Art History Before 1450
Instructor: Roberta A. Mayer, Ph.D.  
The Art of the Stone Age
Study Guide 1

General questions pertaining to a work of art:
    How old is it?
    What style is it?
    What is the subject?
    Who made it?
    Who paid for it?
    How would you describe it?
        What are the  materials used?
        What is the artistic technique?
        What it the form and composition?
        How does the artist use line?
        How does the artist use texture?
        How does the artist use color?
        How does the artist indicate perspective?
        Is the artist sensitive to proportion and scale?
    How do we interpret it?  


We will not be able to answer all of these questions for every work of  art, but these represent the major questions that art historians ask as they are conducting research.


STUDY BOARD


You should be able to identify all works of art included on the study board. Then, you should be able to write a short descriptive essay for each piece and highlight reasons why the work of art is important.

Paleolithic Period  35,000 - 8000 B.C. -- "Old Stone Age" -- Hunter-Gatherers


Venus of Willendorf, ca. 28,000-25,000 B.C.

Venus of Laussel, 25,000-20,000 B.C.

Bison, Tuc d'Audoubert, ca. 15,000-10,000 B.C.

Bison with turned head, La Madeleine, ca. 12,000 B.C.

Bison, Altamira cave, ca. 12,000-11,000 B.C.

Spotted horses and negative hand imprints, Peche Merle, ca. 22,000 B.C.

Hall of Bulls, Lascaux, ca. 15,000-13,000 B.C.

Rhinoceros, wounded man, and disemboweled bison, Lascaux cave, ca. 15,000-13,000 B.C.    


Neolithic Period 8000- 2000 B.C. -- "New Stone Age" -- Agrarian settlements

 

Stonehenge, ca. 2550-1600 B.C.

Vocabulary

relief sculpture
sculpture in the round
naturalism
carbon 14
twisted perspective
post
lintel
mortise
tenon
trilithon
henge
heel stone

Practice Essay Questions

  • Why are the nude sculptures of women created during the Paleolithic period referred to as "Venus" figures? Is this terminology meaningful? In all likelihood, what was the purpose of these works of art?

  • What is the visual evidence that Paleolithic men and women believed that images possessed magical power? Cite and describe one specific example that supports your argument.

  • What is the difference between additive and subtractive sculpture? Provide one example of each.

  • How were the hand prints made, and what is thought to have been their significance?

  • Based on the evidence of the art, identify and explain the key cultural differences between Paleolithic humans and Neolithic humans.

  • What is the architectural method that was used to build Stonehenge? What is the purpose of this monument? Provide appropriate evidence for your answer.

  • Name two countries in which Paleolithic cave paintings have been found. In what part of the cave were Paleolithic paintings generally found? The purpose of the Paleolithic cave paintings is thought to have been what?