Thursday, September 10, 2009
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Artist Birthday of the Week
April 24 1904 Willem de Kooning
About Me
- Suzanne Altman
- Bronxville, NY, United States
- I live in Rockland County with my husband Roy, my daughter Lauren, my border collie Baxter and cat Samantha. I love teaching at Bronxville; especially Art History!
9 comments:
In this chapter, three important pieces of art, in my opinion, are: The Woman from Willendorf (Upper paleolithic period), the Horse and Sun Chariot (Bronze Age), and the Openwork Box lid (Proto-Historic Iron Age).
The most significant/revolutionary work, in my opinion, however, is the Horse and Sun Chariot. As the popular material for sculpting switched from stone to metal, the more and more intricate the designs became. What makes the Horse and Sun Chariot most signifigant is that the artist was able to manipulate the bronze to have different textures. The sun has a brighter "shell" while the horse has more detailed, intricate designs to make up its face and body. This artwork marks a major transition from the more considered "simple" works to a much more detailed one.
3 most important works: Lion-Human, Bird-Headed Man with Bison, Horse and Sun Chariot and Schemiatic Drawing of Incised Design
The Lion-Head is especially important not only because of its size, but also because of its demonstration of creativity. The Lion-Head is almost a foot tall and consequently larger than most prehistoric works. Additionally, rather than depict something found in nature, the artist fused the human form with a lion's head. This is one of the earliest demonstrations of creative expression and is consequently a respected work of art.
1. Chauvet Cave--The ancient artwork in Chauvet Cave of south eastern France is of great importance to the world of art. The figures of horses, deer, and extinct creatures like mammoths decorate the walls of the cave were created before writing was developed. Not only do the cave-paintings include contour, shading, and color, they act as an important indication of how our ancestors lived.
2. Stonehenge--Located on the Salisbury Plain in southern England, Stonehenge is compromised of a circular set of stones, materials which must have brought to the site from far away in Wales. Stonehenge is the most complicated of its kind; oriented with solar movement. Stonehenge's true purpose remains a mystery, still, it an important and revolutionary piece of architecture due to its complex structure and design.
3. Horse and Sun Chariot--Dated back to 1500 BC-1300 BC, a bronze sculpture depicting a horse on wheels dragging a cart wit a large circle, or the Sun. This sculpture not only gives evidence of ancient solar worship, its minute details, elegant materials used, and attention to craftsmanship makes this an important piece of Bronze Age art.
In my opinion the three most important works that were mentioned in the chapter are the Lion-Human, The Bison, and Stonehenge. Yet, Stonehenge is the most historically significant because it shows people how megalithic structures were built and how much thinking and creativity went into building it. Earlier people had to move the tons of rock and build the five trilithons that are currently upright. Also, Stonehenge has made many people curious about how and why the structure was built, and there are several thoughts as to why it is the way it is. However, several scholars have come to the conclusion that it was used for communal purposes and held public ceremonies. Stonehenge is a great example of the stone-workings of the Neolithic Age.
The three most important works of art that were described in the Chapter would be the Bison, Figures of a Women and a Man, and Horse and Sun Chariot and Schematic Drawing of Icised Design. The most significant one would have to be the Horse and Sun Chariot and Schematic Drawing of Icised Design because it is a remarkable bronze sculpture which gives an inside of veiw of the religious beliefs in the area and how there was a possible sun cult.
I think the hall of bulls is the most important piece of prehistoric art discussed in the chapter. The paintings of cows and bulls on the limestone surface of the cave offers so much insight into prehistoric life making it important not only as art but as a window to the past. giving us an idea of the culture of the time.
The sculpture known as the "Lion-Human" is the most important work of art discussed in this chapter because it demonstrates a great leap in human ingenuity. Found in Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany, it was made between 30,000 and 26,000 BCE. Just the fact that it nearly is nearly a foot of carved ivory makes it distinctive. However, what is so fascinating about this sculpture is that for the first time, the sculptor created something that he or she could not see in nature. Most sculptures and paintings of the time represented natural beings, objects that the observer could see in real life. This piece, however, demonstrates a human’s ability to take two different species, in this case a cat and a human, and create an entirely new creature. It is an excellent example of complex thinking and human imagination and creativity. This idea, of creating part beast and part human figures and images, would continue throughout history, such as in the art of Ancient Egypt. This is a truly revolutionary sculpture as the creator introduced an entirely new concept and brought the level of human imagination to an entirely new level.
Other two works of art chosen: Stonehenge and the "Horse and Sun Chariot"
The Woman from Brassempouy is significant because it depicts the elements of what humans believed to be the human head at that time. It is also revolutionary because it portrayed the human figure in an unnatural way. The sculptor illustrated a women differently then others had before that time period. What is left of this sculpture may only be a head, but it still represents the changes in art over time.
After reading Chapter 1: Prehistoric Art, I believe that the most important works described during this chapter are:
- Cave Paintings at Lascaux
- Stonehenge
- Lion Human
The Cave Paintings at Lascaux are one of the most important works of the art during this period because they demonstrate how people lived during this time and shed light on the types of tools that were available. These remarkable scenes show cows, bulls, horses, deer, and other animals in the limestone cave. The artists demonstrated their knowledge of various techniques including twisted perspective, which portrayed the animals in a very complex fashion. Painters also were able to work in the smallest of caverns, suggesting that they used small lamps which would burn animal fat for lighting. One of the most famous paintings portrays humans interacting with the animals, and interestingly enough, only illustrates the human as a stick-like figure, while elaborately paints other animals. Many believe the scene was the vision of a shaman, but nonetheless this depiction show that these people were capable of imagining forms of life that were not always present in nature.
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