Nude Woman, or Venus of Willendorf. Source.
We can approach artwork formally (what it looks like), conceptually (what it is about), and contextually (the time, place, and conditions under which it was made). In order to consider artwork in its context, we need to have some knowledge of the history of art.
When we analyze the history of art in this course, we will be focusing on how the Western standard of art (an art focused on realism and beauty) came to be, and then how that standard was challenged and evolved.
We'll start at the beginning- when art was first made- 100,000 years ago.
Human beings have been compelled to create images and visually alter their surroundings for as long as human beings have existed. It is absolutely essential to who we are as people.
Prehistoric art was created in "prehistory" - a time before written records. Because no written records exist to tell us about these people and the things they created, a lot of what we claim to know about them is speculation. We cannot be absolutely sure of the function or intention of any of these works, but art is communication, and we do our best to apply our own knowledge of the world to interpret what they are telling us.
Khan Academy: Paleolithic Art, an introduction (reading)
Khan Academy: Apollo 11 Stones (reading)
Khan Academy: Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf) (video- 4:20)
Khan Academy: Venus of Willendorf (reading)
Neolithic Art:
Khan Academy: The Neolithic Revolution (reading)
Khan Academy: Stonehenge (reading; you do not need to watch all of the videos at the end of the essay, only the ones included below)
English Heritage: Who Built Stonehenge? (video - 5:49)
English Heritage: Stonehenge: Appearance of the Stones (video - 0:56)
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (video - 3:15)
