Prehistoric art is art before history, or art before writing. What do you think
ID: 285182 • Letter: P
Question
Prehistoric art is art before history, or art before writing. What do you think might be problematic about interpreting art without writing? (write a short response).
Then, read this article about the Woman or Venus of Willendorf and respond to the following questions: Should the figure be regarded as art or artifact? Do you think she can be regarded as both? What is emphasized on the figure, what is not? What is the figure about/it's purpose or function?
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/prehistoric-art/paleolithic-art/a/venus-of-willendorf
For the second part of the assignment, do some current research on your own on Stonehenge. What was Stonehenge possibly used for? How is the site linked to the sun? The community which built Stonehenge lived in a community nearby and built a wood version of Stonehenge (which no longer survives), called Woodhenge. Thinking about wood and stone - how might they materials be symbolic of life and death?
Explanation / Answer
Since the prehistoric art has no written records we are not able to know the date of the creation of the Venus of Williandorf. Despite these challenges the art historians attempts to establish date on the basis of dating methods. Also in the absence of the writing, art historians rely on the objects to know about the ancient people.
Artificact is any object made by human beings. The figure of the woman or Venus of Willendorf is about 24000-22000 BCE which makes it the oldest and most surviving work of art. So the figure is considered as the artifact. Whereas art is a particular kind of artifact in which beauty has been achieved through the application of skills. Since here the object was created with skill and imitate the world around them and were made with particular care to make them beautiful. So the figure of the women can be considered both as art and artifact.
The artist has given attention to the reproductive and childrearing parts of the women. The emphasis was given on the breasts which indicates that she is able to nurse a child. The artist also gives attention to the pubic region and traces of pigment red ochre can be seen on the parts of the figurine. In contrast less attention was given to the non reproductive parts especially limbs of the figurine. The small size of the feet indicates that she was meant to be free standing, carried or placed lying down. The upper arm of the figure along the upper torso was resting upon the top of the breasts. The absence of the face is also striking. No eyes, ears and mouth were visible. There were several horizontal bands that wrap in concentric circles from the crown of her head. This may indicate that head is obscured by a knit cap pulled downward or may represent braided or beaded hair. If the face was purposely obscured than it it does not represent a portrait of a woman but rather a representation of the reproductive and child rearing aspects of a women. The emphasis on the breasts and pubic area represents fertility.