Arts 1710 Exam 1

Summarians

"Sumer" City and city-states developed along the river of southern mesopotamia are known as Sumer. The Sumerians are credited with important technological and cultural advances. (wagon wheel and plow) **First form of written script Cuneiform- "wedge shaped" symbols into clay tablets with a stylus- pointed writing instrument to keep busiess records.

twisted perspective

A convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally.

relieving triangle

A relieving triangle is a space (usually triangular) above a lintel in megalithic architecture to relieve the weight of the masonry. One example of a relieving triangle is the Lion Gate at Mycenae. Two lions in heraldic composition flank a pillar, forming a triangle.

cylinder seal

A small cylindrical stone decorated with incised patterns. When rolled across soft clay or wax, the resulting raised pattern or design served in Mesopotamian and indus valley cultures as an identifying signature

Cylinder seal with combat scenes

Akkadian- Mesopotamia

Akkadian

Akkadian- Mesopotamia Had area north of Uruk During the Sumer period they adopted Sumerian culture, but unlike the Sumerians they spoke a different language. Under the powerful military and political figure Sargon I they conquered most of Mesopotamia

Victory stele of Naram-Sin

Akkadian- Mesopotamia Stele- Upright stone slab Symbolic visual language that celebrated and communicated the political stratification that gave order and security to their world. Akkadian ruler Naram-Sin is the largest guy. Hid presence is shown by his large size. Hierarchic scale- relative size indicates relative importance He has lots of weapons showing his strength The horns on his helmet show his likeliness to god ( usually only used for the gods)claiming divinity for himself male potency and vigor show powerful kingship tells a story of one of his important military victories His army is on the left and right side of the stele and smashed under his foot are representations of his enemies

Ancient Near East./ Mesopotamia

Art created has a symbolic visual language Mesopotamia- "the land between two rivers" Had lots of flooding- needed large scale water system Agricultural villages seemed to turn to cities. The cities joined with other cities to create city-states, each with its own god and government social hierarchies- rulers and workers emerged and developed. Increased trade and contact with other cultures Organized religion played an important role People who controlled rituals became full-time priests Each city had its own protective deity and the fate of the city was seen dependent on the power of that deity. Over the years power went back and fourth between north and south and local powers vs. invaders. Summarians vs. Akkadians Then Amorities- King Hammurabi- a new society within Babylon

Assyria

Assyrian rulers built huge palaces atop high platforms inside a series of fortified cities that served at one time or another as assyrian captials. They decorated the palaces with shallow stone reliefs of battle and hunting scenes of assyrian victories Most buildings were made of mud brick and covered with limestone and alabaster

"Mother Goddess" - INDUS VALLEY

Astonishingly ornate this terracotta figurine represents a female divinity now unanimously identified as the Mother Goddess, perhaps a votive image maybe, people's reverence for the real birth-giving mother, or for the earth for all her bounties, was in the root of worshipping a deity who was primarily the 'mother' and a female in general. Otherwise also, the cult of female-worship, coupled with the fertility cult, seems to have been deep rooted in India's soil itself. The recovery of a large number of Mother Goddess figurines almost from every excavated site suggests that the Mother Goddess worship cult was very wide-spread during Indus days. The figurine has been cast with an elaborate headgear supported by a pair of bands and a brooch, tight-fitted short tunic with skirt part fastened with a broad waist-band using a medallion like clasp, and tight-fitted trousers, necklaces, ear-ornaments... This large size figurine from Mohenjo-Daro is an excellent example of the technical maturity that Harappan artisans had acquired in clay modeling and baking. The coating of thick red slip seems to have been applied not to just add lustre or finish but perhaps also for protecting its surface from erosion. The fan-shaped headdress is like a large pannier cup, which hung on either side might have been conceived like oil-lamps or incense-trays, though with no marks of soot, it seems, it was not used as one. The figure of the Mother Goddess has been adorned with two necklaces smaller one has a set of four cylindrical pendants, while the longer one hangs between the breasts. The eyes have been conceived with two round pellets of clay, and the nose as pinched.

Harvester Rhyton

BCE, Crete, Minoan Made of stone Ritual significance rhyton- vessels used for pouring liquids Cone shaped vessel May have been covered in gold leaf A rowdy progression of 27 men are crowded onto the surface. Exceptional for how the figures occupy 3D space, overlapping one another. Expressive faces Large bold features sinewy bodies

