of the ship. Soon pigments (colors) was added and used to paint
a wax hull.
Vase painting Kerch Style also referred to as Kerch Vases are redfigured
pottery named after the place where it was found. Shapes commonly found are:
1. pelike (wine container) 2. lekanis (a low bowl with two horizontal handles and a
low broad foot) 3. lebes gamikos (with high handles and lid use to carry bridal
bath) 4. krater (bowl use for mixing wine and water) Most common motifs were
mostly scenes from the life of women (often exaggeratedly idyllic), mythological
beings that were popular among the people of the black sea, or a scene form
mythical story or event.It used a technique called polycromy, combination of
different colors specially the brilliant one in an artistic manner. Queen Nefertiti,
1375-1357 BC https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/ancient- egypt/nefertiti/
Judgement of Paris (370-330B.C.) https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/attic-
redfigure-pelike-kerch-style-attributed-to-the-painterof-the-wedding-procession/ Judgement of Paris (370-
330B.C.)
nQElptiKPavUoQ 7 the life of women (often exaggeratedly idyllic), mythological
beings that were popular among the people of the black sea, or a scene form
mythical story or event.It used a technique called polycromy, combination of
different colors specially the brilliant one in an artistic manner.
