Module Content: Art Appreciation

Module ART IN EARLY CIVILIZATION

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INTRODUCTION
The emergence of civilization is frequently defined or characterized in
terms of an increase in the complexity of the structure and the functioning of
human society by comparison to earlier phases. The development of the
productive capacities of mankind may be said to be both, that is, dialectically,
cause and consequence of changes affecting ways of life, social structure,
material culture, technology, knowledge and ideology that separates primitive
humanity from the early civilizations.

And yet we may observe that humanity advances by transforming the heritage
of the past, it builds upon past accomplishments and in doing so transforms
itself and transforms also the sense and meaning of its own past. In this sense,
the past may be both support and obstacle to the development of human
capacities and of social and cultural forms and processes. And in this sense
also, the past lives on producing its effects either as active or as unconscious
memory.

In the arts of the early civilizations, in Mesopotamia and Egypt, for instance,
we will see the heritage of ancestral forms being more or less slowly
transformed, developed and adapted to a new context, to fulfill new as well as
analogous functions.

In the transition from Prehistoric Culture to Early Civilization we see the

progressive establishment of the Arts as a specialized form of activity, the birth
of an Art Industry, the development of a class of specialized art workers or
craftsmen. The social division of work and the establishment of social class
structure is the condition for the new cultural, social and political forms that
will constitute the environment in which the Arts will flourish and develop.

An environment that the Arts will also contribute to create by providing the
material consciousness, so to speak, that is, by supplying the concrete
embodiment of the experiences, aspirations and ideas of the new times, serving
to clarify, to fix or stabilize the forms in which are expressed the consciousness
of the present, and by this helping to mold and establish the self-
understanding of a new time.

http://arthistorypart1.blogspot.com/2011/01/art-and-civilization.html
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the module the students should be able to:

1. Discuss how art was used by pre-historic people to depict everyday life;
2. Identify the central themes of pre-historic art;
3. Differentiate the techniques us how art is linked with religion during the
three kingdoms of early Egypt; and
4. Explain how art is linked with religion in early Egyptian civilization.

LEARNING CONTENT
 Stone Age is a term used to describe a period of history when stones were
used to make tools for survival.
 Through prehistoric humans would not necessary possess the complex
rational capabilities to tell their story through written records and
accounts, some artefacts in the form of cave paintings and sculptures
would serve as story tellers.

Notes:

 In the history of art, prehistoric art is all

art produced in
preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning
somewhere in very late geological history,
and generally continuing until that culture
either develops writing or other methods of
record-keeping, or makes significant
contact with another culture that has, and that makes some record of
major historical events.
 The earliest human artifacts showing evidence of workmanship with an
artistic purpose are the subject of some debate. It is clear that such
workmanship existed by 40,000 years ago in the Upper Paleolithic era,
although it is quite possible that it began earlier.
 In September 2018, scientists reported the discovery of the earliest
known drawing by Homo sapiens, which is estimated to be 73,000 years
old, much earlier than the 43,000 years old artifacts understood to be
the earliest known modern human drawings found previously. [2]
 Archaeological explorations reveal that there has been a gradual shift
from a nomadic lifestyle of early humans to that of permanent
settlements, paving the way for the rise of early civilizations.
  The Stone Age has witnessed how humans were able to lead mot stable
lives and eventually come up with permanent shelters and tools for
survival.
 Palaeolithic Art is a product of climate change. As the climate got colder,
part of the early humans instinct is to look for shelters that would
provide them with warmth.
 The cave paintings would eventually be called the Hall of Bulls.

Hall of Bulls Found in a cave in Lascaux, France

 The figures depicted on the walls were done

with a certain level of crispness and life that
there were initial hesitations of the works
authenticity.
 Most of these works were discovered inside
the deep recesses of caves so they may not
necessarily be used as decorative items.
 They have learned to cultivate the land and domesticate animals. By
4000 BCE there were several monumental and architectural structures
erected. The purpose of this fascinating edifice remains a mystery up to
this day and age.