Mycenae, Greece

BCE, Mycenaean water supply an underground cistern 25 ft thick walls and 30 ft high drywall known as cyclopean because only an enourmous cyclops can break it one of the most important archaeological sites of Greece. The fortified citadel is nested over the fertile plain of Argolis near the seashore in the northeast Peloponnese. Mycenae is the largest and most important center of the civilization that was named "Mycenaean" after this very citadel. Mycenaean is the culture that dominated mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and the shores of Asia Minor during the late Bronze Age era (circa 1600-1100 BCE). The Mycenaean Era occupies the tail end of the Helladic Civilization, which flourished in mainland Greece since 3000 BCE. The Mycenaeans used a syllabic script that is the earliest form of Greek, attesting to the continuity of the Greek civilization from the early Bronze Age era. Many archaeological sites, cemeteries, and Tholos Tombs of the era have been unearthed throughout Greece, and the discovered artifacts speak of a people with strong cultural presence, a centralized political system with a King at the top, with strong commercial ties to the rest of the Bronze Age Mediterranean centers, and a militaristic attitude. Mycenaean artistic output is generally characterized by an austerity of decoration, symmetrical composition, repetition, and disciplined formal arrangement, with limited subject matter that depicts mostly nature, hunting, and war scenes. The sculpture can be safely considered "crude" in execution, consisting mostly of low relief stone carvings, but the craftsmanship of their decorative arts is exceptional. In terms of written records, Mycenaeans have left us with countless Linear B which almost exclusively contain catalogues and official records of a very stout bureaucracy which itself denotes a complex political and economic organization that was uniform throughout their area of influence.

Stele of Hammurabi

Babylonian Systematic codification of his people's rights, duties, and punishments for his people. This is both a work of art and a historical document that records a conversation about justice between god and man. Hammurabi standing in an attitude of prayer before Shamash, the sun god and god of justice. Rays rise from Shamash's shoulders as he sits, horned cap,

Octopus jar, ca.

Crete, Minoan Ceramic art continued through the new palace period. "marine style" because of the depiction of sea life on their surfaces. The painter created a dynamic arrangement of marine life, in seeming celebration of Minoan maritime prowess.

Male harp player- Cycladic

Cycladic/ ANCIENT AEGEAN As one of just ten known Cycladic harpists in the world, this figure is quite unusual, and is unique in the Museum's collection. Sitting erect on a simple four-legged stool, the harpist lifts his head, perhaps in song. His left hand holds the frame of the harp; his right hand rests on its sound box. Originally, the sculpture's visual impact would have been quite different, because the figure's eyes and hair were once added in paint. The instrument held by the musician, a frame harp, originated in the Near East and is the ancestor of the modern harp. At the top of the harp is an extension in the form of a swan's head, a common feature on ancient stringed instruments. The swan's elongated neck facilitated the projection of the sound of the harp.

Female Figure-Cycladic

Cycladic/ ANCIENT AEGEAN Cycladic Island: Late Neolithic and early bronze age people developed a thriving culture. They engaged in >agriculture >herding >crafts >traade using local stone to build towns Artifacts are principle information Cycladic artists used a course, poor quality local clay to make a variety of ceramic objects, including engaging ceramic figures of humans and animals, as well as domestic and ceremonial wares. The islands of Naxos and Paros had ample supplies of a fine and durable white marble. Sculptures used this stone to create sleek, abstracted representations of human figures. Mostly found in graves, mostly of nude women. They use a representational convention They are presented in extended poses of strict symmetry, gently protruding breasts, clutching abdomens. Necks are long, heads tilted back, and faces are featureless except nose. Lines show where some joints may be. Used to be painted, but that is hardly noticeable now.

Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut

Deir el-Bahri, New Kingdom The Egyptian temple originally took the form of a house (simple, rectangular, flat roof, preceded by a courtyard and gateway) The builders of the New Kingdom enlarged and multiplied these elements. The gateway became a massive pylon ( an upright structure that is used for support or for navigational guidance, in particular) with tapering walls. Semipublic courtyard was surrounded by columns ( a peristyle court-s a columned porch or open colonnade in a building that surrounds a court that may contain an internal garden.) The temple itself included an outer hypostyle hall (a vast hall filled with columns) and an inner offering hall and sanctuary. The design was symmetrical and axial (all dominate center line, creating a straight line into the sanctuary) The rooms became smaller, darker, and more exclusive as they neared the sanctuary, where the cult image of the god was housed. Only the pharaoh and the priests entered these inner rooms. Hatshepsut- very few women ruled other than hatshepsut. Married her half brother. When he died she became regent for his underage son. Within a few years she had herself named king. There was no artistic formula for a female pharaoh in Egyptian art, but she had to be portrayed in her new role. She was represented as a male king wearing a kilt and linen headdress, occasionally even a king's false beard. She is responsible for one of the most impressive building programs, her funerary temple. Not where she is actually buried. The imposing complex was designed for funeral rites and commemorative ceremonies and is much larger and more prominent than the tomb itself. On the temple's uppermost court, colossal royal statues fronted another colonnade ( a row of columns supporting a lintel or a series of arches) and behind it lay a large hypostyle hall with chapels dedicated to Hatshepsut, her father, and the gods Amun and Ra=Horakhty ( a powerful form of the sun god Ra combined with Horus.

