When talking about art in prehistory, we are talking about the production seen as artistic in Prehistory, that is, during periods Paleolithic, Neolithic and Age of Metals. In general, it includes paintings made in caves, engravings carved in rocks, sculptures, statuettes, etc.
To facilitate your understanding of the subject, it is important to consider that the three periods mentioned and which are considered part of Prehistory are:
Paleolithic: period ranging from 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 BC. Ç.
Neolithic: period extending from 10,000 to. Ç. up to 5,000 a. Ç.
Age of Metals: period extending from 5,000 to 3,500 a. Ç.
Another important observation is that the lengths of each period across the planet are quite different. In this text, we chose to use the classical dating, but the advances and developments in the human lifestyle were different in different places on the planet. Thus, there were places where the advance that characterized the differences from one era to another was quite fast and others where the advances were slow.
Art in Prehistory manifested itself in different ways. The intention of these works is the subject of great debate by specialists. The most commonly mentioned motivations are that prehistoric populations made these records as a way to:
Register the everyday just to register. In this case, the artistic record would be in the sense “art for art's sake”.
Register with ritualistic purposes to create a connection between man and nature.
In any case, despite the debates and advanced studies carried out in order to seek an understanding of this art, the truth is that the real understanding of the message of prehistoric art it is almost impossible, since we do not know the codes of the real message that the authors of these works wanted to convey, as stated by anthropologist and archaeologist Rodrigo Simas Aguiar|1|.
Also access:Learn about man-made constructions in the Neolithic Period
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→ Art in the Paleolithic Period
In the case of the Paleolithic, the main highlight are the cave paintings, which are the engravings drawn on the walls of caves. Experts believe that rock paintings have arisen approximately 40,000 years ago in human groups that already had mastery of fire and had access to tools produced by chipping stone. This art, in general, shows the man among large groups of animals, representing mainly hunting scenes, but also portrays other scenes of human daily life.
Experts say that rock art used materials such as earth, coal, blood, flowers, etc. The main examples of this art are found in the Caveinchauvet and Lascaux, in France, but they are also in other places, such as Spain, Australia, Argentina, etc. Here in Brazil, the great rock art center is in the Serra da Capybara, located in Piauí.
The Venus of Willendorf was located in Austria and is one of the most famous Venus figurines.
There is not only record of cave art in the Paleolithic, as there are also small sculptures that were produced in this period. In this case, the highlight are the Venus figurines, produced between 40,000 a. Ç. and 10,000 a. Ç. These figurines known as Venus always reproduce a naked female body with quite voluptuous shapes, highlighting the large breasts and wide hips.
These sculptures are understood by specialists as a record related to a fertility cult, which may be associated with a deity known as GoddessMom. The best known Venus figurine is the Venus ofWillendorf, located in Austria and which has approximately 25,000 years of existence.
→ Art in the Neolithic Period
The Neolithic period presents great transformations and advances in relation to the Paleolithic – although not uniformly. These advances can be highlighted, mainly, by the sedentarization of man through the mastery of agricultural techniques and the domestication of animals.
This allowed man to develop new tools, which brought improvement to his life. One of the great advances of the Neolithic is related to constructions, since little by little man was developing architectural skills.
In the Neolithic, megalithic constructions stand out, such as the one at Stonehenge, in England.
These advances were directly reflected in the construction of monumentsmegalithic, that is, huge complexes made by a heap of large rocks. These monuments are found in different parts of the world and are directly related to man's need to create records in honor of his ancestors. They may also be related to the timing or observation of the stars.
The best known megalithic structures are Stonehenge, in England, and the cromlechFromAlmonds, located in Portugal. Despite this, structures of this type have already been located in different places, such as Ireland, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, etc.
Also access:Discover one of the main artistic styles of the 20th century
Art in the Prehistory of Brazil
Serra da Capivara is one of the most famous cave paintings in Brazil.
In the case of Brazil, there are some prehistoric art productions located in some states, such as Piauí, Paraíba, Mato Grosso and Santa Catarina. The main highlight are the cave paintings found in the Serra da Capybara, in the state of Piauí, which houses more than 100 cave paintings depicting scenes of hunting, war, sex, etc.
Summary
Prehistoric art is that produced during the chronological periods of Prehistory, with emphasis on the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. Prehistoric art includes artistic productions such as cave paintings and stone engravings, as well as sculptures and statuettes. The objective of these productions is the subject of debate among historians, but theories point to two theses: a form of expression or a way for man to ritualistically connect with nature.
In the case of the Paleolithic, cave paintings stand out, such as those located in Serra da Capivara, in the state of Piauí, and the Venus statuettes, found in different parts of the world. In the case of the Neolithic, megalithic constructions stand out, such as those at Stonehenge, in England.
|1| AGUIAR, Rodrigo Simas. Rock Art: introductory concepts. To access, click on here.
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
