Venus De Willendorf

28,000 - 25,000 BCE

Paleolithic Era

- Many more female than male figures

- Possible fertility image

- Thought to represent women as a whole, not one particular woman

Hall of the Bulls

15,000 - 13,000 BCE

Paleolithic

- Twisted perspective to show full traits of animal

- Not all bulls, not thought to be seen as a herd

- Painter only concerned with painting animals, not putting them in a particular place

- Animals painted at different times in history

Palette of Narmer

3000 - 2920 BCE

Predynastic Egyptian

- Utilitarian object used to prepare eye makeup

- Records the unification of upper and lower Egypt

Great Pyramids

2551 - 2472 BCE

Egyptian

- Oldest of 7 wonders of Ancient World

- Symbols of the sun: Sun's rays are the ramp that pharaohs used to ascend to the heavens, Sun as a representation of rebirth

- Oriented to the cardinal points of the compass, face the East (rising sun)

Menkaure and Khamerernebty

2490 - 2472 BCE

Egyptian

- Pharaoh and one of his wives

- Rigid stance used repeatedly in Egyptian sculpture

- Indicative of strong, static, lasting culture of the Ancient Egyptians

Seated Scribe from Saqqara, Egypt

2500 BCE

Egyptian

Ti Watching A Hippopotamus Hunt

2450 - 2350 BCE

Egyptian

- Depicts activities in the afterlife

- Success in the hunt symbolic of triumph over evil

- Great abundance shown in afterlife

- Canon of proportions

- Scale Heirarchy

Last Judgement of Hu-Nefer

1290 - 1280 BCE

Egyptian

- Narrative of process of entering afterlife

- Canon of proportions

Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Armana, Egypt, 18th Dynasty

1353 - 1335 BCE

Egyptian

- Akhenaton abandoned worship of most gods in favor of sun god Aton

- Possible rebellion against traditional styles of artwork, parallelling reaction against religion

- Adrogynous figures

- More show of emotion, gesture than traditional Egyptian.

Death Mask of Tutankhamen 18th Dynasty

1323 BCE

Egyptian

- Tutankhamen's tomb is the most complete pharaoh tomb discovered

- 3 coffins nested one inside of the other

- Gold inlaid with lapis lazuli, turqoise, carnelian, shows trade with other countries

- Displays extreme opulence, pride, power of Egyptian culture

Bull-Leaping Fresco

1450 - 1400 BCE

Minoan

- Palace at Knossos

- Wet fresco method

- Males painted with darker skin (distinguishing feature taken from Egyptian culture)

- Depiction of difficult aerobatic maneuver

- Sweeping lines accentuate flow of energy

Lion Gate, Mycenae, Greece

1300 - 1250 BCE

Mycenaean

- Funneled all enemies in through single gate

- "Relieving triangle" where limestone relief sculpture fits, lightens load on lintel of arch.

- Lions significant of power

- Lions' heads created separate from relief sculptures and lost

New York Kouros

600 BCE

Archaic Greek

- Life-size

- Stance imitates classical stance of Egyptian statues, but statues were freed from stone blocks and figures were depicted nude instead of with trappings of royalties/deities

Peplos Kore

530 BCE

Archaic Greek

- Archaic smile

- Arm broken off due to extension from body

- Votive offering in goddess Athena's sanctuary

- Wears a peplos garment: woolen, belted garment

Kritios Boy

480 BCE

Classical Greek

- Thought to be carved by sculptor Kritios

- Contrapposto, slight head tilt shows naturalistic stance

- Idealized, athletic body shown by nude figure

Doryphoros (Spear Bearer)

Polykleitos

450 - 440 BCE

Classical Greek

- More accentuated contrapposto stance

- Intention to "perfect" posture indicating human movement

- "dynamic asymmetrical balance"

- Uses mathematic ratios of Pythagoras thought to define beauty

- Supports used for arm, legs

Parthenon

Iktinos and Kallikrates

447 - 438 BCE

Classical Greek

- Formed with harmonious numeral ratios, much like Doryphoros

- Several adjustments made to compensate for visual illusions (corner columns slightly wider, columns lean slightly inward)

- Mix of Doric and Ionic architecture

- Many narrative statues and friezes

Aphrodite of Knidos

Praxiteles

350 - 340 BCE

Late Classical Greek

- First representation of the goddess of love in the nude

- Depicts bath scene (garments draped over a pitcher of water)

- Idea of beauty switched from one of mathematical ratios to one of visual sensibilities

Apoxymenos (Scraper)

Lysippos

330 BCE

Late Classical Greek

- New canon of proportions

- Athletic scraper, scraping oil off the body

- Lysippos rejected ideas of stability and balance as goals for a statue

- Breaks figure out of rectangular "box"

- Encourages viewer to look at statue from more than one angle

Seated Boxer

100 - 50 BCE

Hellenistic

- Depicts defeat

- Body still athletic, but not ideal

- Seated instead of standing

- Continued push towards naturalistic style

Old Market Woman

150 - 100 BCE

Hellenistic

- Exploration of realism - contrasts with Classical period of idealism

- Depictions of people from lower social ranks

- Wider variety of physical types in Hellenistic art

Head of a Roman Patrician

75 - 50 BCE

Republican Roman

- Veristic Portraiture

- Possibly exaggerated facial features to make statement about personality: serious, experienced, loyal, etc.

- Portraits were celebration of elevated status of the patrician class

- Typically old men, elders had power in Republic

Primaporta Augustus

20 BCE

Early Empire, Roman

- Pax Romana under Augustus

- Purpose was to mold public opinion of authoritative figures

- Meant to portray a youthful, godlike leader

- Modeled on Classical Greek art

- Cupid refers to divine descent from goddess Venus

Pont-du-Gard

16 BCE

Early Empire, Roman

- Aqueduct built at slight downward angle to carry water from the mountains

- Carried about 100 gallons of water/day

- Large arches span 82 feet each

Flavian Amphitheater

70 - 80 CE

Early Empire, Roman

- Way for emperor Vespasian to gain respect of people after destructive reign of Nero

- Reclaimed lands claimed by Nero for a private villa, transformed into public amenity

- Held over 50,000 spectators

- Extensive substructures for holding gladiators, animals, and set machinery

- Model on which modern amphitheatres/stadiums are built

Gardenscape from the Villa of Livia

30 - 20 BCE

Roman Wall Painting

- Second Style

- "Picture Window"

- Atmospheric perspective employed by blurring objects in the distance

Wall Painting from Villa of Agrippina Postumus

10 BCE

Roman Wall Painting

- Third Style

- No longer uses illusionistic paintings to create other worlds, but embraces the idea of the wall surface

- Linear quality, monochromatic backgrounds

Still Life with Peaches

62 - 79 CE

Roman Wall Painting

- Illusion of casual relationship between objects

- Goal was to paint light as reflected and absorbed by objects

Pantheon

118 - 125 CE

High Empire, Roman

- Temple of all the gods

- Several building techniques used to accomodate dome (use of different types of concrete, thinning of dome near the oculus, rectangular coffers to lighten weight of dome)

- Oculus lets in light, rain - creates drama, underscores symbolism of interior shape