"Priest-King," - indus valley

Fillet or ribbon headband with circular inlay ornament on the forehead and similar but smaller ornament on the right upper arm. The two ends of the fillet fall along the back and though the hair is carefully combed towards the back of the head, no bun is present. The flat back of the head may have held a separately carved bun as is traditional on the other seated figures, or it could have held a more elaborate horn and plumed headdress. Two holes beneath the highly stylized ears suggest that a necklace or other head ornament was attached to the sculpture. The left shoulder is covered with a cloak decorated with trefoil, double circle and single circle designs that were originally filled with red pigment. Drill holes in the center of each circle indicate they were made with a specialized drill and then touched up with a chisel. Eyes are deeply incised and may have held inlay

Lascaux cave ( Hall of Bulls Man with Bison)

France- Paleolithic- Prehistoric Europe Most well known. Has about 600 paintings and 1,500 engravings. Depicts cows, bulls, horses, and deer. The figures are in composite pose- heads seen from front, bodies in profile the animals are full of life and energy. Artists worked by lamps (burning fat) Man with bison- the only image that seems to tell a story or show a person. Could be a hunter getting hurt in battle between a bison. A spear lays below him. Telling a story, a myth, or a warning? who knows.

Babylon

Hammurabi's capital city was Babylon and his subjects were called Babylonians. Written legal code

paleolithic

Homo Sapiens replaced Neanderthals due to their ability to make decisions, social network, organize hunting, and mostly- thinking symbolically. Making the connection between one thing and another. - This marks the beginning of art.

Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan)

INDUS VALLEY Mound of the Dead Men is an archeological site it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, contemporaneous with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoa, and Norte Chico. Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined A well-planned street grid and an elaborate drainage system hint that the occupants of the ancient Indus civilization city of Mohenjo Daro were skilled urban planners with a reverence for the control of water. The city lacks ostentatious palaces, temples, or monuments. There's no obvious central seat of government or evidence of a king or queen. Modesty, order, and cleanliness were apparently preferred. Pottery and tools of copper and stone were standardized. Seals and weights suggest a system of tightly controlled trade. The city's wealth and stature is evident in artifacts such as ivory, lapis, carnelian, and gold beads, as well as the baked-brick city structures themselves. A watertight pool called the Great Bath, perched on top of a mound of dirt and held in place with walls of baked brick, is the closest structure Mohenjo Daro has to a temple.

post and lintel construction

In architecture, post and lintel is a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them. This is usually used to hold up a roof, creating a largely open space beneath, for whatever use the building is designed for. The horizontal elements are called by a variety of names including lintel, header, architrave or beam, and the supporting vertical elements may be called columns, pillars, or posts.

KA

Ka= soul or life force that lives on after the body Needs mummified body or statue to live after death Egyptians preserved the bodies of the royal dead with care and placed them in burial chambers filled with statues as substitutes and supplies the ka may need throughout eternity

Neolithic Period

Main changes with people and their environments. Mainly less travel and more communities, homes, etc. They were able to plant food, hunt and gather better and smarter. (Plant and animal domestication) Sheep, cattle, pigs were bread. Wheat and barley were cultivated. They balanced hunting, gathering, farming, and animal breeding in order to maintain a steady food supply. Marked the beginning of architecture in Europe by social environments. Ranged from simple to very intricate.

Rock-cut tombs

Middle Kingdom members of the nobility and high-level officials commissioned tombs hollowed out of the face of a cliff. A typical rock-cut tomb included an entrance portico- projecting porch, a main hall, and a shrine with a burial chamber under the offering chapel. Chambers of tombs, ornamental columns, lintels, false doors, and niches were all carved into the solid rock. Painted scenes cover the interior walls of many tombs.

Frescos at Akrotiri, Thera (Cyclades)

Minoan in style Located in an Akrotiri house. Created a landscape of hills, rocks, and flowers. The first pure landscape painting n ancient art

"Palace" complex, Knossos, Crete

Minoan/ ANCIENT AEGEAN The new palace period. "New Palace" time period. Known as the highest point in Minoan civilization. Covered six acres. Damaged structures were repaired and enlarged. Multistoried, flat-roofed,, and with many columns, they were designed to maximize light and air. Daylight and fresh air entered through staggered levels, open stairwells, and strategically placed air shafts and light-wells. Large, central courtyards- not audience halls or temples were the most prominent components of the rectangular complexes. Suites of rooms were set around them. Corridors and staircases led from the central subsidiary courtyards, through apartments, ritual areas, and storerooms. Walls were coated with plaster, and some were painted with murals.

Tholos tomb / "Treasury of Atreus"

Mycenae large above ground burial places commonly refered to as a tholos( beehive tombs) columns made of stone from sparta roofed with a corbeled vault built up in regular courses or layers of ashlar (precisely cut blocks of stone slightly leaning inward)

Lion Gate, Mycenae

Mycenaean gate to city of Mycenaean corbeled arch above the lintel forms a triangle filled with a limestone panel bearing a grand heraldic composition. The Lion Gate guards and provides the main access to the citadel. The two lions arranged symmetrically around a column is the first example of representational monumental sculpture in the European continent. While its significance has been lost to the depths of history, its placement above the main gate of the most powerful citadel of late Bronze Age has led to speculation that it symbolized something important like a family crest of a coat of arms. The triangular shape of the sculpture acts as a relieving triangle for the door below: its shape distributes the weight above the door to the sides and away from the horizontal lintel, protecting it form breakage. The relief sculpture is carved of gray limestone, but the heads of the lions were added on (probably made of steatite or metal) and have been lost since antiquity.

Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)

Neo-Assyrian

Lamassus

Neo-Assyrian In art, lamassu were depicted as hybrids, either winged bulls or lions with the head of a human male. The motif of a winged animal with a human head is common to the Near East bearded head of a man, powerful body of a lion or bull, wings of an eagle, and the horned headdress of a god at the citadel

Genies from Nimrud

Neo-Assyrian The genie is a powerfully built man, with wings sprouting from his back. About 2m high, it is carved in relief on a stone panel, holding a pine cone, and facing a pattern that represents the tree of life. The genie symbolised both protection and fertility - its role was to safeguard and replenish the ancient kingdom of Assyria. It was a design particularly popular with the Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal II, who came to the throne in 883 BC, and made Nimrud his new capital.

Processional Way and Ishtar Gate at Babylon

Neo-Babylonian called ne0-babylonias because they were similar to the Babylons 12 cen. before them. Most famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar II- known for his supression of the Jews Nebu. built great temples dedicated to the babylonian gods throughout his realm, and transformed babylon to one of the most splendid cities of its day. The ishtar Gate four crenellated towers- crenellations are notched walls for military defense - symbolized there power Walls on either side of the route and the gate were faces with dark blue glazed bricks. Against the blue background specially molded turquoise, blue, and gold colored bricks formed images of striding lions, mascot of the godess ishtar as well as the dragons that were associated with Marduk

Foundation figure of Ur-Namma

Neo-Sumerian This bronze figure represents Ur-Nammu, the ruler of Ur (about 2112-2095 BC). It was made for burial in the foundations of a temple of Uruk. It was one of the duties of a Mesopotamian king to care for the gods and restore or rebuild their temples. In the late third millennium BC, rulers in southern Mesopotamia depicted themselves carrying out this pious task. Ur-Nammu lifts up a large basket of earth for making bricks.

Seated statues of Gudea

Neo-Sumerian The Akkadian Empire collapsed after two centuries of rule, and during the succeeding fifty years, local kings ruled independent city-states in southern Mesopotamia. Unlike the art of the Akkadian period, which was characterized by dynamic naturalism, the works produced by this Neo-Sumerian culture are pervaded by a sense of pious reserve and serenity. This sculpture belongs to a series of diorite statues commissioned by Gudea, who devoted his energies to rebuilding the great temples of Lagash and installing statues of himself in them.

Stonehenge

Neolithic- Prehistoric Europe- Salisbury Plain, England Megalith A henge is a circle of stones or posts often surrounded by a ditch with built-up embankments. One of the most complex ( not largest) from the Neolithic period. Eight different phases of construction. Started as a cemetery of cremation burials marked by a circle of bluestones.. 5 pairs of upright stones topped by lintels* Mortise and Tenon joints - made by conical projection at the top of each upright that fits like a peg into a hole in the lintel. Different stones mean different things to different time frames Blue stone was original and very important because it wasn't from that area. So people went to great lengths to get these stones. Could be religious, based on sun for calender/time, death ceremonies

Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters

New Kingdom ( founded a new religion honoring a single supreme god, the life-giving sun deity Aten (represented by the sun disks) and changed his own name to Akhenaten. He built a new capital much further north calling it Akhetaten "horizon of Aten" His reign not only saw the reign not only saw the creation of a new capital and the rise of a new religious focus, it also led to radical changes in royal artistic conventions. In portraits of the king, artists subjected his representation to startling stylizations, even physical distortions. This new royal figure style can be seen in s colossal statue of Akhenaten, about 16 ft. tall, created for a new temple to the Aten that he built near the temple complex of Karnak, openly challenging the state gods. The figures strange, softly swelling forms suggest androgyny of modern viewers. The sagging stomachs and inflated thighs contrast with spindly arms, protruding clavicles, and an attenuated neck, on which sits a strikingly stylized head. Facial features are exaggerated, often distorted. Slit-like eyes turn slightly downward, sensuous lips are flanked by dimples that evoke the expression of ephemeral human emotion.) The Amarna style characterizes not only official royal portraits, but also pictorial relief sculpture portraying the family life of Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti. **This panel the king and queen sit on cushioned stools playing with their nude daughters, whose elongated shaved heads conform to the newly minted figure type. The royal couple receive the blessings of the Aten, whose rays end in hands that penetrate the open pavilion to offer ankhs before their nostrils, giving them "breath of life" The king holds one cild and lovingly pats her head while she pulls herself forward to kiss him. very high contrast from Ramose's tomb. Rather than composed serenity, this artist has conveyed the fidgety behavior of children and the loving involvement of their parents in a manner not even hinted at in earlier royal portraiture

Thutmose (sculptor), Nefertiti

New Kingdom The famous head of Nefertitii was a commission for the royal family. It may have served as a model for a full length sculpture or paintings of the queen. The artist smoothed out the stucco some of the facial irregularities. Long neck, heavy-lidded eyes appear almost too ideal to be human, but are consistent with standards of beauty in our own culture. Part of the appeal of this portrait bust is the artists dramatic use of color. Even the features are heightened with color, like they would have been in real life

