Week 1 Art History Review
Art is an evolutionary and technological marvel. The earliest humans created art from nothing - having first to create the tools and concept of representation itself. The podcast “A History of the World in 100 Objects” episodes included in this week’s listening explored two of the oldest objects in the collection at the British Museum. Both found in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the chopping tool and hand axe are early examples of humans shaping the world around them to perform a task. Without sharp teeth or claws to aid them, early humans saw the need to create a cutting implement. Here is the origin of art. It is found in the notion that “creation” is something a human is capable of doing. These tools are what allowed early humans to flourish and spread outside of Africa.
Horses Panel, Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave
As I moved on to the readings on prehistoric art, this partnership of technology and creativity was reinforced by the study of the cave paintings of France and Spain. Paleolithic people created pigments from raw materials, utilized fire to illuminate their workspaces, and shaped stone with early tools. The art found in these caves are surprisingly complex and nuanced. Shading, perspective, and symbolism are used to great effect. The Chauvet cave is unique in that it shows the walls were scraped clean in preparation for the mural work. These early people were creating with intention, with purpose.
Bone flute
Isturitz Cave, Isturitz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, MAN 77 142 - o: picture CE 1282
In addition to painting on cave walls, prehistoric peoples were also sculpting. Some artists used clay to add depth and dimension to the animal figures they painted. Developments in stone working also brought about more finely shaped works. Stone figurines like the Woman of Willendorf are some of the earliest examples of human representational art. These sculptures are almost exclusively women, which has led to many different interpretations of their purpose or meaning.
Paleolithic people left indications of the beginnings of what we would recognize as culture. Representational art in stone and clay stands the test of time. It is possible there were other, earlier artforms that have not survived - things made of wood or fiber. We know that music was another artform that early humans created. The human voice leaves no archeological trace, but musical instruments found in the painted caves provide proof of their musical traditions.
Around 10,000 BCE, humanity took a massive leap in technological innovation. We invented agriculture. Food surpluses allowed for the development of larger communities, eventually leading to the establishment of cities. With cities came advancements in architecture, systems of government, specialized work forces, and trade. Art boomed in the ancient Near East for many of these reasons.
Victory Stele of Narām-Sîn, Musée du Louvre, Paris
Many cultures waxed and waned throughout Mesopotamia following the establishment of agriculture - the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Akkadians, and Persians are just a few. Hierarchical community structures grew and the art of the period reflected this. The Stele of Naram-Sin is an example of art being used to both tell a story and reinforce these structures. It depicts the Akkadian ruler Naram-Sin in a position of leadership - bringing his army to battle and defeating his enemies. The use of hierarchic scale and symbolic attributes elevate Naram-Sin above the other people in the scene.
Sumerian city-states built their temples atop massive ziggurats. The growth of religion and the priesthood brought with it temple and devotional art. The Sumerians are also credited with the invention of written language in the form of clay tablets and wedge shaped styluses. Written language and bureaucratic growth led to the development of cylinder seals for official documentation. These seals were made of hard, sometimes semiprecious materials like lapis lazuli.
Some of the most widely recognizable Mesopotamian figures are the human-headed winged lions from the palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud. These lamassus were guardian figures carved in relief on the limestone and alabaster veneered walls of the palace. Additional panels of scenes depicting battles, hunts, and leisure activities filled the space.
The art of the Ancient Near East is varied and complex. Painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, and textiles all saw dramatic shifts and evolution in their design and technology in this period. Some themes that arose in the readings this week were the use of art to enforce cultural norms and societal structures, convey strength and masculinity/femininity, and the distinctness of one group of people from another.