Pre Historic

Art Movement

Pre Historic
Era
The Land of time before the
dawn of civilization Pre Historic

Art Movement
Pre Historic Timeline
During this era, which lasted
Each period were separated by the from the Paleolithic period to
advancement of their cultures, from free roaming the end of the Neolithic
nomads of the Paleolithic era to the early period, humans were
hunter-gatherers who lived in
farming cultures of the Neolithic era. Each era small bands and tribes. They
produced art that signifies the cultural existence had a deep connection to the
of early humans. natural world and their art
often reflected this, with many
pieces depicting animals and
1 Paleolithic Period other elements of the natural
environment.

2 Mesolithic Period

3 Neolithic Period
Prehistoric Art
• Humans were hunter-gatherers who lived
in small bands and tribes.
• They had a deep connection to the natural
world which is very evident on their arts.
• Materials used:
Paleolithic Period

Stone Age tools This pictographs are left behind to inform or to forewarn the
next generation. Many of this pictographs were also used as
backdrops of prehistoric ceremonies
Stone knife used for
carving and even
etching on cave walls

Petroglyphs

Dye powder made from dried •note that pictographic symbols

plants or minerals were that are cut or carved into the

smeared on walls acting as rock surface

early forms of coloring

Most of the art in the Stone Age were created as a

form of pictographs to depict information. Petrograms
•drawn or painted on rocks
Pictograph
• derived from the Latin "pictus" meaning
painting, and "graph/gram" meaning drawn
or written
• describes an image, sign or symbol which
is created in order to express some idea or
information
• Ideogram
o a pictograph that represents one
particular idea
Paleolithic Period

Different kinds of art in

this era
Cave art
One of the most famous
examples of pre-historic art
is the cave paintings found
in Lascaux, France. These
paintings, which are
Sculptures
Another important aspect of
pre-historic art is the creation of
sculptures and other objects.
These pieces, which were often
made from materials such as
stone or bone,
were used for a variety of purposes, including ceremonial and

estimated to be over 17,000 religious rituals. Some of the most famous examples of

years old, pre-historic sculpture include the Venus of Willendorf, a small

statue of a voluptuous female figure.
depict a variety of animals and scenes from the
natural world. The paintings are incredibly detailed
and show a sophisticated understanding of
composition and color.
Cave Art
• a means of expression with a shamanistic, or
ceremonial, or hunting function.
• Types:
1. Abstract symbols
2. Hand stencils
3. Rock engravings
4. Cave painting
Artworks in the
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Paleolithic Era
Some samples of Art in the Paleolithic Era

Blombos Cave Art Ivory Carvings of a Venus of Berekhat El Castillo Cave

from about 70,000 horse, Vogelherd Cave Ram around Paintings, 39,000
BCE from about 33,000 BCE 200,000 to 500,000 BCE
BCE
Mesolithic Period
• The Mesolithic Period , or Middle Stone Age, is an archeological term
describing specific cultures that fall between the paleolithic and the
Neolithic Periods. While the start and the end dates of the Mesolithic Period
vary by geographical region, it dated approximately from 10,000 BCE to
8000 BCE.

• Mesolithic people likely continued the art forms developed during upper
paleolithic Period, including cave paintings and engravings, small sculptural
artifacts, and early megalithic architecture.
Mesolithic Period
Different kinds of art in
this era
Transition from caves to
outdoors
As ice age receded and abundance of forest came.
Cueva de las Manos (Cave of
Mesolithic rock art gives more space to human
Hands) 9500 BCE made from
figures, and is characterized by keener observation, rock pigments
and greater narrative in the paintings. Also, because
of the warmer weather, it moves from caves to
outdoor sites in numerous locations.

Shigir Statue which were made from wood is

This age is where farming the oldest known surviving wood carving
started to become more found in Russia and is dated about 7,500
advantageous than BCE
hunting lowering risk of
fatality and increasing
growth of population in
humans
Neolithic Period

Despite the lack of written records from this time period, the art
New Age of Humans
from the pre-historic era provides valuable insights into the lives
and beliefs of early humans. It shows that even in the absence of

In general, the more settled and written language, humans were capable of creating complex and
beautiful works of art that continue to fascinate and inspire us to
better-resourced the region, the more art it
this day.
produces. So it was with Neolithic art, which
branched out in several different directions.
And although most ancient art remained
essentially functional in nature, there was a
The Neolithic Era began
greater focus on ornamentation and
when some groups of
decoration. humans gave up the
nomadic,
hunter-gatherer lifestyle
completely to begin
farming.
Neolithic Period
Different kinds of art in
this era
Ceramics
major medium of Neolithic
civilization was ceramic
pottery, the finest examples
of which (mostly featuring
geometric designs or
animal/plant motifs) were
produced around the region
of Mesopotamia (Iran, Iraq)
and the eastern
Mediterranean.
Portable art
With greater settlement in villages
and other small communities, rock
painting begins to be replaced by
more portable art.
Artworks become progressively
ornamented with precious metals
(eg. copper is first used in
Mesopotamia.
primitive jewelry and decorative
designs became prominent on a
variety of artifacts.