Lion Hunt panels

Nineveh, Neo-Assyrian Assurnasirpal II stands in a chariot pulled by galloping horses and draws his bow against an attacking lion, advancing from the rear with arrows already protruding from the body. The immediacy of this image marks a shift in Mesopotamian art, away from a sense of timeless solemnity and toward a more dramatic, even emotional, involvement with the event portrayed

General Giza pyramid complex

Old Kingdom Khufu, khafre, and Menkaure Khufu is largest, then Khafre, then Menkaure The site was carefully planned to follow the sun's east to west path Beside each of the pyramids is a funerary temple connected by a causeway (elevated and enclosed pathway or corridor) to valley temple on the bank of the nile King dies >body is embalmed > taken west from the royal palace to the nice to his valley temple > elaborate ceremony>carried up the causeway to funeral temple > placed in chapel > family brings offerings and priest does his thing (dead has to consume food and drink) > body is entombed in a vault deep within the pyramid at end of long narrow steep passageway> tomb is sealed off with giant stone There are many false passageways to trick intruders

Seated scribe

Old Kingdom (stability politically and socially) Painted limestone with inlaid eyes of rock and stones Old kingdom sculptors produced statues of less prominent people in a more relaxed, life like fashion. ROund head, alert expression, and close cropped hair. Shows human presence. Slightly flabby body- shows a life free of hard labor alert expression shows intelligence

Pyramid of Khufu

Old kingdom 1 of 3 Great pyramid of Giza Covers 13 acres at uts base The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called[1] Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure built over 20 years

Chauvet cave

Paleolithic- Prehistoric Europe one of the earliest known sites of prehistoric cave paintings. Depicts grazing, running, or resting animals, including wild horses, bison, mammoths, bears, panthers, owls, deer, aurochs, etc. Humans are occasionally shown both male and female

Bison (France)

Paleolithic- Prehistoric Eurpope- France- Spacave in Le Tuc d'Audoubert cave sculpture Some reliefs were created by modeling or shaping the damp clay of a caves floor. Depicts two bison leaning against a rock. Very high relief, but still hold same aspects as painted figures- emphasis on the broad masses of the meat bearing flanks and shoulders. The artist illustrates fur under neck with small lines

Human with feline head

Paleolithic-prehistoric europe-Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany. First sign of art. Ivory/ broken animal tusk. Unsure exact purpose. Shows highly complex thinking and creative imagination by joining the male figure with the lion.

Palette of Narme

Predynastic- one ruler found in temple of Horus (falcon/king of earth) shows the unification of Egypt and the beginning of the country's growth as a powerful nation-state Shows many representational conventions that would dominate royal Egyptian art from this point on One side- shows narmer larger than all other figures, distant from everything else to show importance he wears the white crown of upper Egypt and is hitting his enemy Above the enemy is horace- falcon with human hand that is holding a rope tied around the neck of a man who is joined with papyrus (plant that symbolizes lower egypt.) Central message: Narmer, ruler of upper egypt, is in firm control of lower egypt Most figures are shown in composite poses- head in profile, hips/legs/feet turned to side profile, torso is fully frontal. Narmer is barefoot because he is standing on sacred ground. Hieroglyph at top says his name and is centered between palace walls to show he is king. Bottom portions show control over people and land. Lion necks on back signify the joining of upper and lower egypt

Skara Brae settlement

Prehistoric Europe

Standard of Ur

Seminarian- Mesopotamia whose two sides and end panels are covered with figurative and geometric mosaics made of pieces of shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone set into bitumen. The Standard's War side shows the defeat of some unknown enemy. At the bottom, war carts, drawn by onagers (donkeys), race with increasing speed from left to right, trampling naked enemy soldiers. The second register shows a phalanx of armed soldiers to the left, while on the right soldiers in a variety of poses dispatch some captives and lead others away. The top register shows the ruler, his height exceeding the border of the field, facing right. Behind him, his cart is drawn by four onagers alongside his attendants. In front of him, soldiers parade nude and bound prisoners.

El Castillo cave

Spain- Prehistoric Europe contains the oldest known cave art in the world. Hand stencils and disks made by blowing paint onto the wall in El Castillo cave were found to date back to at least 40,800 years, making them the oldest known cave art in Europe

Stamp seals- indus valley

Stamp seals were used in antiquity as marks of ownership and badges of status.The Indus Script is the writing system developed by the Indus Valley Civilization and it is the earliest form of writing known in the Indian subcontinent. The origin of this script is poorly understood: this writing system remains undeciphered, there is no agreement on the language it represents, no bilingual texts have been found thus far and its connection with Indian writing systems quare stamp seals are the dominant form of Indus writing media; they are normally an inch square (2.54 centimetres) displaying the script itself on the top and an animal motif at the centre. The Indus Script was also used in the context of 'narrative imagery': these images included scenes related to myths or stories, where the script was combined with images of humans, animals and/or imaginary creatures depicted in active poses. This last use resembles the religious, liturgical and literary use which is well attested in other writing systems.

Leang Timpuseng cave

Sulawesi, Indonesia - Prehistoric Europe ???

