The Ancient Near East

The Sumerians are the first sign of civilization; early peoples give up the dangerous and uncertain life of the hunter/gatherer for the more permanent life of the farmer/herder. Civilization was arranged in city states; they had a code of laws, currency, and value the good of the community over the family (for example, you could not kill a man for family honor because it would damage the community as a whole). 

This is also the first instance of written documents; the Sumerian language was made up of pictographs - pictures that indicated words, the early precursor to the hieroglyph. The most famous document found is the Epic of Gilgamesh, which told the story of the King of Uruk. 

Unknown, Stonehenge, ca. 2550 - 1600 BCE Megalithic structure, meaning big stone  Circle is 97’ in diameter, trilithons 24’ high   a ‘henge’ is arrangement of mega stones in a circle + surrounded by a ditch   inside rings are ‘blue stone’ and surround a horse shoe   includes a ‘heel stone’ - a marking stone, marks the spot where the sun rose in the summer solstice; stonehenge is an astronomical observatory, and is remarkably accurate to solar calendar   not sure how they got there since their weight is tremendous; the stones are from Wales

Unknown, Stonehenge, ca. 2550 - 1600 BCE

  • Megalithic structure, meaning big stone 
  • Circle is 97’ in diameter, trilithons 24’ high  
  • a ‘henge’ is arrangement of mega stones in a circle + surrounded by a ditch  
  • inside rings are ‘blue stone’ and surround a horse shoe  
  • includes a ‘heel stone’ - a marking stone, marks the spot where the sun rose in the summer solstice; stonehenge is an astronomical observatory, and is remarkably accurate to solar calendar  
  • not sure how they got there since their weight is tremendous; the stones are from Wales
Unknown, Human Figure, (6750-6450 BCE) these figures were ritualistically buried  marks the beginnings of monumental artwork; this figure is much larger than the venus of willendorf  the ‘can’t take it with you’ nature reveals some sort of permanent dwelling

Unknown, Human Figure, (6750-6450 BCE)

  • these figures were ritualistically buried 
  • marks the beginnings of monumental artwork; this figure is much larger than the venus of willendorf 
  • the ‘can’t take it with you’ nature reveals some sort of permanent dwelling
Unknown, Hall of Bulls (ca. 15,000 - 13,0000) this was painted over time; not representing one particular artist  common subject matter for this era is animals; perhaps serves as a guide for hunters; how to identify different animals, etc.  animals were thought to possess magical properties; performed ritual dances near the paintings to give them luck in hunting; this particular form of reverence came from the fact that their livelihood depended on the food from animals (clothing, building homes, tools from bones, TOTAL USE of the animal) meat/skin/bones

Unknown, Hall of Bulls (ca. 15,000 - 13,0000)

  • this was painted over time; not representing one particular artist 
  • common subject matter for this era is animals; perhaps serves as a guide for hunters; how to identify different animals, etc. 
  • animals were thought to possess magical properties; performed ritual dances near the paintings to give them luck in hunting; this particular form of reverence came from the fact that their livelihood depended on the food from animals (clothing, building homes, tools from bones, TOTAL USE of the animal) meat/skin/bones
Unknown, Spotted horses and negative hand prints (ca. 22,000 BCE) negative handprints indicate the use of blowpipes to spray the pigment; this is one of the earliest signatures/identification of self there are  200 sites where cave paintings have been found; this one is located at Peche-Merle, France.  red and yellow ochre (natural material used to paint, ground into fine powder/pigment and mixed with water) used reeds and twigs as brushes, and large flat stones to mix and grind paints, like a palette.

