GEC 6 - Art
Appreciation
Ms. Rose Anne Joy R. Cabico
Instructor
Unit II: Western Art History
Lesson 1: Art in Early
Civilizations
By the end of this lesson, should be able to:
a. discuss how art was used by prehistoric people
to depict everyday life;
Learning b. identify the central themes of prehistoric art;
Outcomes c. differentiate the techniques used during the
three kingdoms of early Egypt; and
d. explain how art is linked with religion in early
Egyptian civilization.
◦ Stone Age - a term used to describe a
period of history when stones were used to
make tools for survival
◦ “conjures an image of men and women
Introduction
dressed in skins, huddling before a fire in a
cave” (Fitchner-Rathus, 2013)
◦ “storytellers” - cave paintings and
sculptures
◦ Stone Age - witnessed how humans were able
to lead more stable lives and eventually come
up with permanent shelters and tools for
survival
Prehistoric Art
◦ early humans turned to the creations of
paintings and sculptures that depict humans,
animals, and their natural habitats
◦ linkages of art, religion, and life
1. Paleolethic Art - a product of climate change
◦ Caves - became protective havens and paved
Prehistoric Art
the way for the birth of their first attempts to
create art
Example
◦ Hall of Bulls found in a cave in Lascaux, France
Example
◦ “Venus of Willendorf” - a highly abstracted
woman from highlighted body parts associated
with fertility
2. Neolithic Art
◦ life for the early humans has become
more stable
◦ learned to cultivate the land and
domesticate animals
◦ 4000 BCE - several monumental and
architectural structures erected
◦ “Stonehenge”
Example
The Fertile Ribbon
◦ starts from the banks of the Nile River,
which flows North to Africa and ventures
into the Mediterranean
Egyptian Art
◦ early Egyptians recognized the integral
role of the Nile River to their daily lives
◦ Nile River - believed to be worshipped as
a god
◦ can be divided into three periods:
1. Old
2. Middle
Egyptian Art
3. New Kingdom
◦ art should be something religious and
spiritual
1. Old Kingdom
◦ religion was bound to the afterlife
◦ erection of tombs - were not just for keeping the
dead bodies of important people, the pharaohs;
they also served as shelter for the next journey,
Egyptian Art
which is the afterlife
◦ tombs were decorated with everyday objects that
would reflect day-to-day activities as if the
afterlife is a mere continuation of what
transpired on earth
◦ Narmer Palette - one of the cosmetic palettes
found in Egypt
◦ utilized and applied dark colors around King
Example Narmer’s eyes
◦ symbol that commemorates the unification of
Upper and Lower Egypt
◦ Hathor - a god whom symbolizes love and joy
◦ Narmer Palette
Example
◦ permanence was important because these
sculptures would serve as the house of the
ka or soul once the remains of the mummy
disintegrate
3. Middle Kingdom
◦ a shift in the political hierarchy
◦ emergence of powerful groups of landlords that
threatened the authority and rule of the pharaoh
◦ art has taken a back seat
◦ had some references from the Old Kingdom
◦ freely drawn portrait sculptures and fresco paintings
◦ Hyksos - Asiatic Tribe which introduced Bronze Age
weapons and horses to the Egyptians
4. New Kingdom
◦ mortuary temples - carved out of living
rocks; served not only a sanctuary for the
dead but also a place of worship for the
living
◦ more advanced and powerful civilization
Amarna Revolution
◦ led by King Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti
◦ moved the capital to Tel El-Amarna
◦ King Amenhotep - wanted to revolutionize the arts
and religion and late on changed his name to
Akhenaton which came from Aton - sun god
◦ monotheistic
◦ most sculptures had curving lines and full-bodied
forms
◦ emphasis to life-like features of the face like an
elongated jaw and thick-lidded eyes
Example
◦ Queen Nefertiti
Tomb of Tutankhamen
◦ one of the greatest dicoveries from the Egyptian
civilization
◦ became king at a very young age and died at the
age of eighteen
◦ Howard Carter - discovered his tomb in 1922
◦ found gold artworks; the coffin was made out of
solid gold, the body was covered in linen and a
gold mask covered his face
Example
◦ King Tutankhamen