White Temple and ziggurat

Sumarian- Near East- Mesopotamia Huge stepped structures with a temple or shrine on top. The first ziggurats may have developed from the practice of repeated rebuilding at a sacred site- with rubble from one structure serving as the foundation for the next. Elevating the buildings protected the shrines from flooding Proclaimed wealth, prestige, and stability of a city's ruler and glorified its gods. Symbolically as bridges betweem earth and heavens, a meeting place for humans to meet gods. _______________________________ Uruk- two ziggurats built- (marked first independent Sumerian city-state) One was Inanna- godess of love and war ***The other was for sky god Anu. about 40ft tall. - White temple for the white stones it was made of Simple rectangle with an off center doorway that led to a large chamber containing an altar, and smaller spaces opened to each side. Statues of gods and donors were placed in Sumerian temples Registers that tell stories Votive figures

Group of worshiper

Sumerian- Mesopotamia Votive figures Limestone statues- another aspect of Sumerian religious art. men and women idea that people could set a figure down to be a present worshiper for them, when they couldn't be there. Stand in sculpture for donor. Locked in eye contact with god, caught in the act of worship (BIG EYES) sculptors followed conventions that were important in Sumerian art. -stylized faces and bodies -dressed in clothing that emphasizes pure cylindrical shapes. -Standing solemnly, hands clasped in respect

Head of a woman (possibly Inanna)

Sumerian- Mesopotamia- Inside of a ziggurat Statues of gods and donors were placed in Sumerian temples. May represent a temple goddess.

Royal Cemetery

Sumerian- Mesopotamian ?

Bull-headed lyres

Sumerian- Mesopotamian wood with gold, silver, etc. rested over the body of the woman who had played it during the funeral ceremony for the royal figure buried nearby The wooden sound box of this one had long since deteriorated and disappeared but the bull's head survived Front Panel- top a heroic image of a man interlocked with and in control of two bulls and below them three scenes of animal mimicking the activities of humans. On the register a seated donkey plucks the strings of a bull lyre, stabilizing a standing bear, while a fox plays a rattle. animals bring food and drink for a feast. top and bottom registers refer to the Epic of Gilgamesh- a poem that is a sumerians great contribute to the literature world. The story questions mortality and has heroic aim to find the meaning of human life. funeral banquet in the realm of the dead at the bottom.

Book of the Dead

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a collection of spells which enable the soul of the deceased to navigate the afterlife.. They were created specifically for each individual who could afford to purchase one as a kind of manual to help them after death. The afterlife was considered to be a continuation of life on earth and, after one had passed through various difficulties and judgment in the Hall of Truth, a paradise which was a perfect reflection of one's life on earth.

Hunting scene- tomb of Nebamun

Thebes, Middle Kingdom Nebamun is shown hunting birds, in a small boat with his wife Hatshepsut and their young daughter, in the marshes of the Nile. Such scenes had already been traditional parts of tomb-chapel decoration for hundreds of years and show the dead tomb-owner "enjoying himself and seeing beauty," as the hieroglyphic caption here says. This is more than a simple image of recreation. Fertile marshes were seen as a place of rebirth and eroticism. Hunting animals could represent Nebamun's triumph over the forces of nature as he was reborn. The huge striding figure of Nebamun dominates, forever happy and forever young, surrounded by the rich and varied life of the marsh. There was originally another half of the scene, which showed Nebamun spearing fish. This half of the wall is lost, apart from two old photographs of small fragments of Nebamun and his young son. The painters have captured the scaly and shiny quality of the fish. A tawny cat catches birds among the papyrus stems. Cats were family pets, but he is shown here because a cat could also represent the Sun-god hunting the enemies of light and order. His unusual gilded eye hints at the religious meanings of this scene. The artists have filled every space with lively details. The marsh is full of lotus flowers and Plain Tiger butterflies. They are freely and delicately painted, suggesting the pattern and texture of their wings. he vibrantly-coloured Nebamun stands on a papyrus skiff at the head of a hunting trip into reed-covered marshes. With his black wig and beaded collar, holding his snake-headed throwing stick, he strikes an athletic, dynamic, almost heroic pose, as master of the whole proceedings [13]. Reflecting his importance, he is shown towering above his respectful, expensively dressed wife Hatshepsut and his submissive daughter at his feet. Around him is an extravagant display of delicately depicted birds and butterflies, with a teeming variety of fish below. While heroic and idealised, the scene also captures some more homely details - his daughter holding affectionately on to his leg, or the cat grabbing one of the felled birds. Paintings in tomb general: The paintings show scenes of daily life and include images of banquets, agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and scenes of offerings. The quality of the drawing and composition is outstanding, and the superbly detailed treatment of the animals makes these some of the finest paintings to survive from ancient Egypt. Nebamun's tomb-chapel was a place for people to come and commemorate Nebamun and his wife after his death with prayers and offerings. Nebamun himself was buried somewhere beneath the floor of the innermost room of the tomb-chapel in a hidden burial chamber.The beautiful paintings, which decorated the wall, not only showed how Nebamun wanted his life to be remembered but what he wanted in his life after death. Building a tomb-chapel was expensive and would have only been done by the wealthy. The majority of ancient Egyptians would have been buried in cemeteries.