Unknown, Spotted horses and negative hand prints (ca. 22,000 BCE)

  • negative handprints indicate the use of blowpipes to spray the pigment; this is one of the earliest signatures/identification of self there are 
  • 200 sites where cave paintings have been found; this one is located at Peche-Merle, France. 
  • red and yellow ochre (natural material used to paint, ground into fine powder/pigment and mixed with water) used reeds and twigs as brushes, and large flat stones to mix and grind paints, like a palette.
Unknown, Venus of Willendorf , (ca. 28,000 - 25,000 BCE) limestone is hard, brittle, and difficult to carve; it is a native material to austria  arbitrary name’ named by location and after ‘venus’ greco/ROMAN goddess of love. venus is typically the only goddess depicted as nude, also the ‘ideal beauty’  likely a fertility figure; emphasis on the volume and sexual areas of figure (breasts, pubic area); most prehistoric figures were mostly of women and mostly nude  consider size: since it’s small, it’s portable; the people are nomadic food gatherers, so it’s very important to take art with them

Unknown, Venus of Willendorf , (ca. 28,000 - 25,000 BCE)

  • limestone is hard, brittle, and difficult to carve; it is a native material to austria 
  • arbitrary name’
  • named by location and after ‘venus’ greco/ROMAN goddess of love. venus is typically the only goddess depicted as nude, also the ‘ideal beauty’ 
  • likely a fertility figure; emphasis on the volume and sexual areas of figure (breasts, pubic area); most prehistoric figures were mostly of women and mostly nude 
  • consider size: since it’s small, it’s portable; the people are nomadic food gatherers, so it’s very important to take art with them
up next on artwhat

alright, my summer break comes to a close in around two weeks so it’s time to attend to artwhat again. 

what you see here is the entirety of my notes from western art ii, which covered the early renaissance to modern day. in the next few weeks, i’ll be dumping all my notes from western art i, starting with paleolithic europe, just so the complete, broad picture is out there. 

i’m starting on my major once the fall semester starts up, so what i’ll be posting will be pretty narrow from then on. in the next few months i’ll be dumping all my renaissance history notes, and who knows what class i’ll get into next semester. 

enjoy! 

Barbara Kruger, We Won’t Play Nature to your Culture, 1983 third wave feminist art  kruger worked in the publishing industry and started to take commercial images and undermines them with text  leaves it open ended by using pronouns – ‘we’ and ‘your’  challenges expected gender norms

Barbara Kruger, We Won’t Play Nature to your Culture, 1983

  • third wave feminist art 
  • kruger worked in the publishing industry and started to take commercial images and undermines them with text 
  • leaves it open ended by using pronouns – ‘we’ and ‘your’ 
  • challenges expected gender norms
Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, 1974 – 1979 emphasis on the female anatomy monumental dinner table; each side of the triangle is 48 feet, with 13 place settings for a total of 39 important women in history collaboration between artists from CalArts in media that had traditionally not been recognized as fine arts, such as fiber, ceramics, and metalworking  each place setting tailored to the style of art in which each of these women lived, and each plate is an abstraction of a vagina  example of second wave feminist art

Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, 1974 – 1979

  • emphasis on the female anatomy
  • monumental dinner table; each side of the triangle is 48 feet, with 13 place settings for a total of 39 important women in history
  • collaboration between artists from CalArts in media that had traditionally not been recognized as fine arts, such as fiber, ceramics, and metalworking 
  • each place setting tailored to the style of art in which each of these women lived, and each plate is an abstraction of a vagina 
  • example of second wave feminist art
Ana Mendieta, Untitled Work from the Tree of Life Series, 1976 often lumped in with the earthworks artists because it has a natural touch performed and photographed in a natural setting  literally covered in earth and posing against a large tree; photographed in iowa and mexico  she was born in cuba and emigrated to the united states at an early age.   This pose is the errant pose; typical of early Christian art. She is communing with spirits, and making connections between her body and nature.

Ana Mendieta, Untitled Work from the Tree of Life Series, 1976

  • often lumped in with the earthworks artists because it has a natural touch performed and photographed in a natural setting 
  • literally covered in earth and posing against a large tree; photographed in iowa and mexico 
  • she was born in cuba and emigrated to the united states at an early age.  
  • This pose is the errant pose; typical of early Christian art. She is communing with spirits, and making connections between her body and nature.

artwhat.

during my first ever survey of western art class, my professor explained the difference between historians and art historians. historians, she said, were interested in old things. art historians, on the other hand, were interested in old things of quality. you don't hang garbage up on the walls of a museum; it has to be substantial and it has to mean something. so here you go; old things, made mostly by dudes long dead, of debatable degrees of quality but always with a constant level of importance. think of this as a deck of flash cards... sans the whole cards part.

Hobo theme by Mike Ballan with minor edits by Jess