Text Books:

History of Art, Vol. II. by Janson & Janson. (6th, 7th, or 8th Edition) Required.

Reading assignment: Modules 1 & 2

PREFACE: Introductory Chapter
Chapter 13: Art in the Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century Italy
Chapter 14: Artistic Innovations in Fifteenth-Century Northern Europe

Videos to Watch for Modules 1 & 2

This series of videos are to provide a brief review of the art periods up to the Late Gothic, essentially the periods covered in Art History I. Hopefully, the videos will demonstrate how art has been functioned in several ancient and older cultures, all which contributed what is known as Art of the Western World.

Please take note that there will be definite ethnocentric perspective in these videos, as they assume the major importance of the cultures discussed with little or no references to the cultures of Asia, Africa and other parts of the world.

“What is art?”

As a preface to this course, please consider the issues presented in this video. This is an “essay” trying to answer the simple sounding question of “What is art?” Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. As this video will demonstrate, there are many ways to answer the question. Yet, none of the answers actually provides a definition that includes all forms of art. The diversity of art forms and how those art forms have changed through the history of art has made defining “ART” very complex. As you study prehistoric art, the very lack of definitions makes the discussions of prehistoric art difficult for many. Not having a single criteria for deciding if something is art is a frustrating, As the video will state, the reactions to art are going to be combination of reactions derived from personal experiences and cultural influences. Using vocabulary from this course, the discussion is an example of the interplay of egocentric and ethnocentric perspectives.

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Neanderthal Cave Art (latest discoveries)

Neanderthals were a separate species of humans, emerging hundreds of thousands of year before the appearance of Modern humans. They co-existed with Modern humans, but suddenly disappeared about 40,000 years ago. There are many theories as to why the Neanderthals went extinct. One of the most interesting facts about associated with their disappearance is that they interbred with Modern humans. It is estimated that about 3% of the Modern human DNA is from the Neanderthals.

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The Venus Idols

Venus of Hohle Fels

This statue, a little over an inch tall, is the oldest sculpted image we have of a human figure. It has exaggerated body features that are seen in other sculpted human female figurines made in the subsequent cultures in the following thousands of years.

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“Other Venus Idols”

One of the most significant prehistoric sculptures were images of the human female figure. Collectively, these sculptures are called “Venus idols”, referring to the Greek goddess. Again, as prehistoric artifacts, their significance or importance to the people that made these figurines is unknown. We can only speculate about their functions in culture. What is most significant is the number of the statues found and the similarity in their exaggeration of body parts. As the exaggerations are of body parts associated with fertility and reproduction, these sculptures are often call “fertility idols”.

Other common characteristics of theses figurines is that they are nude and have no faces.

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The following video is more specifically about the “Venus of Willendorf” figurine. There will be mention of the significance of body fat in women.

The influence of estrogen hormones on a woman’s fertility is extremely important. For most women, the normal range of body fat should be 20-32%. A body fat of 16% is considered low, and possibly unhealthy. Many athletic women, it is not uncommon for the body fat to be as low as 8-9%. One of the effects of low body fat is the regularity of the menstrual cycle. In fact. for some athletic women, when their body fat drops extremely low, they have every irregular menstrual periods, it might even stop altogether, a condition call “athletic amenorrhoea.”

Therefore, the figure of a large woman and the exaggeration of the breast, hips, clearly defined genitalia, all suggest that these figurine were about fertility and reproduction. Large fat reserves would also increase the survival rate of infants as the mother’s milk would be rich in fat. Unfortunately, it was not uncommon for the survival rate for infants to be as low as only one child in five would make it to their first birthday.

However, being prehistoric artifacts, we don’t know what the figurines actually meant to the people that made them.

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The “Lion Man”

The “Lion Man” is one of the oldest sculptures that incorporated the characteristics of the fusion of an animal and the human figure. The perspective taken by this video is that this sculpture represents a belief tradition, which we can only guess about.

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Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting, Part 1 ( a survey of the painting that is covered in Art History I)

Sister Wendy Beckett was an English Catholic nun that was also a respected Art Historian. She made a TV series for the BBC on the history of Art through the history of paintings. Sister Wendy offers a personal narrative to explain the images she has selected to illustrate her survey of paintings. Please note that she is presenting her own perspectives on how to interpret the images she is presenting. In this episode, Sister Wendy will present artworks from the Prehistoric, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, the Ancient Roman and the European Middle Ages cultures.

The most important comment Sister Wendy makes about Art History is that Art does not evolve. Art just changes. Every period of Art History has its “masterpieces”, but none of them look alike. One culture’s art is not a precursor to another’s.