sculpture in the round (freestanding)

Three dimensional sculpture that is carved free of any background or block

relief

a 3d image or design whose flat background surface is carved away to a certain depth, setting off the figure. called high or low depending upon the extent of projection of the image from the background. Called sunken relief when the image is carved below the original surface of the background, which is not cut away

henge

a circular area enclosed by stones or wood posts set up by neolithic peoples. it is usually bounded by a ditch and raised embankment

beehive tomb

a corbel-vaulted tomb, conical in shape like a beehive, and covered by an earthmound

shaft grave

a deep pit used for burial

register

a device used in systems if spacial definitions. In paintings registers indicates the use of differing groundlines to differentiate layers of space within an image. In relief sculpture the placement of self-contained bands of relief in a vertical arrangement

mastaba

a flat-topped, one-story structure with slanted walls built over an ancient Egyptian underground tomb

megalith

a large stone that forms a prehistoric monument (e.g., a menhir) or part of one (e.g., a stone circle or chamber tomb).

Cyclopean masonry

a method of construction using huge blocks of rough-hewn stone. any large scale, monumental building project that impresses by sheer size. names after cyclopes, one-eyed giants of legendary strength in greek myths

fresco

a painting technique in which waterbased pigments are applied to a plaster surface. if the plaster is painted when wet, the color is absorbed by the plaster becoming a permanent part of the wall. Fresco secco is created by painting on dried plaster and the color may eventually flake off. Murals made by both these techniques are called frescos

canon of proportions

a set of ideal mathematical ratios in art based on measurements, as in the proportional relationships between the basic elements of the human body

tholos

a small, round building. sometimes built underground (ex. mycenean tomb)

ka

a spiritual entity, an aspect of the individual, believed to live within the body during life and to survive it after death.

ba

an aspect of the soul, represented as a human-headed bird.

corbelling

an early roofing and arching technique in which each course of stone projects slightly beyond the previous layer (a corbel) until the uppermost corbels meet

votive

an image created as a devotional offering to a deity

Bull Leaping fresco

from Knossos, Crete Minoan/ ANCIENT AEGEAN

Funerary mask

from Mycenae (Grave Circle A), Mycenaean solid gold mask placed over the face of a body The treatment of the eyes and eyebrows, cut out seperation of the ears from the gold around the face.

Warrior Krater

from Mycenae, Mycenaean Final phase of the Helladic bronze age, mycenean potters created highly refined ceramics. A large krater (a bowl for mixing water and wine) i Decorations highly stylized A woman at the far left bids farewell to a group of helmeted men marching off to the right with lances and large shields

Hunefer's Book of the Dead

from his tomb at Thebes, New Kingdom (The term pharaoh "great house" coined during the new kingdom) Egyptians had come to believe that only a person free from wrongdoing could enjoy an afterlife. The dead were thought to undergo a last judgment consisting of two tests presided over by Osiris, the god of the underworld and supervised by the jackal-headed god of embalming and cemeteries. Anubis. After the dead were questioned about their behavior in life, their hears (seat of the soul) were weighed on a scale against an ostrich feather, the symbol of Ma'at goddess of truth, order and justice. Family members commissioned papyrus scrolls containing magical text or spells which the embalmer sometimes placed among the wrappings of the mummified bodies. These scrolls are known as books of the dead. This one shows three successive stages in his induction into the afterlife. 1. At the left, Anubis (god of embalming) leads him by the hand to the spot where he will weigh his heart against the feather of truth. Ma'a (goddess of truth,order, and justice) herself appears on top of the scales wearing the feather as a headdress. To the right of the scales Amid ( the dreaded "Eater of the Dead" part crocodile, lion, and hippo) watches for a sign from Thoth ( ibis headed god who records weight) 2. Hunefer makes the weight and passes the test. Horus on the right presents him to enthroned Osiris. Behind the throne is the goddesses Nephthys and Isis who hold Osiris arm. Horus's four sons (small statue things in front of Osiris that hold vital organs) stand on a huge lotus blossom rising up out of the lake. 3. The top register show Hunefer accepted into the afterlfe kneeling before 14 gods of the underworld

"Dancing Girl," - INDUS VALLEY

he statue of a young lady now unanimously called 'Indus dancing girl', represents a stylistically poised female figure performing a dance. The forward thrust of the left leg and backwards tilted right, the gesture of the hands, demeanour of the face and uplifted head, all speak of absorption in dance, perhaps one of those early styles that combined drama with dance, and dialogue with body-gestures. As was not unusual in the lifestyle of early days, the young lady has been cast as nude. The statue, recovered in excavation from 'HR area' of Mohenjo-Daro, is suggestive of two major breaks-through, one, that the Indus artists knew metal blending and casting and perhaps other technical aspects of metallurgy, and two, that a well developed society Indus people had innovated dance and other performing arts as modes of entertainment. Large eyes, flat nose, well-fed cheeks, bunched curly hair and broad forehead define the iconography of the lady, while a tall figure with large legs and arms, high neck, subdued belly, moderately sized breasts and sensuously modeled waist-part along vagina, her anatomy. The adornment of her left arm is widely different from the right. While just two, though heavy, rings adorn her right arm, the left is covered in entirety with heavy ringed bangles. Besides, the figure has been cast as wearing on her breasts a necklace with four 'phalis' like shaped pendants. Though a small work of art, it is impressive and surpasses in plasticity and sensuousness the heavily ornate terracotta figurines.

