Art History Review: Prehistory, Egyptian, Aegean

8/3/2019 Art History Review: Prehistory, Egyptian, Aegean

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Art History

ReviewFrom Prehistory to Egypt

By Danielle Hernandez


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Preparing to Study Art History In order to assess various works of art in both

areas of content and form, you must be familiar

with some terminology and concepts.

These include knowing about some differentmediums.

You must also be familiar with aesthetic distance

and know how to talk about what makes this high

or low for you in a work of art.


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Aesthetic DistanceDont be fooled! High is low and low is

high!

Aesthetic distance refers to how youconnect with a work of art. Does it

jump out at you? Strike you as

interesting? Or is it just plain boring!?


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Aesthetic DistanceHigh Aesthetic Distance

*Think of high distance in numerical terms. The higher youre distance is, the further you are

from something!*

*le yawn*


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Aesthetic DistanceLow Aesthetic Distance

*le fangasm*


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Mediums (Materials) Amber made from tree sap thats hardened.

Bedrock good foundation for architecture

Bronze a metal alloy, malleable, easy to work with Dressed stone cut stone

Fresco painting pigment on wet or dry (fresco secco)plaster. If paint is applied when wet, it lasts a long time Papyrus paper made from reeds Resin sticky plant substance similar to amber

Slate difficult to work with since its sedimentary andlayers can easily crack off

Others basalt, diorite, sandstone, limestone, granite


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Techniques Celature making things 3D by adding TO it (like taking

stone base and layering clay over it)

Glyptic making a 3D image by taking AWAY from it (likechiseling away at stone)

Chiaroscuro using shadows/shading to make something2D look 3D (ie. Cartoon compared to realism)

Flat color color without shading (non-photorealisticcutouts)

Encaustic painting in wax; very difficult but lastsextremely well


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Techniques Foreshortening giving something a different angle or

perspective to make it more interesting (ie. Uncle Sam wantsyou poster)

Optical illusion something that appears as it measurablyis

not Parataxis/paratactic combining more than one perspective i

one subject; more realistic than photorealism; moreinformation

Isomorphism similarity or form, shape, or structure

3 dimensional sculpture or carving or anything offa plane 2 dimensional flat painting/drawing on a plane


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Forms Bas relief low relief (projecting as opposed to engraving) Clerestory architecture; high in the middle, low on the sides;

results in interesting lighting

Closed composition attached to stone, wall, etc.

Open composition sculpture is totally free from original medium(compare to in-the-round)

Sculpture in-the-round a free standing sculpture

Freestanding more free than in-the-round; has no strut(stand/support holding it up)

Corbel stones set as support (architecture)

Heiroglyph pictorial writing/communication system

Hypostyle hall a hall with a roof supported by rows of columns


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Forms In reserve what is left behind after carving arounda structure Mastaba stepped temple (predecessor of pyramid)

Orthogonal of or pertaining to right angles

Petroglyph carving or painting in rock

Pictograph any picture

Post and lintel 2 columns with a stone on top (think Stonehenge) Pyramid pyramid structure with capstone on top

Register ground line

Stasis no motion shown in work; freeze frame (ie Victorian photograph

Split image image seen from 2 views

Tectiform rectangular (or not) or just lines found; may be artist

signature or instructions, etc.


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Venus of WillendorfWHO: Skilled artisan(s)WHAT: Limestone

WHERE: Found in Willendorf,

Austria. Couldve originated

anywhere in Europe where people

were living since it is portable.WHEN: c. 25,000-21,000 BC

SIZE: 4 3/8


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Bison with Turned

HeadWHO: Skilled artisan(s)WHAT: Reindeer antler

WHERE: La Madeleine, France

WHEN: c. 11,000-9,000 BC

HOW: Made use of original shape

of medium (aesthetic fallacy)

SIZE:4 1/8


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Venus of LausselWHO: Skilled artisan(s)WHAT: Limestone

WHERE: Found in Laussel, France

WHEN: c. 25,000-23,000 BC

HOW: Bas Relief

SIZE:17 3/8


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Paintings from

LascauxWHO: Most likely many artists.Maybe master/apprentice. Maybemen and women, only men, onlywomen.

