arts quarter 1

• Prehistoric art includes all human existence before the emergence of writing
• Prehistoric art is of interest to art historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists as it provides clues to understanding early human life and culture
• Prehistoric drawings of animals were usually correct in proportion
• Cave of Lascaux paintings:

  • Discovered on September 12, 1940
  • Contains nearly 2,000 figures mainly of animals and human figures
• Materials used in prehistoric sculptures varied according to region and locality
• Archeologists believed that some prehistoric sculptures were a result of natural erosion rather than human artistry
• Frequently, prehistoric carvings may have had mythological or religious significance
• Venus of Willendorf sculpture:

  • Carved from limestone with excessively heavy breast and abdomen, used as a charm to ensure fertility
• Venus of Brassempouy sculpture:

  • Fragmentary ivory figurine that realistically represents a human face and hairstyle
• Man developed a form of architecture based on megaliths, which are huge stone blocks probably intended for burial
• Megalithic monuments have always ignited man’s imagination and provided plenty of legends and superstition
• During the prehistoric era, stones and rocks were associated with divinity
• Menhir architecture:

  • Huge stone standing vertically on the ground, usually standing in the middle of a field or arranged in rows
• Dolmens architecture:

  • Consists of two huge standing stones supporting a horizontal giant stone, believed to have served as a grave or an altar
• Cromlech architecture:

  • A circle of standing stones, with "crom" meaning bent or curved and "llech" meaning slab or flagstones