mosaic

image formed by arranging small colored stone or glass pieces and affixing them to a hard stable surface

ziggurat

in ancient mesopotamia, a tall stepped tower of earthen materials, often supporting a shrine

incise

mark or decorate (an object or surface) with a cut or a series of cuts. cut (a mark or decoration) into a surface.

Offering bearer and boats from the Tomb of Meketre

middle kingdom ( middle kingdom happened after the fall of old kingdom and a time of turmoil. Art and writing flourished while reflection on past difficulties. Strength in military helped expand but central control by the government weakened. ) This boat is being paddled northward—downstream but against the prevailing wind—by sixteen men whose varied size and arm positions create an impression of movement along the line. The boat has two rudders because the elaborate stern would not accommodate the single rudder that was common to ordinary boats of the time. The rudders are fixed to poles capped by falcon heads. A statue-like figure of Meketre sits under a baldachin (canopy). The presence of a large libation vase indicates that an offering ritual is being performed. Facing Meketreis one of his sons or an upper servant with arms crossed reverentially over his chest. The shape of the boat, the baldachin, and the vase testify to the funerary nature of the voyage. Quite possibly, we are seeing Meketre on a pilgrimage to Abydos, the sacred site of Osiris, the god of the underworld. Note that all figures on this boat have shaven heads.Meketre is seated smelling a lotus blossom in the shade of a small cabin, which on an actual boat would have been made of a light wooden framework with linen or leather hangings. Here the hangings are shown partly rolled up to let the breeze into the cabin. Wooden shields covered with bulls' hides are painted on each side of the cabin roof. A singer, with his hand to his lips, and a blind harper entertain Meketre on his voyage. Standing in front of him is a man, probably the ship's captain, with his arms crossed over his chest. He may be depicted awaiting orders, but he may also be paying homage to the deceased Meketre. As the twelve oarsmen propel the boat, a lookout in the bow holds a weighted line used to determine the depth of the river offerings: These models are highly valued because of the exquisite carving and painting and because they are remarkably well preserved. The colours, the linen garments on some of the figures, and most of the twine rigging on the boats are original. They tell us in great detail about the raising and slaughtering of livestock, storage of grain, making of bread and beer, and design of boats in Middle Kingdom Egypt. On another level of meaning, they tell us about the Egyptian belief that images could magically provide safe passage to the afterlife and eternal sustenance once there.

continuous narration

multiple scenes from the same story appear within a single compositional frame

subtractive process

objects are constructed by successively cutting material away from a solid block of material

Khafre enthroned

old kingdom (great sphyx is kafre's) Within the temple is a series of over life size statues showing khalfe on a throne. Horace-falcon god of earth- is perched on back of throne protecting the king's head with his wings Lions (symbolize regal authority) form the throne's legs and the lotus and papyrus symbolize his power over both upper and lower egypt Traditional outfit of pleated short kilt, a lien headdress, and a false beard symbolic of royalty shows dignity, calm and permanence Carved out of an unusual stone that had to be imported. glows a deep blue.

Relief, mastaba of Rehotep,

old kingdom ???

Imhotep (architect)

old kingdom He is considered to have been the architect of the step pyramid The oldest extant monument of hewn stone known to the world, the pyramid consists of six steps and attains a height of 200 feet first known architect dojer

Woman from Willendorf

paleolithic-prehistoric Europe- Austria Most figures found in upper paleolithic period were females. Carved from limestone. The sculptor exaggerated the female forms greatly ( big breasts, belly, and a deep navel, wide hips, solid thighs.) The artist may have been expressing health and fertility which would promote having children = keeping the community going.

lamassu

supernatural guardian-protector of ancient near eastern palaces and throne rooms, often represented sculpturally as a combination of the bearded head of a man , powerful body of a lion or bull, wings of an eagle, and the horned headdress of a god, usually possessing five legs

additive process

the "process of joining materials to make objects

cella

the principle interior room at the center of a Greek and Roman temple within which the cult statue was usually housed. also called the naos/ principle room in a temple or church

hierarchy of scale / hierarchic scale

the use of differences in size to indicate relative importance. for example, with human figures, the larger the figure, the greater her or his importance

Mastabas

used by upper levels of society a flat topped one story building with slanted walls erected above an underground burial chamber. Contained a SERDAB- a small sealed room housing the KA statue of the dead and a chapel to receive mourning relatives and gifts Mastabas tend to be grouped together in a necropolis "city of dead" which was believed to be in the direction of the setting sun. Different than ziggurats by signiying a stairway to sun god RA and purpose of protecting tomb body buried deep underground

sunken relief

when an image is carved below the original surface of the background, which is not cut away