WHAT: Horses, cows, bulls, bison,deer, nearly no sea creatures, fewpeople (stylized), depictions ofhunting

WHERE: Lascaux, France

WHEN: c. 15,000-13,000 BC

HOW: Pigments, brushes, blownpigment through horn, lamps forlighting, dangerous

SIZE: Varies. As tall as 13-16


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Palette of NarmerWHO: UnknownWHAT: Slate. King Narmerconquering Lower Egypt andshowing his might

WHERE: Hierakonpolis

WHEN: c. 3100BC

HOW: Bas Relief

SIZE: 25

*Uses varying perspectives,registers, and hierarchicalproportions, to show order and

clarity.

Horus


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Step Pyramid of

Zoser (mastaba)WHO: ImhotepWHAT: Limestone

WHERE: Saqquara

WHEN: c. 2630-2611 BC

HOW:

SIZE:200


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Pyramids at GizaWHO: Many laborersWHAT: Limestone

WHERE: Giza

WHEN: c. 2551-2472 BC

HOW: Extremely labor intensive.

Extensive planning. Communitybuilt up around it for workers.

Symbolic, religious, and

nationalistic.

SIZE:Largest (Khufus):

480 tall 755 base


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Cross section of the Pyramid of Khufu


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Giza Complex


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Art History

ReviewAegean

By Danielle Hernandez


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Must Knows for Aegean Maps of areas studied Cycladic plank figure Lyre Player Views of Knossos: inside , outside, rooms, stairwells

Vaulting the Bull fresco Female figure with Snakes (We dont know if she is agoddess or priestess!!!)

Octopus jar

Harvester vase

Lion Gate of Mycenae

Treasury of Atreus


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The

AncientAegean

World


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Cycladic Plank

figuresWHO: Unknown

WHAT: Usually marble or alabaster

WHERE: Cyclades islands

WHEN: c. 2700-2300 BC

SIZE:One is 4 10.5

*contemporaneous to Venuses of Willendorf

and Laussel*


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Lyre PlayerWHO: Unknown

WHAT: Alabaster

WHERE: Cyclades islands

WHEN: c. 2900-2500 BC

HOW: Carved- easily since

alabaster is so softSIZE:9

*compare to the seated Kahfre*


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Palace of Minos at

KnossosWHO: Unknown

WHAT: Stone, wood,

WHERE: Knossos, Crete

WHEN: c. 1600-1400 BC

SIZE: 4 acres

Not really a palace. Have found no royaliconography. This was known to be the centralresidence of Minos (which may have not been a

kings name it might be a term for a ruler, etc.).

It is sometimes called a house of the double axsince that was a cult object that appeared on a lot

of stuff there. Complex; mazelike; meandering

halls; asymmetry; stone walls; low ceilings; post

and lintel; wooden columns; no fortification.


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Vaulting the Bull Fresco

(a.k.a. Toreador Fresco)

WHO: Unknown

WHAT: Fresco

WHERE: Palace of Minos in

Knossos, Crete

WHEN: c. 1500 BC

SIZE:32May have been a religious ritual or just a

sport.


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Female Figure with

SnakesWHO: Unknown

WHAT: Faence

WHERE: Knossos, Crete

WHEN: c. 1600 BC

SIZE:13.5

Faence - Pottery decorated with

brightly colored glazes


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Harvester VaseWHO: Unknown

WHAT: Serpentine rhyton

WHERE: Hagia Triada, Crete

WHEN: c. 1650-1450 BC

SIZE:4.5 diameter

May have been involved in religious rituals.Shows off Minoan engraving skills and

tradition of dynamic, lively representation.

Depicts men going to harvest.

Rhyton an ancient drinking

vessel usually shaped like an

animal or part of an animal


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Lion Gate of MycenaeWHO: Unknown

WHAT: Limestone

WHERE: Mycenae

WHEN: c. 13th century BC

SIZE:9 6

Mycenae people built strong stone wallsaround their citadels which show they were

more interested in war than those in Crete

(who had the ocean/navy as protection,

instead). This ispost-and-lintel structure andthe triangular lions is a relieving triangle totake off some weight from the lintel. It is

done bycorbeling- arranging layers. Theselayers of stone are calledcourses and each

projects beyond the lower one.


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Treasury of Atreus(a.k.a. the tomb of Agamemnon)

WHO: Unknown

WHAT: Tholos tomb

WHERE: Mycenae

WHEN: c. 13th century BC

SIZE:43 diameter / 40 height

Documents

Art History Review: Prehistory, Egyptian, Aegean