Prehistoric and Native American Art

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Questions and Answers

What was a common trait of art produced in Ancient China?

Emphasized physical beauty

Utilized a variety of foreign influences

Focused on dramatic storytelling

Expressed the artist's good character (correct)

Which characteristic distinguishes Ancient Japanese art?

Heavy religious influence

Strong foreign cultural influences

Emphasis on accuracy in human representation

Solitary behavior and minimal foreign influence (correct)

Which genre was significant in Byzantine art?

Icon (correct)

Cubism

Impressionism

Portraiture

What was a primary criticism of Gothic art?

It was considered unrefined and exaggerated Signup and view all the answers

What key technique was emphasized in Baroque art?

Chiaroscuro Signup and view all the answers

What aspect did Neoclassicism share with the Renaissance?

Imitation of Ancient Greek artworks Signup and view all the answers

What defines the Mannerism period in art?

Experimentation with dynamic poses Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Rococo' refer to in art?

A reaction against simple, balanced designs Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary function of prehistoric art?

Historical, spiritual, or social purposes Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated age of the earliest known drawing by Homo sapiens?

73,000 years old Signup and view all the answers

What common mediums were used for prehistoric art?

Engravings, sculptures, and cave paintings Signup and view all the answers

During which period was the art style of Ancient Greece most simplified?

Archaic period Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is associated with the Classical period of Ancient Greek art?

Focus on idealism and beauty Signup and view all the answers

Which region is known for a more ornamental approach in ancient art?

The Andean region Signup and view all the answers

What significant style change occurred in the Hellenistic period of Greek art?

Increased complexity and ornamentation Signup and view all the answers

Which statement correctly describes Roman art in relation to Greek art?

Roman artists sought to memorialize events and glorify emperors Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Prehistoric Art

Earliest known drawing by Homo sapiens is estimated to be 73,000 years old.
Prehistoric art did not function as artistic expression, but instead as historical, spiritual, or social purposes.
Preference for aesthetics wasn’t a thing till 100,000 to 50,000 years ago.
Common mediums were:
- Engravings on stone, mineral, wood, and solids
- Fine detail on weapons and tools
- Clay and stone sculptures
- Cave paintings using natural pigments

Archaic Period

Weapons, cave paintings, and tools were made around 80,000 to 8,000 BCE.
Anything made of fiber, hideskin, and other plants did not survive.
Common mediums were:
- Pictographs (painted image)
- Petroglyphs (carved image)

Native American Art

Native American art derives from five main regions: Arctic, Northwest Coast, Eastern Woodlands, The West, and Southwest.
Native American decorative styles differ up and down the continent.
The West favored geometric designs, whereas the Arctic leaned towards organic.
Mesoamerican groups were typically divided, more variety in the west, with Teotihuacan, Mixtec, and Aztec taking lead, and the Maya being prominent downwards east.
The Olmec were the first to fully develop and establish traditions.

South American Art

Andean region had a more ornamental approach.
Region consists of modern day countries such as Peru, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, and Ecuador.
Highly praised for its intricate gold jewelry and headwear.

Ancient Greek Art

Revolved around pottery, sculpture, and architecture, mostly inspired by their daily lives.
Common pose of their sculptures is known as contrapposto, Italian for “counterpoise”.
Divided stylistically into three periods: the Archaic, the Classical and the Hellenistic.
- Archaic period was the most simplified of all three - it lacks realism and subjects were drawn mostly in profile.
- Classical period is based on idealism and personal ideas of beauty, with the Golden Ratio is introduced and used in artwork.
- Hellenistic period’s art style became complex and ornamental. No more idealism, only reality and emotion.

Roman Art

Roman art was derivative from Greek.
Roman artists sought to memorialize events of their state and to glorify their emperors.
The most prestigious form of art besides sculpture was panel painting.

Ancient Chinese Art

Mostly created amateur artists who attended school.
Scholars frequented other arts, such as poetry, calligraphy, and ceramics.
Art was meant to express the artist's good character.

Ancient Japanese Art

Contained calligraphy and pottery – their collection is one of the oldest on Earth.
Art stands out due its solitary behavior and lack of influence from foreign cultures.
Preferred medium was painting and woodblock art.

Early Christian Art

It is hard to know when Early Christian art began, since they began as a persecuted group.
Eventually, the Roman Empire finally accepted them as a legit religious group, and they could start producing durable works.
The figures in their artwork remain frontal.

Byzantine Art

Highly ornamental.
The capital, Constantinople, was adorned with a large number of classical sculptures.
One of their important genres was the icon, an image of a religious identity, used to bless a church or home.
The illumination of manuscripts was another major genre; decorations frame book pages.

Gothic Art

Came in mainly as architecture and developed in France.
Its critics saw this type of art as unrefined and too inaccurate; exaggerated in length and detail.

High Renaissance

Italy went from religious symbolism to academic themes.
Returned to achieving accuracy in the human body.
Prioritized their ideas of beauty, like Ancient Greece.

Mannerism

Artists begin to experiment with fluid figures and gradations.
Aimed to create porcelain-like subjects in dynamic poses.
Used dark backgrounds to emphasize the outline of the main subjects.

Baroque Art

Moved on from elegance and into dramatism.
Enforced the shading technique, chiaroscuro, to promote high contrast.
By increasing the darkness in their paintings, artists practiced tenebrism.

Rococo Art

The word ‘Rococo’ came from the word rocaille, which was originally a method of decoration.
Is a reaction against the use of simple, balanced designs.
Its trompe-l'œil, “to fool the eye”, murals created a dynamic illusion.

Neoclassicism Art

Coincided with the Age of Enlightenment.
Despite its similarities with the Renaissance, it aimed for balance.
Their sculptures and architecture imitated Ancient Greek artwork.

Romanticism Art

Blooming out of Neoclassicism, Romanticism is a reaction against industrialization.
Had a mystic influence over paintings of historical events.
Artists intended to represent historical events in a chaotic fantasy.

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Description

Explore the fascinating realms of prehistoric art and Native American art in this quiz. Delve into the historical, spiritual, and social significance of artistic expressions from ancient times to the archaic period. Test your knowledge on mediums, styles, and regional influences.