Venus of Willendorf

 Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman

of Willendorf, is an 11.1 cm (4 3/8 inches) high
statuette of a female figure. It was discovered in 1908
by archaeologist Josef Szombathy at a paleolithic site
near Willendorf. Willendorf is a village in Lower
Austria near the city of Krems.

Stonehenge

 As the Neolithic Period drew to

a close, it was evident that
different elements of
civilizations flourished in
various parts of the world.
 It is also notable that most early
civilization emerged and flourished in river valleys: the Nile in Egypt,
Indus in India Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, and Yellow River in
China.
Egyptian Art

 The Fertile Ribbon starts from the banks of the Nile River, which flows
north to Africa and ventures into the Mediterranean.
 It is this indispensability and utility that eventually led to the belief that
the Nile is to be worshipped as a god. With this came the notion that art
was something that can be ascribed and associated with religion. The
Egyptian civilization can be divided into three periods: Old, Middle, and
Kingdom. Looking at the three periods, it can be noticed that for the
Egyptians, art should be something religious and spiritual.
 During the Old Kingdom, it was evident that religion was bound to the
afterlife. A concrete manifestation of this would have to be the erection of
tombs.
 The palette was also a symbol that commemorates the unification of
upper and Lower Egypt. The unification was significant because it
marked the beginning of their civilization.

Narmer Palette

 At the back of the palette, King Narmer

can be seen wearing the crown of Upper
Egypt looking victorious over a slain
enemy. In addition, two more dead
warriors can the seen beneath him.
 King Narmer is still in present at the
front side and he is shown reviewing
the captured enemies.
 The Narmer palette is one of the artifacts that emphasize the king’s
supreme and absolute authority.
 The choice of materials is deliberate since they want the sculptures to
ensure and withstand any condition.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

 One of the key features of

the middle kingdom is a
shift in the political
hierarchy.
 There is an emergence of
powerful groups of
landlords that threatened
the authority and rule of
the pharaoh. Because of the internal struggle between these two
influential sides, art has taken a back seat during the middle kingdom.
  Egyptian was not immune from foreign invaders and eventually fell into
the hands of the Hyksos.
 This Asiatic tribe introduced bronze age weapons and horses to the
Egyptian. When these foreign invaders were over thrown, the Egyptian
formed the new kingdom.
 The art of the new kingdom had references from both of the preceding
kingdoms.
 Monument and sculptures were still linked with death and reverence for
the deceased. These temples, which were carved out of living rocks,
served not only a sanctuary for the dead but also a place of worship for
the living.

Queen Nefertiti

 The use of naturalism in artworks was rather

short-lived. When king Akhenaton died, his
successors returned to the more rigid and
conventional styles they employed during the
peiod of the kingdoms.
 They also destroyed images and figures of aton
and subscribed to monotheism.

King Tutankhamen

Tutankhamun, Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen,

was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his
royal family to rule during the end of the 18th dynasty
during the New Kingdom of Egyptian history. His father
was the heretical king Akhenaten, believed to be the
mummy found in the tomb KV55. Wikipedia

RECAP

During the prehistoric period, early humans have transitioned from a

nomadic lifestyle to that of a more permanent one, which lead to early
civilizations. Some of the works discovered from this period would give modern
society a glimpse of what was life like during that period. One of the three
kingdoms all the way to the Amarna revolution, art has been directly used
particularly in religious and spiritual activities. Through these unearthed and
discovered artworks, the modern world could have a better understanding of
the past and how can it affect the present.
 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Emergence- the act or an instance of emerging, penetration of the soil
surface by a newly germinated plant

History- a chronological record of significant events (such as those affecting

a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes

Naturalism- realism in art or literature specifically: a theory or practice in

literature emphasizing scientific observation of life without idealization and
often including elements of determinism

Paleolithic- of or relating to the earliest period of the Stone Age

characterized by rough or chipped stone implements

Prehistoric- of or relating to a language in a period of its development from

which contemporary records of its sounds and forms have not been preserved

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Casilib, Bernardo Nicolas Jr., Casaul, Jezreel Anne R., Garing, Dorothea C.,
2018. Art Appreciation.

http://arthistorypart1.blogspot.com/2011/01/art-and-civilization.html

https://www.merriam-webster.com/