Western Art History

Art History (40,000 BCE to 1700 CE)

Period: 40,000 BCE to 1700

Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave

32,900 BCE

The Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave was discovered in 1994 in southern France and is considered to be one of the most well-preserved sites of prehistoric art. This cave features not only hundreds of depictions of various species of game animals but also bears, large cats, extinct animals, and volcanoes. Something of particular interest is that the characters are not just displayed individually but are placed in interactions with each other. This shines more light onto how these cultures lived.

Venus (Woman) of Willendorf

25,000 BCE

The Venus (Woman) of Willendorf is a small figure crafted from oolitic limestone discovered in 1908 near Willendorf of modern-day northern Austria. The physical features of the piece indicate idealized aspects of the female form held by the culture of that time and place. These physical features were likely considered desirable because they could indicate an individual fertility and abundance of resources. This would be a prehistoric equivalent of a display of wealth.

Lascaux Cave Painting

18,000 BCE

The Lascaux Cave hosts upwards to 600 painting from early humans of the Magdalenian era(European upper Paleolithic.) The majority of the paintings depicts large game native to the surrounding area. Very little is known about the exact purpose of these, but it’s speculated that they may have been used to illustrate stories of hunts, rites of passage, or spiritual rituals. Hunting is highly emphasized by these illustrations because they depict only animal life and no plants.

Palette of Narmer

3000 BCE

Ancient Egyptian relief sculpture depicting the king Narmer with scenes of mythology.

King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and Queen

2472 BCE

The statue Menkaure ( Mycerinus) and Queen is a relief depicting the ancient Egyptian King Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty II of the 4th Dynasty. This piece represents the Egyptian Canon of Proportions for 3-D artwork. Though the canon changes throughout the three kingdoms of Egypt, certain traits remain common; the figure is to divisible by 18 units from the hairline down, and 1 unit is reserved for hair or headwear. This piece shows the culture’s values to scale and proportion in artwork.

Tell Asmar

2350 BCE

The Tell Asmar Hoard refers to 12 figures discovered in Iraq in 1933. The figures have the similar traits of being approximately 20 cm in height and significant facial detail. The statues are crafted in resemblance of the purchaser and are intended to represent the devotion of them in their physical absence. This indicates there to be a common practice in this culture to use wealth to acquire a physical representation of one’s devotion and piety. The detail involved suggests they’re expensive.

Stele of Naram-Sin

2218 BCE

The Stele of Naram-Sin is an important relief sculpture due to its imagery depicting a historic event from the Akkadian Empire. It shows the Akkadian king, Naram-Sin, during the conquest of the Lullubi people. Notable details include Naram's elevated status by use of hierarchical scale, the horned helmet indicating his proclaimed divinity, and the superiority of the Akkadians depicted by the interaction of the two armies. These factors help us understand this civilization’s view and use of art.

Kroisos Kouros

530 BCE

Realistic style of sculpture emphasizing the body in detail. Known for the

Augustus of Prima Porta

50

Augustus of Prima Porta is a very important freestanding sculpture of Augustus Caesar. The key interesting features are how its form breaks away from many common sculpture conventions before it and how this imagery was used to boost his political image as well. As opposed to having his arms at his side, Augustus has a raised hand in a manner to indicate military power. He is depicted barefoot accompanied by Cupid. This refers to mythical ties between his bloodline and the devine.

The Hagia Sophia

537

The Hagia Sophia is a unique structure due to its architectural splendors, its age, and the contrasting powers and cultures that controlled it.
The Church’s dome is notably ornate and a display of cutting-edge engineering. It’s a circular dome resting on a square base. This is only made possible by use of pendentives, supportive structures relatively new for the time.
The Hagia Sophia also contains several early mosaic pieces which condition mirror the church’s history as a whole.

The Dome of the Rock

692

The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine most visibly noticeable by the large gold-plated dome in which is arguably its best-known feature. The building itself is designed to enshrine the Foundation Stone, a rock formation in which each of the three major monotheistic religions ascribes significance to. This shared identify towards the structure gets increasingly complicated as history progresses, and the separate factions assume rightful ownership. This is analogous to the region itself.

The Last Judgement Tympanum

1130

The Last Judgement by Gislebertus is an ornate tympanum in the Cathedral of Saint Lazarus of Autun. It’s a classic example of Romanesque artwork and depicts the “Second Coming of Christ.” The piece pictorially narrates the events of “the judgment” with vivid details of angels, demons, and either salvation or torment. The Jesus figure is centered in the piece and creates a bilateral symmetry. The most notable feature is the dramatic details used to add shock; thus, also a persuasive element.

The school of Athens

1511

The School of Athens by Raphael is often referred to as his masterpiece. It depicts the major philosophers, mathematicians, or other “intellectuals” from classical times and sets a lateral divide in which the left represents Aristotelian views and the right represents those of Plato. Many artistic freedoms were used when the setting boundaries of and ascribing characters to this divide in the schools of thought, but the themes depicted truly represent the mentality of the Renaissance.

Las Meninas

1656